Songs for Ghosts: A. Novel

 

Rating: 4 because it is complex and difficult to label

My Thoughts:

This was a complex story because I could not find the right label or genre for this. What was it? How do I describe it? Sometimes it is just a mystery. But it is also a ghost story. It is a family story, but like any good mystery, I am not sure how things connect, and when connections revealed itself in the story, I was just as surprised as the character. So it is also about not just one, but two unreliable narrators. It is about loss, tragedy, young love, mature love, mother's love, child's love, betrayal. It is a "play within a play" of sorts. It is about ghosts amongst us. It is about music. It is about being lost in translation. It is about queer love as well as mixed race love. It is about forbidden love. It is about two cultures. It is about being hapa and in multiple worlds and cultures at once, much like the author. Young readers can glom onto any of the different labels based on what they need from this novel. 

Perhaps in the end, for me, this is a story about remembering. I think I will go to the graveyard this weekend to visit some ancestors.

From the Publisher:

When Adam discovers a diary in his attic, he is enthralled by its account of a young woman's life in Nagasaki. A hundred years separate them, yet like Adam, she is caught between cultures, relationships, and heartbreak.

She also writes of the ghosts that have begun to seek her out, which Adam dismisses as fantasy—until he begins to be haunted by her terrifying spirit. Unravelling the mystery of her identity—and the wrong done to her—seems to be the only way to save himself.

This leads Adam to a home stay in Nagasaki, where he begins to reconnect to his heritage not only through Japanese language and culture, but also by connecting with long-lost family members. And then begins a race against time as Adam and his new crush, Jo, attempt to untangle a story that has rippled through generations . .

Publication Information:

Author: Clara Kumagai

Publisher: Amulet Books (August 12, 2025)

Print length: 400 pages

Centuria, Volume 1

 

Rating: 3 for the balance between death and love, tragedy and hope

My Thoughts:

Julian is a teenager who sneaks onto a slave ship as a stowaway to get away from his cruel master. His own mother sold him into slavery for a few coins, so he also has a sole survivor instinct that tells him that no one will protect him but himself. But when he is caught on the slave ship and the captain threatens to kill him, a pregnant slave, Mira, offers to share her food with him. For the first time, through his relationship with Mira who mothers him, Julian understands that it is not natural human behavior to sell your children off.

Tragedy happens on the ship. An ancient monster from the deep asks for a sacrifice in exchange for supernatural power. In the end, Julian is left to get to land and take care of Miraʻs baby. As this is a series, more will happen, but what Julian is learning about is the ability to nurture and love Diana, the baby. Along the way, he also learns about the power of a mother's love, as other women take him (and the baby) under wing. In return, he is growing to be someone who has the capacity to contribute and nurture, despite the horrors that happen to him.

From the Publisher:

Sold into slavery by his own mother, Julian has known nothing but pain and brutality. All that changes when, aboard a slave ship, he experiences the kindness and tender touch of a loving person for the first time. But fate has plans for Julian in the bloody awakening of an ancient god who strikes a cruel bargain: an innocent life in exchange for extraordinary powers—abilities he must use to protect a helpless baby in a cruel and violent world!

Caught as a stowaway aboard a slave ship, Julian narrowly escapes death by the kindness of fellow slaves who take pity on him, especially a pregnant slave by the name of Mira. But when the slaver decides to liquidate his holdings, the bloodbath calls forth an ancient god from the sea. A deal is made at the cost of a life and Julian is forever changed, gaining fantastic powers. But even with his new abilities, monsters at sea and on land pose a threat in this dark and dangerous world!

Publication Information:

Author: Tohru Kuramori

Publisher: VIZ Media LLC (February 17, 2026)

Length: 200 pages

Ghost Boys: Graphic Novel adaptation

 

Rating: 4 for reaching readers in a multimodal world

My Thoughts: 

This story, by Jewell Parker Rhodes navigates a healing journey to police brutality and young, black bodies being gunned down in the streets. The opening scene is Jerome, face down on the road, blood coming out, dead, alone, just a police officer standing over him and his toy gun. 

