Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Finalist: NOT QUITE A GHOST by Anne Ursu
Introduction by Heavy Medal Award Committee Member Bina Ponce
Horror is a genre that is often easily dismissed across several media. Unfairly, in my opinion. As with every genre, some spooky offerings can be over-the-top or formulaic fun. But others can be Newbery winners like THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. I believe Anne Ursu’s NOT QUITE A GHOST falls into this category.
Violet just started middle school and is worried about things not being the same with her friends Paige and Ally. To complicate things, Violet’s family just moved into a new house, and she’s stuck with the room in the attic. You know where this is going – Violet starts to have nightmares in which the vines on the strange wallpaper in her room seem to move and transfigure into eerie shapes.
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“The thing that was very much the shape of a person was standing behind the vines, facing Violet.
It was perfectly still. Just part of the wallpaper.
And then, the thing turned its head” (205).
It is at this point that Anne Ursu captures the true essence of horror: any monster or supernatural phenomena in a well-done work of horror reflects something deeper happening to our protagonist. This is why NOT QUITE A GHOST excels thematically. The voice Violet hears coming from the wallpaper is the personification of every negative thing she believes about herself. Violet is ill. Seriously ill and weak – and to make matters worse, the people she thought would help her don’t believe her. At her lowest point, the voice in the wallpaper demands Violet’s body and taunts her, cruelly saying that she’s only using her body to lie in bed anyway. Internalizing everything the doctors and Paige have said, Violet believes the voice:
“[Her] body was useless, a lump. She was useless, a sack of bones and parts. And no one could figure out what was wrong with her.” (236).
It’s with the help of her new friend Will that she’s able to defeat the voice, and with her mother’s persistence that they find a doctor that finally takes Violet seriously. NOT QUITE A GHOST excels in its characterization, as Violet goes through so many trials to learn that she is worthy of being heard and to accept that sometimes letting go of old friends and cherishing new connections is best. The setting is also a standout for me – I said “NOPE” the minute Violet set foot in the house on Katydid Street and was relegated to the attic with the weird wallpaper. But I’m curious to know what everyone thinks about the development of other characters, like the voice and how it compares to The Voice in LOUDER THAN HUNGER, and the plot development. Do we think the story moved along at an appropriate pace? Were we satisfied with the action and resolution? Looking forward to reading everyone’s thoughts!
Heavy Medal Award Committee members and others are now invited to discuss this book further in the Comments section below. Let the Mock Newbery discussion begin!
Filed under: Book Discussion, Heavy Medal Mock
About Steven Engelfried
Steven Engelfried retired from full-time library work a couple years ago and now works as a part-time Youth Librarian at the West Linn Public Library in Oregon. He served on the 2010 Newbery committee, chaired the 2013 Newbery Committee, and also served on the 2002 Caldecott committee. You can reach him at sengelfried@yahoo.com.
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NOT QUITE A GHOST is definitely in my top 5 of our contenders. I have never been so genuinely horrified by a middle grade novel and thought the connection to the classic story THE YELLOW WALLPAPER was expertly done – this is what sets this novel above other scary stories for this age range. Ursu ties in lingering anxiety from the pandemic in a natural way, without politicizing the issue, and writes about middle school friendships in an achingly beautiful way. I was blown away with how realistic the gaslighting and medical belittling was, and think this is a very unique storyline for this genre.
Regarding the pace, I felt that it wrapped up somewhat too quickly, and with a bit-too-satisfying bow, but that doesn’t detract from the overall excellence of its place in this genre. In comparing the two Voices, I struggle to put them side-by-side, as one is setting-dependent and one is fully internal. I will have to ponder this more, though!
One small issue I found in the print version was how the text messages were formatted. I listened to this audiobook and they made perfect sense when I was listening, but now looking at the print version I see that there are not identity tags on the text messages as are common with this type of communication in books. A tiny thing, but something I would have preferred with different formatting.
I really, really enjoyed this story but it’s not quite a ghost story. In fact, I may not actually put it in the “horror” section of my library. It is really the story of feeling like a ghost due to a misunderstood, undiagnosed illness with a ghost thrown in.
The book starts off really strong and the setting is well described. At the end of chapter one we are told, “Most of the house lied, but one room told the truth. Remember this when you think about who the villain is.”
