Anya's Ghost by Portlander Vera Brosgol is one of my favorite graphic novels for teens in recent memory. It does an excellent job at combining the awkwardness of the teen experience with the supernatural. Anya is a first-generation Russian immigrant in high school whose only friend isn't really much of a friend. On top of that, she's dealing with body issues and struggling to appear as American as possible at school. Her life seems to improve when she stumbles down a hold in the park and finds a skeleton that just so happens to have a ghost attached to it. At first, having the ghost follow her around seems like a boon; it helps her bring up her grades because it can look at classmates' tests and feed her the answers, and it aids her self esteem and pushes her to talk to boys. Unbeknownst to Anya, her relationship with the ghost is about to take a turn for the worse...
This graphic novel tackles high school issues and immigrant identity in a funny, relatable way with attractive cartoon art that fits the story well. I highly recommended it to anyone who liked Ghost World or Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese.