Jerome speaks to us as a ghost, and he is witness to his family’s suffering and anger. He is also visited by a ghost boy (Emmet Till) and eventually other young ghost boys who were similarly killed. Emmett helps Jerome make sense of the racism and white fear that continues to see young black boys as dangerous and feared.

In addition, the daughter of the officer that shot Jerome (still living) can also see Jerome. Through her, the readers see a different perspective of the officer, especially when even his daughter questions his decision making after seeing the video. 

This story, as a graphic novel is immediate and visceral. Words are sparse and important. The graphics bring life to the characters and tell a story that needs to be remembered. We are not thriving as a society and this is a reminder of that fact. 

From the Publisher:

Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that is unleashed on his family and community in the wake of this unjust and brutal killing.

Soon Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances. Emmett helps Jerome process what has happened, on a journey toward recognizing how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer who shot him, as she grapples with her father's actions.

Now gorgeously a graphic novel with gripping artwork from Black Panther illustrator Setor Fiadzigbey, Ghost Boys once again deftly explores the historical and sociopolitical layers involved in how children and families face the complexities of today’s world—and how one boy, in particular, comes to understand American Blackness in the aftermath of his own death.

Publication Information:

Author: Jewell Parker Rhodes

Illustrator: Setor Fiadzigbey

Publisher: Little, Brown, Ink (December 2, 2025)

Print length: 264 pages

Mushishi Collector's Edition Volume 1

 

Rating: 4 for Studio Ghibli level creativity and atmospheric wonder

My Thoughts:

This collection of stories/manga is so novel to the kinds of stories that I know that it is difficult to really explain what this is about. Although I did not know this before hand, I found that this is a collector's item piece because of the limited publication exposure the original series  has gotten outside of Japan. 

Basically, these are short stories as the main character, Ginko, a mushishi, or mushi expert, travels around the countryside to track down unusual, strange happenings and behaviors. Most times these happenings, even in the way that people change are tracked down to the influence of mushi, these small nature spirits with sprite like beings who can be harmless, but also vicious and naughty at the same time. 

The artwork is beautiful in the best manga style and although I got this as a ebook from NetGalley, this is one that I am going to order as a hardcover just to hold on to it. 

I describe this as Studio Ghibli level creativity mainly because there is a good balance of mystery, innocence and spookiness. Also the mushi remind me of those living dust bunnies in My Neighbor Totoro. 

From the Publisher:

Though invisible to most, tiny creatures known as mushi lurk beneath the surface of everyday reality. They exert a strange and occasionally terrifying influence on people's lives, and only experts known as mushishi carry the knowledge of how to deal with them. A mushishi named Ginko wanders the Japanese countryside, following rumors of various unusual occurences: a young man who dreams the future; a child with horns growing from his forehead; a boy with the power to write creatures into being; and more...

Publication Information:

Author/artist: Yuki Urushibara

Publisher: Kodansha (November 4, 2025)

Print length: 464 pages

The Reckoning of Roku, Book 5

Rating: 3, more if you are fans of Avatar the Last Airbender series

My Thoughts:

My Goodreads reading summary of 2025 showed me that I started the year off with Randy Ribay's Everything We Never Had, so I wanted to start with another Randy Ribay book. I can't imagine that he is still teaching based on the kinds of projects he is doing, both original work like Patron Saints and Everything as well as being a team writer for a series like this. 

I think what he brings to this series is the angsty complex "hero" voice of Roku. I have seen that same voice in Patron and as a writer he is good at showing that complexity of character. I miss the playful Aang, but I think I love Aang because he reminds me of the Japanese comic series of the monk boy Ikkyū-san. 

This is a different kind of story in a good way mostly because Roku is fairly new at this Avatar role, but he is trying (sort of). He also has a cast of characters, like his best friend Prince Sozin, as well as his airbending master who refuses to teach him any airbending because he cannot figure out how to "let go." 

I actually listened to the audiobook since I gave back my iPad which I use as a Kindle for my ebooks, so I have the information on the ebook too. The ebook narrator, Nancy Wu, is easy to listen to. That is a good thing because this is a long listen.

 This is book 1 of 2026. #2026.1

From the Publisher:

Roku never expected to be the Avatar. Even his best friend, Crown Prince Sozin of the Fire Nation, doubts the accuracy of the Fire Sages’ announcement. After all, Sozin is the strongest Firebender of their generation, while Roku struggles to grasp basic airbending principles—even after months of training under Sister Disha, his airbending master.

