The magical realism of Ghosts marks a sharp change from Telgemeier's earlier works, which have been autobiographical (Smile [2010]; Sisters [2014]) or realistic fiction (Drama [2012]).

[1] Instead, Telgemeier depicts the titular ghosts as real but benevolent presences to help Catrina understand death and deal with Maya's terminal illness.

Telgemeier waited until she had attended a Day of the Dead celebration in San Francisco to accurately express her experience in the story, which she later called "one of the most moving nights of my life.

[4] Kirkus Reviews said Telgemeier showed "superior visual storytelling" in keeping readers "emotinally [sic] engaged and unable to put down this compelling tale".

"[9] After the novel was published, several readers pointed out the cultural appropriation of Dia de los Muertos[3][10][11] as well as the problematic sanitized portrayal of the history of Spanish missions in California.