Childrens

The Girl and the Ghost

The Girl and the Ghost

  • Downloads：6597
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-04-28 09:52:53
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Hanna Alkaf
  • ISBN：0062940961
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

* Chosen as a 2020 Kirkus Prize Finalist for Young Readers' Literature！ *

A Malaysian folk tale comes to life in this emotionally layered， chilling middle grade debut， perfect for fans of The Book of Boy and The Jumbies。

I am a dark spirit， the ghost announced grandly。 I am your inheritance， your grandmother's legacy。 I am yours to command。

Suraya is delighted when her witch grandmother gifts her a pelesit。 She names her ghostly companion Pink， and the two quickly become inseparable。

But Suraya doesn't know that pelesits have a dark side--and when Pink's shadows threaten to consume them both， they must find enough light to survive 。 。 。 before they are both lost to the darkness。

Fans of Holly Black's Doll Bones and Tahereh Mafi's Furthermore series will love this ghostly middle grade debut that explores jealousy， love， and the extraordinary power of friendship。

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Reviews

Cerys ，

Okay。 OKAY。 Look I'll be honest I wasn't sure that I would like this but I had heard such great things about the author and I thought I'd give it ago。 This is such an interesting middle-grade book with such strong themes but done in a way that it is accessible for young children。 This is a story of friendship and strained family dynamics which is heart-wrenching but also hopeful。 The twist that happens at the end of the book isn't one that I was expecting but once it was revealed I found it to b Okay。 OKAY。 Look I'll be honest I wasn't sure that I would like this but I had heard such great things about the author and I thought I'd give it ago。 This is such an interesting middle-grade book with such strong themes but done in a way that it is accessible for young children。 This is a story of friendship and strained family dynamics which is heart-wrenching but also hopeful。 The twist that happens at the end of the book isn't one that I was expecting but once it was revealed I found it to be the perfect way in which to complete the story。 Overall I think this book has extremely hard-hitting themes but it is done perfectly and written in such a gorgeous way that it was a really enjoyable read。 。。。more

حلا ，

“But Mama， broken mothers raise broken daughters。 Did you not see how we could have each filled the parts the other was missing？ Been stronger， together？”One thing about me is that a mother-daughter relationship will either make or break a book for me， and this one did not disappoint。This is a book about grief， family， friendship， happiness， sadness and everything in between。 While it dragged a bit for me between the 60%-70% marks， it undeniably picked up again and made for an extremely satisfyi “But Mama， broken mothers raise broken daughters。 Did you not see how we could have each filled the parts the other was missing？ Been stronger， together？”One thing about me is that a mother-daughter relationship will either make or break a book for me， and this one did not disappoint。This is a book about grief， family， friendship， happiness， sadness and everything in between。 While it dragged a bit for me between the 60%-70% marks， it undeniably picked up again and made for an extremely satisfying ending。 。。。more

charmingreads ，

i’m really surprised that this book isn’t talked about more！ the characters are very interesting and the plot is unique too！ this book is perfect if you like reading stuff that reminds you of a rainy day， if that makes sense。 it has ghosts， cute friendships， and a diverse cast of characters！ i definitely recommend the girl and the ghost！！age rating: 11+

Asma ，

That ending made me cry。 This was a bittersweet story。

Maggie ，

4。5

ed ，

i did not expect this book to be this creepy and very DARK for the middle-grade story to be honest， i feel like it should be young-adult。 but， i love the writing style it was amazing， but the ending was a bit rushed i wish there was at least one more chapter to wrap things up a bit better but alright， still enjoyable to read。

sha ✨ ，

The fact that this book is for children and yet managed to creep me， an adult in her early twenties， out so badly that I screamed when I saw someone move in my periphery-

Elley Shin ，

Read Aviva vs the Dybbuk

Yvette ，

Love， love， love this。 Totally sucked in and so well written。 Regardless of being middle grade， everyone would like this。

Rara_Reads ，

It was sweet。It was for middle grade readers。。who knows a pelesit can be cute？ 😏It was a quick read for me。。but i do feel letdown with too many malay words that maybe interferes reading experience to non-malaysian or non-malay readers。However， i quite enjoy it。。

