This book was such a good book. I read it and enjoyed it very much. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Such a cool story. Love the illustrations! I was entranced from the beginning and read it all in one sitting.

I would love to give this a higher rating but unfortunately large parts of many pages had black boxes over them making it impossible to read clearly, despite downloading more than once. This s is a shame because what I could see of it were fun colourful illustrations to accompany the start of an engaging series

Adorable artwork just creepy enough for kids who like scary stuff Cute story and great Halloween selection

I read this story with my daughter. She enjoyed it a lot and I loved that it kept her attention. Would definitely reread over the Halloween season.

What a cute book! I cannot wait to buy this for my library. I loved the vivid, colorful illustrations, the plot line, the figurative language, even the choice of font! Some of the little descriptive captions had me cracking up. I think parents will enjoy reading this with their children, and it has fun little interactive activities at the end as well! Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think I can begin to describe how wonderful this book is. The illustrations are beautiful and special, the message and story are important and relatable, and the writing is quirky and fun. This is the first book in a series and I predict that this series will be a big hit. Ghoulia wants to feel normal and make friends - who doesn't feel that way at times? She might look different on the outside but she is the same as the other children on the inside. The best part is the others accept her for who she truly is and isn't that something we should all strive for?! In the horror genre, zombies are generally my least favorite but after reading this even I want to be a Ghoulia. So, when I found the how-to-be-Ghoulia instructions for Halloween at the end of the book, I made sounds of pure glee. I can already see myself reading this book with my nieces and I sure hope they want to play dress-up after!

Ghoulia is a typical little girl, who loves her family, her dog and her home. She has a desire to meet and make friends with the children who live in the nearby town. The problem is, Ghoulia is a zombie. The only rule that Auntie Departed has is to avoid town. If the people there find out their family secret, she thinks they will drive them out in fear. Ghoulia often eavesdrops on the children playing and she learns about Halloween. This is her chance to join the neighborhood kids for an evening of trick or treat.

This is a wonderful children's book about friendship and acceptance. The story is filled with emotions, great illustrations and courage. The fun of Hallowe'en is also part of the story that children will love. This is a wonderful start to a new children's series and I'm already looking forward to Ghoulia's next adventure! This book would be a great addition to any family, classroom, school or public library. With all the television shows and books about zombies, it is wonderful to see this one for children to enjoy.

What an adorable book! The illustrations really add to the story. The overall message of it's always better to be yourself is perfect for kids of all ages. All kids will find something to love about this book!!

The story of a girl, a zombie girl I might add wanting some friends, the first book of this new series sees Cantini bring to life a lovely story for young children about wanting to make new friends and difference.

First of all, the illustrations. The illustrations are beautiful and the attention to detail in this book is really beautiful (my personal favourite is the Vogue-esque magazine on the bedroom floor called ‘Morgue’). The colours are beautiful and I love how each character is drawn - I also like how Ghoulia is drawn to be emulated by kids for Halloween as shown in the back of the book.

The story is pretty sweet and Ghoulia is a really lovely character and this first installment really sets up the series for the future as Ghoulia finds a set of friends for the first time - I really look forward to her future adventures especially as the artwork to compliment the story so well.

I look forward to more of this comic, I think it can only get better!

First I want to Thank Netgalley for this advanced digital copy. WoW! I just loved this book! I can't wait til it is published because I desperately need a physical copy for my Halloween bookcase. This book was so cute, I had to add it to my 2018 Favorites List. The story and the illustrations are above amazing. Such a wonderful book. The story follows Ghoulia (or Mortina as I have seen on a different title for this book), a little zombie girl who wants friends. She waits until Halloween to sneak out of the house to go trick or treating. I don't want to go into the story more as to not spoil it but I highly recommend this book to everyone of all ages who loves zombies, cute spooky, Halloween and everything that goes bump in the night.

Moving to Crumbling manor, Ghoulia is new to the village and wants to join in with the local children and their Halloween festivities, even showing them she's a real monster and how they react is priceless!