 
When Sozin requests the new Avatar’s aid in preventing the Earth Kingdom from claiming a remote Fire Nation island, it doesn’t surprise Roku that Sister Disha advises him to decline. Convinced the Earth King’s aggressive expansion of territory points to a more insidious agenda, Roku steals away with the help of an irritating young Airbender named Gyatso. As the reluctant companions delve deeper into their wayward mission, they realize the fog-shrouded island harbors a secret that could lead to catastrophe in the wrong hands.
 

Plagued by self-doubt but eager to confront the dangers ahead, Avatar Roku must learn where to place his trust and what it means to be a spirit of no nation . . . even if the lesson comes at a great personal cost.that makes this series entertaining. 

Publication Information:

Author: Randy Ribay

Publisher for print book: Amulet Books (July 23, 2024)

Print length: 368 pages

Audiobook narrator: Nancy Wu

Publisher audio: Blackstone Publishing

Listening length: 11 hours, 27 minutes

Source: Hawaiʻi Public Library, Libby app

 

Felix Ever After

 

Rating: 3 for learning more about trans complexity

My Thoughts:

In simple terms, this is a love story. 

In more complex terms, this is about the dangers of labeling. Although as a society we now have many more terms (LGBTQIA+++), there is a danger in even labeling because it forces people to choose even if the full of a label like transfemale does not quite fit. It pigeonholes people.

I have stopped using the term BIPOC author or AAPI author (even if I used it here before). Mostly because even saying an author of color not just (black, indigenous people of color OR asian american pacific islander) creates a white and north american normative.

In Hawaiʻi most locals refer to the states in North America as the "mainland." I call Hawaiʻi my mainland = main land. Instead, I refer to the states in North America as the continent. So my youngest son lives in Portland, or he lives on the continent, not the mainland.

All of these are just labels that are meant to remind us brownies of who is in charge or what is "normal." The book Felix Ever After taught me that even within the transgender realm, there are nuances and labels and that all are acceptable ways of identifying oneself. I just want to point out that in the Hawaiian language, there is a gender less pronoun, ʻoia, that can be used to push back against this need to label ourselves with our pronouns. It is so unnecessary and this book talks about that same thing which is the harm of having to choose and label oneself. 

From the Publisher:

Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He desperately wants to know what it’s like and why it seems so easy for everyone but him to find someone. What’s worse is that, even though he is proud of his identity, Felix also secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.

When an anonymous student begins sending him transphobic messages—after publicly posting Felix’s deadname alongside images of him before he transitioned—Felix comes up with a plan for revenge. What he didn’t count on: his catfish scenario landing him in a quasi–love triangle....

But as he navigates his complicated feelings, Felix begins a journey of questioning and self-discovery that helps redefine his most important relationship: how he feels about himself.

Felix Ever After is an honest and layered story about identity, falling in love, and recognizing the love you deserve.

Publication Information:

Author: Kacen Callender

Publisher: HarperCollins (May 5, 2020)

Print length: 362 pages

Grade level: 9-12

Source: Hawaiʻi Public Library

The Space Between Here and Now

 Rating 4, liked the jarring mystery of this and as readers or listeners, we feel Aimee's desperation and fear.

My Thoughts:

Sensory Time Warp Syndrome is a condition where there is a synesthesia trigger, for Aimee, a smell, that causes her to disappear and time travel back into her own memory. She keeps wanting help but her father tells her that she will grow out of it. Instead, the time gets longer, alarmingly longer. I felt for her as her life is controlled by this fear of disappearing. When she fixes on the idea that her disappearances may be related to finding her mom who has disappeared, the story gets really interesting. 

I think what makes this work is the novelty of the story, but also the way this mystery is so irritatingly slow to unveil.  This came out a few years ago and I am surprised that it did not get more press. Besides being a unique story, the cover is very eye catching. 

As far as the audiobook, it is easy to listen to, easy to get caught up in, easy to finish.