Ange ，

A little slow in the beginning while establishing relationships。 Once things pick up though （with introduction of a couple other characters）， the rest of the book moves quickly。 The last scenes are action-packed， poignant， and wrap up the story nicely。 Better than I expected， mainly because it was more mature than I thought it would be given the age of the protagonist。I read this because I enjoyed one of Alkaf's other books。 Her writing is simple （not overly verbose） and accessible without being A little slow in the beginning while establishing relationships。 Once things pick up though （with introduction of a couple other characters）， the rest of the book moves quickly。 The last scenes are action-packed， poignant， and wrap up the story nicely。 Better than I expected， mainly because it was more mature than I thought it would be given the age of the protagonist。I read this because I enjoyed one of Alkaf's other books。 Her writing is simple （not overly verbose） and accessible without being boring， repetitive， or plain。 Being able to conjure the appropriate mood and create the imagery of the scene without needing 20 pages to do so is an underrated gift in my opinion。I absolutely loved the focus on the Malay folklore。 The ghosts are so specific and it was fascinating， even with the briefest mentions of some， to be able to look them up later and immediately recognize each。The inclusion of some Malay words was also great， as it's not something I see often。 I appreciate when stories about other cultures told in English maintain slang， unique phrases， etc。 Exposure to other cultures = good。 I hope there continue to be more good authors like Alkaf writing universal stories with unique cultural settings and perspectives。 。。。more

Sarie’s Books ，

I love spooky middle grade but this one starts out pretty dark and I really like things on the lighter side so I won’t be picking this one up again。

Tonya ，

Throughout most of this book I thought I was going to give it 3 stars because it was “just okay” but with the last few chapters， all the action and heartfelt moments and the twist reveal， and my unexpected tears， I realized this was a decent story with well-written characters。

Elizabeth Stanza ，

such a sweet little story。 The dynamic between Pink and Suraya is tender and complex。 Liked learning more about Malaysian culture。 Found some characters less endearing， but a sweet quick read。

Natalie Hennessy ，

Orillium Spring Equinox 2022: Lore

Adelineav Agna ，

Actual rating: 3。5 My favorite character in this book is Jing Wei。 I love their friendship so much。 Even tho it was kinda boring at first （it took me months to finish）， i like the ending and plot twist， i bawled my eyes out。

Miss Syreena ，

Lovely story about friendship and family。 Beautiful setting！ Makes you want to visit Malaysia or at least enjoy some Malaysian food。

Diyana ，

a fast paced middle grade book about the friendship between a girl and a ghost， and how their relationship could either be of something great or something unfortunate。 when suraya （the girl） encounters some bullies in a new school and meets a new human friend， her relationship with her first ever friend， pink （the ghost） began to feel different。。。 i enjoyed reading the dual povs between suraya and pink and how they felt about each other’s presence in their life。 their frienship was imperfect as a fast paced middle grade book about the friendship between a girl and a ghost， and how their relationship could either be of something great or something unfortunate。 when suraya （the girl） encounters some bullies in a new school and meets a new human friend， her relationship with her first ever friend， pink （the ghost） began to feel different。。。 i enjoyed reading the dual povs between suraya and pink and how they felt about each other’s presence in their life。 their frienship was imperfect as they had ups and downs moments。 the final few chapters of the novel really threw me off guard。 and the plot twist？ wow that really pulled at my heartstrings。 overall， this was a wholesome read， and it definitely kept me on my toes！ loved the mischiefs， adventures and heroic journey。 i appreciate the the malay folklore representation altho it was a little scary to read😆 。。。more

