Liv Livingston tells her story in Spirited Volume one: Day of the Living Liv. Okay, I am not sure who the author actually is, maybe she has a ghostwriter? After all, Liv is starting a new school and her classmates are kinda a dead bunch to be around. No really, a lot of them are ghosts and boy do they have questions about Liv and being alive! (Yes, we need umbrellas when it rains.)
This is a cute story about being yourself and that is how you fit in. In fact everything is cute, especially Liv’s new friend, Howl (he’s not in the “big bad werewolf stage yet, so he’s a freaking adorable puppy! Plus, he has fleas and that causes some embarrassing slips of the tongue). The illustrations are fun as they are colorful and bubbly, and cozy. The story is about a typical middle school that happens to have some supernatural students and some interesting hall monitors. Glass House Graphics mixes modern and classic manga/anime and graphic novel art. Things are not overly detailed, but there is enough to get the job done. Things move quickly and this is in part to those elements. As I read it via an online reader copy (though it should be currently available), there were a few “oops” but they should be smoothed out in the finished edition.
There are a few new things about the book, but mostly we know this story and the details are familiar (the parents are a little clueless, younger sibling does younger sibling things, the cat sees things the humans can’t). It is good for a “visual reader” and for those who might not be as strong of a reader. It works for most ages 8 to 12, especially if you are a “misfit” or into art (Liv is into art, and it is how she really makes her new friends). Things are funny, a little spooky (remember ghosts) and one crazy cat. Book two Go, Ghoul, Go!, is due late March 2024
