Leo: A Ghost Story written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Christian Robinson (2015)
Leo is a ghost that no one can see, except the reader. He lived in an old house all by himself until a family moved in. Leo tried to be friendly, but the family was afraid of ghosts so Leo moved out. He tried becoming a wandering ghost, but he felt so alone in the city where no one could see him. Then one day, he met a little girl who could see him. They played together and Leo decided to live in her house instead. The girl and her mother thought Leo was an imaginary friend and he didn’t correct them, because he was afraid they may not like him. That night, Leo caught a robber sneaking into the house. Leo draped a sheet over himself and scared the robber, then locked him in the closet. Leo woke his friend, who woke her mother, who called the police, who took the robber away. His friend realized that he was not imaginary and Leo confessed to being a ghost. But that was okay, because the girl liked him anyway and Leo stayed with her in her house.
Not your average ghost story. It reminds me a little of Casper the Friendly Ghost from my childhood. (Don’t ‘who?’ me… look it up. Sometimes it’s a curse being old and having more memory than some people!) Anyway, Leo is a friendly ghost, and I’m so glad he found a family to live with.
Now, go look up Casper and have some ghostly fun for yourselves!
Grab a bottle of starch and whip up your own ghost.
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