Mamiko Shiotani’s The Grumpy Ghost Upstairs was first published in Japan in 2020, and not in English until 2025. It won the Pinpoint Picture Book Award, and is a Junior Literary Guild Gold Standard Selection.
Visually, it is quite impressive. It is largely in shades of black, white, and gray. Other colors do appear, but they are muted with gray, giving a sense that this is the ghost’s world. There’s a pointillist feel to the images, with countless flecks of, again, mostly black, gray, and white making up everything. The only exceptions are the ghost’s eyes and the story text, both of are a clearer, purer white. The book is largely made up of two-page spreads, giving a sense of scale, perspective, and artistry. This book is good to look at.
I found the story less engaging. A ghost lives alone in a house and likes it. Then a little girl visits the house and intrudes on the ghost’s solitary life. The ghost resents it, and tries to scare the girl into leaving. Not only is the girl not scared by the giant “BOO!” she responds by inviting the ghost to play with her. The ghost thinks about it, then gives it a try.
The book is, then, about friendship and adapting to change, and here’s my problem with it: it happens too easily. There are limited stakes and, rather than struggling to change, the ghost muses briefly then gets a friend. Too easy.
But lovely.
