Ghost's Journey: A Refugee Story

by Robin Stevenson

When life in Indonesia becomes too dangerous, Ghost and her two dads are forced to leave their home and escape to freedom in Canada. Ghost's Journey is inspired by the true story of two gay refugees, Rainer and Eka, and their cat Ghost, with the illustrations created from Rainer's photographs.

Genres: Picture Books, Canada, Childrens, Nonfiction, LGBT

40 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2019

About the author

Robin Stevenson is the award winning author of over thirty books of fiction and non-fiction for kids and teens. Her books have received starred reviews and have won the Silver Birch Award, the Sheila A. Egoff award and a Stonewall Honor, and been finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Lambda Literary Awards, and many reader’s choice awards. Robin was the Book and Periodical Council of Canada’s Champion of Free Expression for 2022, and received the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence in 2023. She lives on the west coast of Canada.

Reviews

[Brooklyn || The Wild Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this author! The language used in the story is very accessible for the audience and, although heartbreaking and emotional, the accessible language still conveys a great amount of love and triumph. The actual artwork/illustrations are quite beautiful as well, but the design of the book doesn’t match these other high standards. I don’t like how the illustrations were often put in square boxes (the artwork is much more fluid and doesn’t work with the rigid lines of the box) and I wish that the illustrations were made to be full pages/spreads instead. On this note, I also wasn’t a fan of the font choice—paired with the odd layout of artwork, it made the book feel…. ‘homemade’ rather than professional (which sadly makes a difference in how readers perceive a book’s value). The author’s note gives more details of Ekra, Rainer, and Ghost’s story. This backmatter is super valuable and discusses some of the organizations that helped the family (and that Ekra & Rainer continue to work with): Rainbow Refugee, Rainbow Railroad. I also appreciated that this book was partially an #ownvoices book and written by a queer author. It was great to learn about the royalties and proceeds going to benefit local organizations, but I wish there had been a specific resources page that listed the organizations & their websites etc., and further reading for children. (I really really wanted this to be a 5/5 because the book has sooooo much potential.)

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to students from grades 1 to 6. It was a hit for all of them. Some appreciated it more than others, but none of these groups felt the book was not appropriate for them.
This third person narrative is told from the perspective of Ghost, a white cat who lives with two gay men. (The book calls them dads.) They live in Java where queer people are persecuted. Ghost does her best to comfort and guard them. After begin forced to move numerous times, the men end up fleeing to Canada. It's based on a true story. Ghost and the two men now live in Vancouver, B.C.
The stylized illustrations are created from photographs taken by Rainer Oktovianus, one of these men. I wish he had been given mention on the cover.

[Lorianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heard on CBC The Next Chapter that this book was listed as one of the top 8 recommended books for young readers for holiday season, so I picked it up as a last-minute gift. I ended up keeping Ghost’s Journey! The illustrations are bright and eye catching and I loved the story. I had no idea of the struggles that LGBT people had in Indonesia and am impressed of how Robin Stevenson does an amazing job sharing the story of refugees, Rainer and Eka, and the main character of the book the cat, Ghost. The story is compelling and Stevenson makes the content age appropriate by having the story told from the cat's perspective. I have enjoyed reading this to my niece and nephew and we had good conversations about the content especially the sentence in the story. "People don’t like us, Ghost," Rainer whispered, "just because Eka and I love each other." Well done, Robin Stevenson!

[Chantal Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of the two LBGT men escaping Indonesia is told through the eyes of their cat. Robin Stevenson story telling is superb. She takes on a serious subject but tells it in gentle manner. My 7 year old niece loved the story. She told all her friends that it was the BEST BOOK, had the most beautiful cat pictures and had a happy ending! (You will have to read it to find out what happened) Tonight I even found my niece sitting on her bed reading Ghost's Journey to her two younger brothers.

[Sandy Wilmering · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is written in the perspective of Ghost, a cat. Ghost has to move a lot because her two dads face a lot of discrimination. Finally, they move to Canada, where they are free to live without constant fear. The book is based on the true story of Ghost's dads. The illustrations are very interesting: they are photographs that have been digitally enhanced to look like drawings.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost's Journey is a lovely twist on relating the plight of LGBTQ in Indonesia. Told by a furry friend with simplicity and warmth, about his journey along with his two-legged friends, on reaching the safety of Canada. The illustrations are unique and engaging. Great inspirational book.

[Peyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story, but also really sad. The books mentions some organizations that I have not heard before and it was good to learn about them. A good book and I can see why it was nominated for RMBA 2021.

[Mitchell Clifford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read 30 children’s lit books today and this was my favourite! Loved the represent of the LGBT immigration process, but how the narrative was still directed towards a younger audience.

The illustrations were fantastic as well!

[Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Harder Challenge #19.
Ghost tells the tale of her fathers's flight from Java.

[AbsentLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story! Love the illustrations!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book. A perfect, relatable way to understand big things. Humanizing on many levels.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Such a poignant tale. Everyone should read this.

[Molly Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up this book after reading the excellent review on Kirkus. My grand daughter loved it and always asks me to read it to her. I am glad that Ghost's Journey shines a light on difficulties that LGBT people are experiencing all the world. It is so effective that Robin Stevenson tell the story from the point of view of the cat, Ghost. Stevenson writing is superb and the cat's responses are realistic which reminds us that this is a true story. The information on Rainbow Refugees at the end of the book was an excellent addition and motivated me to donate to such a worthy cause.