From the Publisher:

Seventeen-year-old Aimee Roh has Sensory Time Warp Syndrome, a rare condition that causes her to time travel to a moment in her life when she smells something linked to that memory. Her dad is convinced she’ll simply grow out of it if she tries hard enough, but Aimee’s fear of vanishing at random has kept her from living a normal life.

When Aimee disappears for nine hours into a memory of her estranged mom—a moment Aimee has never remembered before—she becomes distraught. Not only was this her longest disappearance yet, but the memory doesn’t match up with the story of how her mom left—at least, not the version she’s always heard from her dad.

Desperate for answers, Aimee travels to Korea, where she unravels the mystery of her memories, the truth about her mother, and the reason she keeps returning to certain moments in her life. Along the way, she realizes she’ll need to reconcile her past in order to save her present.

Publication Information:

Author: Sarah Suk

Publisher: Quill Tree Books (October 31, 2023)

Print length: 317 pages

Reading age: 13 and up

Audiobook narrator: Joy Osmanski

Audio publisher: Harper Audio

Listening length: 7 hours 50 minutes

Text source: Hawaiʻi Public Library, Libby App

Year in book 2025

 

I'm the Grim Reaper, Vol. 1,

Rating: 3 for ethical dilemma conversations

My Thoughts:

The saturated red illustrations are fabulous and fitting to the theme. Also, although this is labeled as volume 1, it gives a good amount of story in this volume. Similar to Demonslayer, Scarlet, despite her bargain with Satan, is not all bad. In the high school classroom, use these popular manga to talk about complex ethical decisions that create characters that are complicated. Use this for sociology class too. It will be a great way to link to studentsʻ interest before going into something like Frankenstein.

From the Publisher:

When Scarlet finds herself doomed to eternal punishment in Hell for a sinful life she can’t even remember, Satan himself offers her a deal: return to earth and kill one marked sinner per day…as his grim reaper!

Using the power of Hell, Scarlet quickly learns the ropes of being a reaper: bring in one sinner per day, regardless of their sins, and avoid the ninth circle herself. This work brings her into the path of Chase, a disgraced former detective trying to solve a high-level case that seems wrapped up in Scarlet’s former life. Scarlet decides to partner with Chase to find the answers to her locked memories—as long as Chase doesn’t discover Scarlet’s bloodstained bargain with Satan first.

This volume collects episodes 1–16 of the popular WEBTOON, exclusive never-before-seen content, and a bonus short story!
 

Publication Information:

Author: Graveweaver

Publisher: Viz Media LLC (September 10, 2024)

Print length: 240 pages

Hammajang Luck

 

Rating: 4 for making up a new category: mahudystopianfuturism (ish)

My Thoughts:

I am going to make up a new "genre" or category for this book based on the title "Hammajang." Anyone outside of Hawaiʻi will not know/understand "hammajang" in the same way that the shaka or aloha is both international and Hawaiʻi-centric at the same time. Hammajang is an old school plantation pidgen term for "messed up," "kapakahi," chaotic. So right away, this title, by writer Makana Yamamoto (Hawaiian first name, Japanese last name) identifies as local literature, perhaps by a local writer. Indeed, they are from Maui, but if you look at the author picture, they look less Hawaiian than perhaps hapa haole/kepani. So local adjacent?

Then there is the setting. This book is touted as a mix of Ocean's 8 and Blade Runner. In other words, this is an all female heist book with the two main characters in a love hate love queer relationship. It is also like Blade Runner because of the man made world in space where even the daylight is manufactured. No androids, but it is a seedy urban setting where the few are uber rich and the majority are generationally poor. 

I wanted to call this Hawaiian futurism, but this is definitely not Hawaiʻi. Any kind of novel labeled as Hawaiʻi has to both be in Hawaiʻi, but in addition, the ʻāina should have its own chracteristics, its own role as a character in the novel. This is not that. They have more plantation values where families continue to be colonized by the big luna and really, no one gets out of that system through legal means.

Also, the definition for Afro futurism does include science fiction locales and Africans in a diaspora that also can include space stations and other planets, but it usually shows a future where Africans thrive, not get stuck in the same struggle to just survive. So maybe this is not a futurism as I originally thought.

