Brody's Ghost Volume 1
Brody, a broken-down street musician, finds his world changed forever when he meets Talia, a teenage ghost who tells him that he will help her complete the task that allows her entrance into heaven. Though the first part of Crilley’s six-part story is short, he packs in a lot of details, especially in his amazingly realistic, manga-influenced art. The setting—an unidentified future city partially in ruins—is a masterpiece of drawing, and Brody and the other characters are equally well crafted (readers are shown that process through character sketches in the back of the book). The story is more than a match for the art: humor, action, and mystery butt up against the reality of Brody’s sad life, giving him the opportunity to change who he is. Rather than starting with a hero, Crilley builds one from the ground up, encouraging readers to join him in the journey. The surprise ending wraps up this introductory volume and leaves readers eager for round two. Grades 7-12. --Snow Wildsmith