Violet’s feeling and emotions, particularly around her friendship issues and not being heard or understood were really powerful. As someone who deals with an auto-immune disease and has several family members in the same boat, this book really hit home. It is a very unique topic and was handled well. Unfortunately her interactions with health care ring true. Her self-doubt, questions, and dread are felt by the reader. “Violet dreaded going back to school…the way a mouse dreaded slowly being digested by a snake” (pg 159). The idea of the virus continuing to attack her body “doesn’t make sense. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t true” (pg. 169).
I do have some concerns that, for me, may take this out of my top 5 and, because it such a crowded field, these little things matter. Although we know there is something “off” about the house from the beginning the ghost herself doesn’t actually make an appearance until the last third of the book and, as Kate said, I felt that aspect of the book wrapped up too quickly. I would have liked more information about the ghost and more action in the resolution of it. Honestly, I was kind of unsure what really happened with the house and the ghost on pg 262. It just seemed really abrupt and then just done.
Overall, I love the story. I love having a character who is dealing with some of our common middle grade tropes but with the introduction of an auto-immune condition. I love the setting and the spooky tone. While the Newbery criteria doesn’t really rely on reader appeal or how it will be received, I will note that my students, who are really looking for a “horror” book, may be disappointed. It is a slow burn and does get creepy but for my readers with shorter attention spans, it may be too little too late.
The suspense around the ghost and the intriguing connections between the supernatural and the very real situation with Violet’s health stand out in this book. But I also thought the characterizations were especially strong, something you don’t always get in a book like this. The changing dynamics between Violet and her friends was so well done, as she felt less secure with her Paige while exploring connections with the newer ones. And those element tie in to the supernatural/horror very effectively.
Luke the truth or dare scene, which could have been the core of a regular old middle-school-friends novel, but it also fit perfectly into this book. When Violet dares Kennedy to cut her hair, which is sure to impact her status with the group, she remembers the rules: “There’s no going back.” (38). A bit later, Violet has a nightmare that includes the friends and the Ouija board, and truth or dare, but adds the element of the creepy wallpaper coming to life…and ends with Paige saying: “There’s no going back.” (62)
The family ties were also important: the support of her mother when faced with skeptical doctors, the way her sister stepped up when needed, and how Violet found strength when she thought of the danger to her brother. The bit with her brother Owen is one of several perfectly executed spine-tingling moments. Instead of spelling it out, or describing Violet’s realization that she needed to protect Owen, we see the scene play out so we process and react along with Violet:
“The girl in the wallpaper was still there. She had lifted her head, and though she did not have eyes, Violet knew she was looking at her now.
Violet stared back, clutching Owen to her.
The shadowy head moved its gaze slightly, from Own back to Violet.
Violet understood then exactly what the thing was trying to tell her:
Come back upstairs, or I will find someone else.” (226)
Bina Ponce- I hope you are on the ALA Newbery committee in the future! Your perspectives and arguments are so well supported that I always return to books for a re-read.
Suspense and mysteries are great, but the one genre I really don’t like is horror. With that trepidation, I read NOT QUITE A GHOST last spring.
I agree with Bina Ponce that the setting was strong. I could visualize Violet’s attic room, and the writing had me imagining floral yellow wallpaper that could move like clouds to form shapes and hide a ghost.
The parallel between the supernatural and health issues of the main character builds tension and a story arc. Violet gets sicker and sicker as she begins a new school, manages the awkward moments of middle school, and experiences the pain of changing friendship circles. As she gets sicker, her ghost experiences become more intense. As parents and doctors try to diagnose her, there are questions about the validity of her illness.
I found the ending confusing. After completing the book on my first read, I thought (spoiler alert) that the ghost was real, but Violet is struggling with mental health, not physical illness. Or are they both NOT REAL? Wait, is her anxiety making her sick? Or is she sick with something doctors don’t understand? I am super curious about Psychobiology and want to study neuroscience in college. I read about how our thoughts affect our bodies daily. Many illnesses are invisible, and it is important to validate that, but that did not come through to me in NOT QUITE A GHOST.
It was only after reading the author’s notes that I understood Violet had chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS.) Maybe Ursu’s point is to have readers experience that doubt that affects people with long-term COVID-19, mono, and other hard-to-diagnose illnesses.
I understand the merits of the book and how, for adults, the confusing ending actually strengthens the case for addressing the stigma associated with mental/ total health. After looking at the back matter, it made more sense on the re-read. But if I was confused as an advanced youth reader and youth health advocate- will middle-grade readers get the point? Or is it primarily a ghost story?