jasmine ，

Set in Malaysia， we follow a young girl named Suraya， who inherited a pelesit from her witch grandmother。 Pelesit is a familiar spirit in Malay folklore， generally in the form of a cricket or grasshopper。 They quickly strike a friendship - until Jing Wei comes around。The atmosphere reminds me of Gaiman’s middle-grade works， such as Coraline and The Graveyard Book。 The book gets way darker than I thought it would be。 The pelesit is a jealous spirit and starts wreaking havoc on Suraya’s life。 The Set in Malaysia， we follow a young girl named Suraya， who inherited a pelesit from her witch grandmother。 Pelesit is a familiar spirit in Malay folklore， generally in the form of a cricket or grasshopper。 They quickly strike a friendship - until Jing Wei comes around。The atmosphere reminds me of Gaiman’s middle-grade works， such as Coraline and The Graveyard Book。 The book gets way darker than I thought it would be。 The pelesit is a jealous spirit and starts wreaking havoc on Suraya’s life。 The readers travel among the cemeteries in the second half of the book。Besides being a solid spooky read， the book also deals quite explicitly with school bullying， death and jealousy。 The mood of the book swifts pretty fast from light-hearted to unsettling。 However， the overarching theme of friendship is done well and ties the full story together。 While cross-cultural friendships are rare in present-day Malaysia， I appreciate the author for highlighting this important aspect of our society。Having been said， I found the middle part of the story gets a little lost in action。 The adventure somehow subdues the focus of friends and family， and overshadows the charming interactions between the characters。Overall， 'The Girl and The Ghost' is an endearing story encircling local Malay folklores。 I had fun learning about the different types of spirits and surrounding myself with lovely characters！Rating: 3。75 stars 。。。more

Kira ，

A fun spooky storyA fun spooky with some sad parts。 I enjoyed the folklore elements。 A great book overall。 Characters were likeable。 A fun read。

Rukhsaar ，

I was torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars because of multiple reasons。 First， I really did like the dynamic between the girl and the ghost （wink， get it？）。 It felt so wholesome and made my stone cold heart feel something。 Then， the friendship between Suraya and Jing was so cute。 They really were ride or die， huh。 If I was in their position， I'd be deathly terrified of my mother finding out I skipped school to go to a whole ass other state with a friend and her ghost to find the ghost's gr I was torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars because of multiple reasons。 First， I really did like the dynamic between the girl and the ghost （wink， get it？）。 It felt so wholesome and made my stone cold heart feel something。 Then， the friendship between Suraya and Jing was so cute。 They really were ride or die， huh。 If I was in their position， I'd be deathly terrified of my mother finding out I skipped school to go to a whole ass other state with a friend and her ghost to find the ghost's grave in order to return him back to where he truly belongs。 But Jing was an amazing friend。 Even after finding out that the reason she had been hospitalized was because of her friend's ghost and she still accepted her friend back AND agree to help the ghost is such a major green flag。 And the best part of the book， at least for me was the ghosts they met at the cemetery during the final few chapters and the humor。 I am jenis "mudah terhibur"， which basically means I find a lot of things humorous but this has rarely been the case with books。 Then this book came along。 The one dialogue I remember laughing out loud at was said by Badrul at the last cemetery they visited。 "Bunch of thugs and hooligans！ In my day， ghosts knew how to behave！ Mangkuk！" The mangkuk got me。 What I didn't like about the book， I honestly cannot pinpoint exactly。 I did not read the excerpt when going into this book， only knowing it was about a girl and a ghost （she does it again， ladies and gentlemen。 she is so creative with her puns *insert sarcasm*）。 I read the first few chapters fully engrossed in the story。 I really liked how wholesome and heartwarming the relationship between the pelesit and Suraya was。 But somehow， it still felt draggy。 Like， I had to push myself to continue reading。 I somehow loved AND didn't love the book， if that makes sense。 It felt like the story has a lot of potential。 Like， with Badrul and Saloma （the dying cat singer hahaha）， if Hanna Alkaf considers writing another book in the same universe but with these two ghosts as the main character， I would pick that up with no hesitation。 They made an appearance of approximately the last few chapters but remained in the spotlight for me。 Suraya feels。。。 unmemorable。 Jing's whole personality was Star Wars， which was cute at first but then became her annoyingly defining trait。 Not to say I didn't thoroughly enjoy the random SW quotes in her dialogue。 It should have taken me two days max to finish this book at the fast pace it was but the fact it took me longer is enough reason to prove there is something in the book that failed to keep my interest for long。 3。5 stars from me。 Would recommend to Malaysian readers。*edit* I now realize what exactly in the book caused me to lose interest and that was how Suraya is the "sweetest little girl who doesn't exact revenge on her bullies"。 Also， the fact that she forgave Pink so quickly after he tortured her for weeks。 That is not okay。 She jumped back into the relationship as if nothing happened。 And when it came to Jing， she was so unapologetic that her ghost， the ghost that she commands， hurt her friend so badly。 Oh， and the "big reveal" at the end。。。 so lackluster。 I was no expecting that， in any sense and when it was revealed， I had to reread that chapter because I was so out of it at that point。 I was just excited to finish the book。 。。。more