This has nothing to do with the story. I liked the story. I always like a good heist adventure, even with an angry butchy Edie. She is more complicated than just being angry and bitter. What works with this book is that the characters have kuleana. That is why I am trying to label this. This is a queer story, in a colonized future that feels like Honolulu now. Perhaps this is a mahudystopianfuturism. 

Whatever this is called, it will be a familiar story to our high school students looking for queer science fiction, heist fiction and small kine pidgen and local food moʻolelo.

From the Publisher:

Edie is done with crime. Eight years behind bars changes a person—costs them too much time with too many of the people who need them most.

And it’s all Angel’s fault. She sold Edie out in what should have been the greatest moment of their lives. Instead, Edie was shipped off to the icy prison planet spinning far below the soaring skybridges and neon catacombs of Kepler space station—of home—to spend the best part of a decade alone.

But then a chance for early parole appears out of nowhere and Edie steps into the pallid sunlight to find none other than Angel waiting—and she has an offer.

One last job. One last deal. One last target. The trillionaire tech god they failed to bring down last time. There’s just one thing Edie needs to do—trust Angel again—which also happens to be the last thing Edie wants to do. What could possibly go all hammajang about this plan?

Publication Information:

Author: Makana Yamamoto
Publisher: Harper Voyager (January 14, 2025)
Print length: 356 pages
High school

Gihigugma, Ace of Hearts

 

Rating: 3 - meet cute, innocent, Filipinos in diaspora

My Thoughts: 

The publishers call this a Crazy Rich Asians meets Bend it Like Beckham. I don't agree. This is not about the uber rich Asians, and although Jomar is a tennis player in London, this is really about that awkward love. He is a good boy, a little clueless, a little lost. He comes from the Philippines straight to London without even securing a place to stay so always has that small fish in a big pond aspect about him. He is trying to keep his scholarship to go to college and play tennis, but he also seems to be the kind of lost puppy that people want to take under their wing, whether it is his new doubles partner, the James Bond nerd from the airport, or the security guard that coaches him until he gets fired for letting him into the stadium at night to practice. Others naturally gravitate towards him because he wears his heart on his sleeve and his says gushy things like "you are my home." 

Mitch, half-white, half Filipina, is an American who is a little more awkward than she should be considering her father lives in London and her mother in America. She should be more sophisticated as someone who constantly travels between families, but she is not. I could not quite figure her out. When it reveals what she is hiding, it is not enough for her to treat Jomar the way she does. As an American college student in London, I felt like she lost some of her American-ness in the middle of the book. 

Despite the minor issue I had with Mitch, I think this is a cute read. I read it from my phone in one sitting so that is a good sign that this is a read worthy, swoon worthy book for YA. Their relationship is very chaste and innocent, so this is good for younger YA too. The only other issue that I have is the cover. I am not sure why it looks like he is shirtless as this is not that kind of book. I would have had her kissing her hand as that happens  a lot. AND, put a shirt on. 

From the Publisher:

When Jomar's tennis ambitions crash into Mitchelle's wounded heart during one charmingly disastrous karaoke night, they'll discover that the biggest matches aren't played on courts—but in learning to love despite the ghosts of the past.

Jomar Montalbano thinks he's ready for anything. A rising tennis star from the Philippines, he lands in London with one suitcase, one college scholarship, and zero idea how to survive without rice. He's counting on a few wins—but definitely not falling for Mitchelle Tanner.

She's the quiet girl with a vintage camera, a craving for halo-halo, and a smile that hides as much as it shows. Half-American, half-Filipina, and fully impossible to read.

He's used to power and control—but around her, he's completely unstrung.

From vulnerable confessions in a darkroom's glow to rallies that feel like Wimbledon wins, Jomar discovers that love—like tennis—is all about timing, risk, and knowing when to fight for the point.

Set in London's rainy alleys and sunlit parks, woven with island warmth and humor, Gihigugma, Ace of Hearts is an adventure about home, heart, and the courage to choose love against all odds.

Love at eighteen isn't always a mistake. Sometimes, it's a miracle.

