The Ghost Collector

November 1, 2019
Canadian sixth grader Shelly lives with her single mother and grandmother in a small apartment. All the women on the maternal side of Shelly's Ililiw/Cree family have the ability to communicate with the dead, and for as long as Shelly can remember, Grandma has helped them move on in exchange for "knickknacks and favors and food." Though her mother disapproves of the whole business, Shelly loves being her grandmother's "apprentice." Then an unthinkable tragedy occurs, and in the aftermath, dealing with the dead takes on new emotional and financial importance. Grief-stricken and lonely, Shelly snares ghost after ghost-people, dogs, cats, a squirrel-in her long hair and smuggles them home. But none of them is the one ghost she longs to find, and by "collecting" them, Shelly is upsetting the natural order. The story is a sad one, but the support of friends living and dead makes it clear that Shelly is going to be okay. Alongside grief, the afterlife, secrets, and responsibility, Mills (herself of Ililiw/Cree and settler descent) explores themes of identity, belonging, and the challenges of being bicultural; for instance, Shelly is bullied as "the only Indigenous kid in [her] class" but simultaneously "feels like she only gets bits and pieces of what it means to be Cree." Mills's spare prose is poignant and never heavy-handed, culturally specific yet universally resonant. Katie Bircher

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2019
All the women in sixth-grader Shelly's Ililiw/Cree family have the ability to communicate with the dead. Grandma helps the dead move on, and Shelly loves being her apprentice. Then an unthinkable tragedy occurs. Grief-stricken, Shelly snares ghost after ghost and smuggles them home. But none of them is the one she longs to find, and by "collecting" them, she is upsetting the natural order. Alongside grief and the afterlife, Mills explores themes of identity, belonging, and the challenges of being bicultural in this poignant novel.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from August 1, 2019

Gr 5 Up-Sixth grader Shelly and her grandmother collect ghosts in their hair, and then help them pass over into the afterlife. Together, they rid neighbors' houses of the ghosts of small animals, lead human spirits to rest, and visit those who are not ready to pass on in the graveyard. Shelly's grandmother even helps the police find dead bodies. It feels fun and important until Shelly's mother-who doesn't like ghosts and has never approved of ghost collecting-dies suddenly in a car accident and can't be found. Shelly's world is horribly, abruptly divided into before and after the accident, and she starts to hang out in the graveyard, looking for her mother and bringing the ghosts that she does find home to her room rather than letting them pass on. Though the premise may sound spooky, the ghosts Shelly finds are more often sad or confused-the book never goes for shock value or evil poltergeists. Shelly's and her grandmother's Cree identity is a quiet thread throughout the story: it is valuable and significant to their characters, and Cree lore provides the basis upon which the story is set. VERDICT Mills has created a gentle, understated story about grief and loss through a paranormal lens. This is a necessary book that is sure to have readers. Highly recommended.-Kelsey Socha, Ventress Memorial Library, Marshfield, MA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2019
Grades 5-8 Grief and magic realism entangle in this debut novel by Ililiw/Cree author Mills. Like the other women of her family, Shelley is able to see ghosts and catch them in her long hair. Her grandmother has turned this ability into a side business, and sometimes Shelley is allowed to tag along and help. Despite her mother's complaints that Grandma is painting herself as the stereotypical image of the kooky Indigenous woman and that Shelley needs to make living friends, Shelley loves meeting ghosts and helping them move on. However, when her mother is killed in a car accident, Shelley's ghostly interactions take an unhealthy turn. She finds comfort in the presence of lingering spirits and, throwing Grandma's rules and ethics to the wind, begins bringing ghosts home with her, all the while searching for her mother's ghost. Mills explores the confusion and anger loss can bring, as well as the difficulties of being different in middle school. It's a quiet, contemplative read with ghost cats, unanswered questions, and human connections that converge in a hopeful ending.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

June 15, 2019
When people need to rid their homes of pesky ghosts, Shelly is right by her Ililiw/Cree grandmother's side to learn how to help the lingering spirits of the dead get to the other side. Once she and her grandmother identify a ghost, whether of a person, a pet, or even household vermin, they allow it to attach itself to their hair before releasing it to dissipate from the earthly plane. Though this ability is matrilineal, Shelly's mother objects to her daughter's taking up the practice; she'd rather Shelly not spend so much time with the dead. When a sudden loss hits the family, Shelly sinks into a depression, spending time in the graveyard with her ghostly friends and desperately seeking to reconcile her grief. Mills (who's of Ililiw/Cree and settler descent) mentions Shelly's First Nations heritage at the outset and includes brief references to the ceremonial use of burning sweet grass, but that heritage is very much just a backdrop to the story. Most of the living people Shelly encounters, as well as the ghosts in the graveyard that she befriends, are not Indigenous, and the story centers on the ghost-hunting business and Shelly's grief rather than exploring death as it relates to Cree culture. But that cultural identity raises questions. When Shelly's grandmother gives music-loving ghost Joseph a new cassette tape, for instance, is she interacting with the dead teenager within a Cree paradigm or a mainstream paranormal one? Readers can only speculate. Unclear cultural connections muddy the waters of this original paranormal tale. (Paranormal fiction. 10-14)

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