![]() ![]() This review was written in accordance with School Library Journal’s guidelines. Although some plot points may be under-explained, it is a gentle and engaging read. Edginess in themes are subdued in this sweet paranormal romance where even the faceless Reaper turns out to be more business-oriented than evil. Transitions between the worlds is paced by a series of overlapping horizontal panels receding from light to dark and back again. Young’s manga-like artwork makes exceptional use of color in the variegated greens and blues with splashes of brightness in a lush living world and the dark greys and stark whites of the necromantic forest. Reluctantly acknowledging that the trouble stems from Hamal’s extra-gardening abilities, Blue and Hamal devise a plan that puts their relationship in the balance between risk and reward. ![]() ![]() Then Blue and some of the other ghosts start sporadically disappearing into the Reaper’s dark otherworldly forest and Blue is told that the source of an imbalance between life and death must be dealt with to restore harmony. When Hamal meets Blue, the ghost of an impish but tenderhearted young brown man, their fraught friendship belies unspoken love. He also possesses the unusual ability to see and interact with “in- betweeners”, the blue-green ghosts of the dead who still busily but invisibly inhabit the living world. Young brown-skinned Hamal is an exceptional gardener. With Taproot, Keezy Young has created something sweet, sombre, and special that bleeds beauty from the moment you see the opening double-page spread. Taproot: A Story About a Gardener and a Ghost. ![]()
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