Publication Information:

Author: Melanie King-Smith

Publisher: MiLFY Books (September 30, 2025)

Print length: 234 pages

Reading age: 13-18

Bright Red Fruit

 

Rating: 5 for heartwrenching story telling and poetry that will make you cry

My Thoughts:

Safia Elhillo. Safia. Elhillo. If I see her name on a book, I grab it. I have not been disappointed. For all the brown girls who think their world is small. For all the brown girls who think their word is confining. For all the brown girls who think they are invisible. This is your author. This is your poetess. Author of my favorite novel in verse, Home is Not a Country as well as the book of poems Girls That Never Die comes my new favorite Bright Red Fruit.

I wanted to shake Samira, yell at her to wake up, but also hug her on the floor of the bathroom. That is how viscerally this hit me. I feel like I have been in this kind of relationship. I feel like I have lost good friends forever because of this kind of relationship. I have carried this shame of my own actions that got dredged up from this novel in verse. I have also recognized the achingly precise portrayal of Samira's story as in some ways, all of our stories. Would this have saved my younger self if I had read this then? Maybe not. But I hope it will speak to someone who needs to be immersed in Samira's story. I hope the words crackle into a large, cautionary billboard sign for someone who needs the message called out. If not, I  hope the message readers get from this is that they are enough. They are more than enough. 

For teachers who want to use this:

• Check out the Penguin Random House teacher guide. It will give you some good ideas on things to do pre- during- and post-reading. I trust this publisher and the teachers they use to create their guides. 
• As a former yearbook advisor and a poet, I like to spend some time before a novel in verse talking about visual literacy cues. I like to look at white space in gutters, in bleeds, between words, between lines. It adds to the meaning making of novels in verse  in ways that cannot be done in prose. 
• Use some of these as mentor texts for students' own writing.

From the Publisher:

Bad girl. No matter how hard Samira tries, she can’t shake her reputation. She’s never gotten the benefit of the doubt—not from her mother or the aunties who watch her like a hawk.

Samira is determined to have a perfect summer filled with fun parties, exploring DC, and growing as a poet—until a scandalous rumor has her grounded and unable to leave her house. When Samira turns to a poetry forum for solace, she catches the eye of an older, charismatic poet named Horus. For the first time, Samira feels wanted. But soon she’s keeping a bigger secret than ever before—one that that could prove her reputation and jeopardize her place in her community.

In this gripping coming-of-age novel from the critically acclaimed author Safia Elhillo, a young woman searches to find the balance between honoring her family, her artistry, and her authentic self.

Publication Information:

Author: Safia Elhillo

Publisher: Make Me a World (March 25, 2025)

Print length: 400 pages

Grade level: 7-12

Angelica and the Bear Prince (graphic novel)

 

Rating: 3 for unexpected depth and complex themes 

My Thoughts:

The title and the cover made me think that this was going to be a kids graphic novel, but it is not. The graphics are light and childlike on the outside, but the story deals with YA themes like burnout, grief, isolation. Angelica, the main character, suffers from debilitating depression like symptoms, but her internship at a local community theatre and her online friendship with the theatre's mascot, Peri the Bear, starts her on a journey of healing. This odd little magic, with some scenes playing out graphically without dialogue, seems to be a strength of Trung Le Nguyen. He also authored The Magic Fish. 

It is not that Angelica is without a support system of her own, but this story just made me think that sometimes we can feel alone in a crowd, so this relationship with the bear is a great reminder that sometimes our teens need to work things out for themselves. There will be students in your class who need to read this. 

It is cute on the outside. The bear itself is adorable and not at all kinky/fetishy. I also think the budding romance is what makes this cozy. However, I maybe wanted a little more on self healing and catharsis, even if that might not be the intention for this particular graphic novel. 

From the Publisher:

Angelica was the girl who could do it all—until suddenly, she couldn’t. Burnout hit hard. Now, after some very low moments, she’s ready to get her life back together, thanks to her friends, and one very surprising source of comfort.

A bear.

Peri is the mascot of the local theater. He’s been sending Angelica supportive messages from his social. They’ve become friends, and Angelica might even have . . . a crush?

Determined to find the human behind the bear costume, Angelica gets an internship at the theater. She might never go back to being the girl who can do everything, but perhaps she is becoming the girl who can magically have it all.

Publication Information:

Author/Illustrator: Trung Le Nguyen
Publisher: Random House Graphic (October 7, 2025)

Print length: 224 pages

Grade levels: 7-10