Throughout the book, Ghoulia has annotated the colourful pictures telling us who or what items in her home are. The sketches are playfully spooky and making the scary seem normal which is fun.


It is a really funny book that girls and boys alike can appreciate if they are into ghosts, ghouls, zombies and vampires. Nice and short too with little words but amazing detailed graphic sketches.


I can't wait for her next book and adventure for sure!


Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

Ghoulia is a cute, heartwarming graphic novel series about a young girl making friends and being accepted as a zombie during Halloween. It's very gothic in tone and setting, but is great for younger children and has interactive pages at the end with a 'how-to' for dressing up as Ghoulia for Halloween; spot the differences; and several recipes for punch and gummy worm desserts, which is perfect for children!

I really loved the art style in this, and thought it was cute that there were small additions from Ghoulia as she labelled what she thought was important in the drawings scattered throughout. This is definitely for slightly older children, just because there's a lot more words than some of the other children's books I've read, and I feel like it has really great themes in terms of accepting yourself and making friends! I did find the translation slightly stilted, but it was still enjoyable.

What a ridiculously cute book! It’s perfect for Halloween and all about acceptance and diversity. I mean she’s a zombie and that’s weird, but kids make connections and I bet my third graders would love it! Also, the pictures are great!! And the names!! It’s Ghoulia not Julia! The albino greyhound is named Tragedy and he is an excellent hairdresser that trained in Paris. His. Name. Is. Tragedy!

I loved this book!

A BIG Thank You to NetGalley and Amulet Books for providing me a copy of “Ghoulia (Book 1)” by Barbara Cantini in exchange for my review. This was such a cute book especially if you are in the mood for Halloween!

The characters are unique and charming and add a lot of humor in their eccentric ways. I chucked when Auntie Departed stitched Shadow’s tail with an orange thread, and when Tragedy was giving Ghoulia a makeover. Speaking of Tragedy, this dog is simply adorable and reminded me a lot of Sparky from the movie “Frankenweenie”. The way that Ghoulia interacts with the neighborhood children is adorable. I loved the slow zoom out that is done when the children realize who Ghoulia really is. The story gives a positive message about acceptance and seeing the good in others, no matter how different they are. However, if something like this were to realistically happen, I don’t think the reaction would be so positive. But, as a children’s book it is sweet and endearing and teaches valuable lessons.

The illustrations are simply stunning! The colors are vibrant and the characters stand out well. Barbara Cantini has done an amazing job in designing this book. Even though the characters are supposed to be morbid and eerie, she makes them come off as charming and lively. There is a lovely mix of bright colors for the pumpkins and the autumn leaves contrasting to the spooky mansion. The author has also some quirky aspects to the pages that makes the reader stop and admire. For instance, I enjoyed how Ghoulia points to various portraits in her house and shows off her family relatives. There are also some cute activity pages in the end for the younger readers to enjoy. Moreover, there are also some simple recipes for Halloween lovers to try out. I am eager to pick out books from her “Ivy Pocket” series as it has received some good reviews.

Overall, this book is a wonderful start to the “Ghoulia” series and I cannot wait for the next one to release! There is a cover preview of the next book “Ghoulia and the Mysterious Visitor” in the end, and it looks intriguing! I have a feeling that this would be a big success in the US, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it became an animated series.

Wont be giving a full review, the mobile version did not work for me. Illustrations were great, all wording was blacked out ;/

Ghoulia is a typical little girl ...who happens to be a zombie. She lives in Crumbling Manor with her Auntie Departed and albino greyhound named Tragedy. She loves her home and family but she wishes she could play with the kids in the nearby neighborhood. That seems to be Auntie Departed's only rule: avoid town so the people there don't find out their family secret and drive them out in fear.
When Ghoulia learns about Halloween, she hatches a plan to join the neighborhood kids for an evening of trick or treat.
An excellent children's book about friendship and acceptance, Ghoulia is a fun book filled with the excitement of Halloween night and the courage to be who you are. I love the message here and the excellent illustrations add an extra level of fun to the overall story. This is a highly promising beginning to a new children's series and I'm already looking forward to Ghoulia's next adventure!