author/illustrator: François Blais, Iris Boudreau
ages: 4+
48 pages
20,8 x 26,5 cm
hardcover
French
Comme des géants (Canada)
Rights sold: French, Spanish, Catalan
The Ghost Who Wanted to Be Real
One very determined ghost shows us that no goal is too impossible to achieve.
Life in the Great Unknown is unreal… literally! So much so that every time something materializes in the real world, — ice cream, basketball, honest car repairmen, and countless others — it disappears from the Great Unknown, much to the chagrin of the many supernatural creatures who reside there.
One day, a very determined ghost, tired of this constant disappointment, sets out on a quest to regain his beloved hobbies, treats, and the like by achieving a seemingly impossible goal: to become real himself.
This supernatural story in which Blais unfolds a unique world and offers an imaginative counterpart to our own world, gives young readers a creative playground in which to play, conveying the value of setting goals and pursuing them.
"Here, Iris Boudeau's wacky worlds, expressive characters and contrasting palette embody with aplomb and great fanfare this kingdom that was never meant to exist, this pulsating desire for color and wonder. What a tour de force. By inviting us to take up Alice's mirror and contemplate from a new angle the wonders within our reach, François Blais reminds us of magic. The magic of literature, which is sometimes forgotten in the wake of utilitarian works, but also the magic of existence itself: “To exist is a privilege, not a right." And so, through this little ghost, the irrepressible desire to live becomes audacity. And triumphs." - Le Devoir, Canada
"This marvellous dive into the world of imagination is matched by a delightfully inventive use of both text and visuals. And we swear, this book really does exist!" - Graou Magazine, France
This delightfully absurd album beautifully illustrates our boundless capacity to dream and our irrepressible need to live up to our ambitions." - Les libraires, Canada
THE AUTHOR
François Blais was a bit of mystery, but his many works — both for children and adults — and their autobiographical elements often bring us directly into his world. His first youth novel, "Lac Adélard", won him the prestigious Governor General’s Award for French-language children’s literature in 2020, and the Quebec Booksellers' Award (2021) for the 12-17yo category. He was also a former winner of the Prix des librairies jeunesse. Blais passed away in 2022 in Charette, Quebec.
THE ILLUSTRATOR
Iris Boudreau is a Quebec illustrator. She is interested in the human in all its forms. She began her author work writing and illustrating autobiographical comics, in the form of blogs and fanzines, before turning to fiction. Her favorite themes are dailylife, friendship, marginality, anxiety, the discomforts created by social interactions and other subjects related to existence. She expresses it not only through humor and derision, but also kindness and sensitivity, staging quirky and expressive characters.