Anya's Ghost By Vera Brosgol

Anya’s Ghost written by Vera Brosgol in 2011, is a graphic novel that uses a ghost to help Anya experience new things about the world while also learning how to embrace her Russian heritage. This follows an average teenage girl that is struggling with body image, acceptance problems, loneliness, and anxiety. Anya tries to get rid of her cultural identity at her school, and hopes to fit in like everyone else. However, she feels that she is not fully able to do this. She meets a friendly, innocent ghost named Emily who helps her navigate through her highschool life after winning over her friendship by helping her talk to her crush, and cheat during an exam. This graphic novel does an incredible job of taking us into the life of a teenage girl

Immediately this symbolizes how Anya is ashamed of her culture and wants her mother to just pack her a sandwich instead. This also demonstrates how Anya does not want to eat anything at all out of fear she won’t be skinny enough. She stumbles into a hole where she meets a trapped ghost named Emily, and takes her back home with her. Emily then proves her usefulness to Anya by helping her through her school and even getting an invite to a party. Emily is able to help Anya be grateful for the life she has. While reading this graphic novel I was immersed in the storyline and plot, which made it an enjoyable read that I finished rather quickly. This book kept me incredibly engaged because it was about a teenage girl in highschool that had perfectly normal struggles, while still having small areas of humor. I can see why the book appeals to so many people because it shows the adolescence of a moody teenager. However, my favorite part was the plot twist towards the end of the book that made me finish it in one sitting. The actions Anya does throughout the novel significantly takes the story to the next level, tackling many different common high school