Mary ，

Amazing story of friendship with a great overlay of Malaysian folklore。

Christine ，

I thought the first half was much stronger。

Emma Pearcey ，

Such a cute and wholesome book， which might sound strange given that death and spookiness is such a key theme。

Moumita Laha ，

4。5 stars to be exact。 I was pleasantly surprised reading this book。 I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook。 It is a Malaysian folktale about pelesits and other Malay ghosts。 The story explores themes of love， jealousy and friendship。 A wonderful middle grade novel and can be enjoyed by adults as well。

meg ，

Based on a Malaysian tale， this book tells the story of a lonely young girl names Suraya who has inherited a demon ghost from her grandmother。 The ghost， who Suraya calls "Pink"， is her best friend until she meets a human friend， Jing。 Then Pink becomes mad with jealousy and abuses first Jing， and then Suraya。 Suraya tells her mom about the ghost and outside help is brought in who （spoiler alert）ends up being evil。。。and Suraya and Jing and Pink team up to solve the mystery。 I really couldn't get Based on a Malaysian tale， this book tells the story of a lonely young girl names Suraya who has inherited a demon ghost from her grandmother。 The ghost， who Suraya calls "Pink"， is her best friend until she meets a human friend， Jing。 Then Pink becomes mad with jealousy and abuses first Jing， and then Suraya。 Suraya tells her mom about the ghost and outside help is brought in who （spoiler alert）ends up being evil。。。and Suraya and Jing and Pink team up to solve the mystery。 I really couldn't get past Suraya forgiving and caring for Pink after he abused her （and Jing）。 It felt like a really upsetting abusive relationship and such a terrible and confusing message for kids。 Would not recommend。 。。。more

Sam ，

I expected a wholesome middle grade about a girl bonding with a ghost and while it had traces of this， it's also a complex， emotional and surprisingly dark tale of friendship， family and folklore。 I loved getting a glimpse into Malaysian culture and mythology， and the writing made it quite easy to get immersed in the story。  What stood out to me were the characters: especially Suraya and Pink stole my heart and the ending also brought tears to my eyes。 4。25/5* I expected a wholesome middle grade about a girl bonding with a ghost and while it had traces of this， it's also a complex， emotional and surprisingly dark tale of friendship， family and folklore。 I loved getting a glimpse into Malaysian culture and mythology， and the writing made it quite easy to get immersed in the story。  What stood out to me were the characters: especially Suraya and Pink stole my heart and the ending also brought tears to my eyes。 4。25/5* 。。。more

Rebecca McPhedran ，

A Maine Student Book Award Choice for 2021/2022This is the story of a ghost who goes in search of his next master。 When Suraya meets this ghost in the form of a grasshopper，she names him Pink。 An unlikely friendship forms， and they must rely upon that friendship to solve a mystery and get out of danger。 A very cool ghost story with Malaysian roots。 I very much enjoyed this book！

Loni ，

remember how I said I was too stubborn to dnf？ I lied I'm terrible but I just wasn't having any fun remember how I said I was too stubborn to dnf？ I lied I'm terrible but I just wasn't having any fun 。。。more

Arn ，

An unexpected friendship between a ghost and a girl and unforeseen revelation and connection at the end。 I love it。 💋

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Girl and the Ghost

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Girl and the Ghost&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Girl and the Ghost&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0