Book Review (more just a pile of my personal opinions from my personal experiences)

Title: Ghosts, Toast, and Other Hazards

Author: Susan Tan

Year: 2023

Genre: Middle grade, ghosts, split families, loss, Asian-American, Middle School 

Queer shit: Implied the Uncle and main character are queer, labels undefined

Vibe Check: This one hit hard, so intense and so relatable and still felt age appropriate for the main character being 12

Pile of Opinions: SO GOOD. I don’t know if my 12 year old self could have handled the nightmares, dreams, and ghosts in this because I was a really sensitive kid, but I also think I could have benefitted from this book at 12 for the same reason. So many heavy and very real themes covered with split families, feeling like you have to be the adult sometimes at 12, parents’ mental illness, learning who to trust and how to nurture friendships. People are so complicated at all ages and I feel this book captured that. We are haunted by so many things throughout our whole lives and we should never underestimate what kids can experience. I would recommend this book for kids who find this heavy and raw discussion of really tough situations and feelings helpful, and kids who are experiencing big life changes like moves or parents splitting up. I really enjoyed this story, the character development of the lead as she learned about herself, her grief, and her community, as well as the symbolism around the nightmares and ghosts. I would also recommend this book to parents of 12 year-olds, it’s easy to forget how heavy the world feels at that age and we, the adults, need to do our best to support them through it.