Quade- I am 100% with you on the ending! I couldn’t figure out what Ursu wanted us to believe about the ghost and it almost made me feel as if she couldn’t decide either. Or may an editor was like, we should leave it up to the reader! And it felt super ineffective.
I am also not much of a horror reader, but I have read The Yellow Wallpaper and I felt like it was such an odd choice to be the basis of a children’s novel! Maybe Ursu got too committed to her inspiration and wanted the wallpaper and a ghost and therefore muddied the plot? I don’t know, but I’m glad I’m not alone in not loving this novel! 🙂
Bina, I think you absolutely nail it here: “It is at this point that Anne Ursu captures the true essence of horror: any monster or supernatural phenomena in a well-done work of horror reflects something deeper happening to our protagonist. This is why NOT QUITE A GHOST excels thematically.” I read this book back in January and it has stayed with me (haunted me?) because of how perfectly Violet’s mysterious auto-immune disease and the horror element (and middle school) dovetail. There’s also the nod to “The Yellow Wallpaper,” as Kate mentioned, though I’m guessing most middle grade readers won’t have read that story yet. I would have liked a little more of the ghost’s story there – as others have said, it wrapped up quickly – but for me, this is still one of the strongest middle grade books of the year.
“Nobody could [understand]. They could not feel what she was feeling, could not know what it was to be in this body.
And so, she was alone.
The truth of it pressed against her so hard, it felt like she might drown in the couch. She was alone, and she was sick, and she was haunted, and there was nothing she could do about any of it.” (223)
Also, I loved Will’s dad’s tarot deck at the school fair.
I have just finished my second read of this and I will admit I appreciated this more the 2nd time around. Ursu does a masterful job of using language to create a voice, develop rich characters and build a suspenseful story that really pulls the reader along. I also appreciated the use of a ghost as a physical representation of Violet’s anxiety and feeling of not being understood or heard. One of my favorite moments is the realization that both Violet and her sister have about why their birth father left and that it really had nothing to do with anything that they did. In this instance, I felt that the ghost represented the guilt and shame that Violet was haunting her. In both instances, Ursu shows real skill in using elements of the story to tie into broader themes. Not quite a ghost story, indeed!
I’m an outlier here and with the rest of the bookish community, but to be totally honest, this book didn’t do that much for me. I thought that the strongest part of this story was Violet. Ursu did a great job of creating her inner dialogue and creating her as a character. Where the novel really excels is when she’s feeling sick and unable to focus on the things around her, the text shines. Ursu really leans into the imagery and makes the reader feel what Violet feels.
But I felt like the supernatural element fell super flat. I just never felt like Ursu could pick if she wanted the ghost to be real or not. So she gave herself as the author a lot of outs and plausible deniability, so that reader’s could wonder if it was in Violet’s head, but then wants to convince the reader that it is real. It just felt so strange to have a page basically telling the reader that the ghost is real, when it was up to Ursu to make us believe it was? I don’t know.
I think this book was well written and I’m glad that people like it. For me it didn’t do a good job of meeting any of the Newbery criteria and it didn’t feel like a significant or excellent title, just a ghost story that fell short of spooking me or haunting me.
I am on the Team GHOST bandwagon. Every summer, a colleague and I choose 10 new stellar books for a year-long reading challenge. NOT QUITE A GHOST was a slam dunk for us, and the students (4th, 5th, and 6th graders) are enjoying it. The kids also love OLIVETTI, but I gotta let that one go, don’t I? Re: Violet’s bio Dad. In addition to the skillful ways Ursu makes tween tropes un-tropey, she gives absent dad and blended family discomfort some unique attention. In far too many middle grade novels with divorced parents, kids are, by default, living with Mom because “Dad left.” Here, Ursu does not let those two words lie. Violet is dismissive of Dad, but she yearns a little when she finds the photo album. Much later in the story, Mia and Violet talk about him, and Mia notes that, in the photos, their father looks like he loves Violet. Mom eventually addresses the girls’ curiosity. In the end, the three of them make mostly negative conclusions about him. BUT there’s nuance to this divorced family subplot, just as there is in the fractured girl group plot and every other “typical” theme — snarky big sister, cute little sibling, mixed race blended family, ghost in the attic, etc. Major Newbery chops at play here.