Joe Quinn's Poltergeist by David Almond
Published by Candlewick Press (MA) on September 10th 2019
ISBN: 153620160X
Pages: 80
Goodreads

A strange, dark book that will take a few reads to truly appreciate. The title and cover suggest that this is a horror story, and it does have a few ghosts in the plot, but one of the most important “ghosts” is the memory of the narrator’s sister,  Barbara, who died when she was a little girl. The poltergeist in Joe Quinn’s house is the plot device that allows Davie, the narrator, to process Barbara’s death and to question the point of being alive. A rumination of death, loss, religion, and purpose, this highly illustrated novella packs a lot into 80 pages. McLean’s mixed media illustrations have a surreal quality and are haunting and evocative; they make Almond’s story that much more nuanced and gripping. Upper middle grade and high school readers who are fans of dark graphic novels like Gaiman and (Gareth) Hinds as well as fans of other collaborations by Almond & McKean will want to sit with this one and savor it and “the world and all that’s in it will continue to hum and sing, to shake and shine, to hold us in its darkness and its light.”

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth