The Ghoul Next Door

by Cullen Bunn, Cat Farris (Illustrator)

Overview

For fans of Ghosts and Hilo, New York Times bestselling author Cullen Bunn and acclaimed artist Cat Farris deliver a fun, spooky, full-color middle grade graphic novel about a supernatural adventure and friendships that go beyond the grave. 

“A thoroughly charming story of friendship, sweet and funny and haunting all in equal measure.” —Tony Cliff, creator of the Delilah Dirk series

“Incredible artwork and a sweet, cool, and just creepy enough story that really hooked me.” —Jeff Lemire, creator of Sweet Tooth, Black Hammer, and the Essex County trilogy

"A fun story with art that’ll knock readers dead."—Kirkus

“Imaginative with the right number of chills.”—Booklist

Eleven-year-old Grey lives in the legend-haunted New England town of Ander’s Landing, and he can’t help but feel like a pair of eyes is watching his every move.

He discovers odd, gruesome bits and pieces from the graveyard that are left for him as gifts like art carved from bones or jewelry made from (hopefully not human) remains. Soon Grey is caught up in something bigger than he could ever have imagined.

He finds himself drawn into a strange mystery involving a race of reclusive subterranean creatures—ghouls, the eaters of the dead! Turns out, his secret admirer is a ghoul named Lavinia. An unlikely friendship forms between them. The only problem is, their friendship breaks traditions—and the punishment is a fate worse than death.

Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection * Kids’ Indie Next List

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062896094
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	07/13/2021
Pages:	200
Sales rank:	278,359
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Cullen Bunn is the New York Times bestselling writer of the Sixth Gun, Harrow County, Bone Parish, and Dark Ark series; Bunn has written for Marvel, DC, Valiant, and many others. Bunn considers himself a lucky husband and father, and was once the world’s youngest hypnotist. His website is www.cullenbunn.com.

Cat Farris is a native Portlander, an artist, and pretty sure she’s just making this up as she goes along. She is supported in this venture by the world’s most beautiful husband, the laziest greyhound, and an all-star cast of Helioscope studiomates. She has done art for various comics publishers, including Oni Press, Dark Horse Comics, and IDW Publishing. You can see more of her work at www.cattifer.com.

Editorial Reviews

Imaginative with the right number of chills.

Booklist

Imaginative with the right number of chills.

Booklist

More macabre than spine-tingling, this fast-paced blend of humor and horror is essentially an against-the-odds friendship story. Though the quality of Farris’ watercolor art alone distinguishes it from other full-color graphic novels, her skeletal, shadowy silhouettes are wonderfully (and unforgettably) nightmarish. Bunn’s ghoul lore offers a fresh alternate post–Salem witch trials narrative…A fun story with art that’ll knock readers dead.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Imaginative with the right number of chills.” — Booklist

From the Publisher

07/01/2021

Gr 4–8—When Grey takes a shortcut to school through the cemetery, he trips and loses a school project in a mysterious hole in the ground. In the days that follow, creepy events plague him until he finally discovers that he has made contact with a ghoul named Lavinia. While the two forge a friendship, Grey's human friend Marshall becomes increasingly unsettled at their relationship. Unfortunately, ghouls are not meant to befriend humans, so Lavinia and Grey have to save Marshall from a terrifying fate in the underworld. The fast-paced story offers just the right balance of scares and intrigue. The characters will resonate with young readers also grappling with difficulties with school, friendships, and parents. The full-color illustrations are marvelous, and the journey to the underworld is awash in eerie greens and blues. The dialogue between the characters is natural and moves quickly. While this seems to be a stand-alone offering, readers will want more stories from this spooky crew. Grey is Asian; Marshall is white. VERDICT Fans of macabre tales, such as the "Amulet" series or Vera Brosgol's Anya's Ghost, will delight in this charming comic.—Ellen Conlin, Naperville P.L., IL

School Library Journal

2021-05-05
A cemetery-obsessed kid finds himself in ghoulish company.

On his way to school with his friend Marshall, Grey splits off to take a shortcut through the cemetery. Grey trips, accidentally dropping his school project—a diorama of the cemetery—into an open gravesite. Before he can get it back, a clawlike hand drags the diorama into the shadows with a “HsssSSSsss.” Grey high-tails it out of there and goes to school empty-handed. That night, that very creature visits Grey in his room and disappears when spotted. Grey finds the diorama on his doorstep not only intact, but improved. Next comes a series of strange gifts. When accosted, the gift giver—a young ghoul named Lavinia—warns that the “cemetery’s not safe” for “surface-dwellers.” But when the other ghouls threaten people important to Grey, Grey must brave the Kingdom of the Dead. What—and where—have Grey and his new “ghoul-friend” gotten themselves into? More macabre than spine-tingling, this fast-paced blend of humor and horror is essentially an against-the-odds friendship story. Though the quality of Farris’ watercolor art alone distinguishes it from other full-color graphic novels, her skeletal, shadowy silhouettes are wonderfully (and unforgettably) nightmarish. Bunn’s ghoul lore offers a fresh alternate post–Salem witch trials narrative. Visual cues code Grey as biracial, with a mom of color and a White dad; Marshall presents White. A sequel will follow.

A fun story with art that’ll knock readers dead. (Graphic horror. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews