A10-year-old Choctaw boy recounts the beginnings of the forced resettlement of his people from their Mississippi-area homelands in 1830.

He begins his story with a compelling hook: “Maybe you have never read a book written by a ghost before. I am a ghost. I am not a ghost when this book begins, so you have to pay very close attention.” Readers meet Isaac, his family and their dog, Jumper, on the day that Treaty Talk changes everything. Even as the Choctaw prepare to leave their homes, Isaac begins to have unsettling visions: Some elders are engulfed in flames, and others are covered in oozing pustules. As Isaac and his family set out on the Choctaw Trail of Tears, these visions begin to come true, as some are burned to death by the Nahullos and others perish due to smallpox-infested blankets distributed on the trail. But the Choctaw barrier between life and death is a fluid one, and ghosts follow Isaac, providing reassurance and advice that allow him to help his family and others as well as to prepare for his own impending death. Storyteller Tingle’s tale unfolds in Isaac’s conversational voice; readers “hear” his story with comforting clarity and are plunged into the Choctaw belief system, so they can begin to understand it from the inside out.

The beginning of a trilogy, this tale is valuable for both its recounting of a historical tragedy and its immersive Choctaw perspective . (Historical fiction. 8-12)

-Kirkus Review

This book is best read for older grades, since it is more of a novel but the main idea of the book is about a little boy who has to navigate this new ghost/afterlife to watch over his living family. ( )

This is a heart-breaking story in history told from the perspective of a young boy. This novel is narrated by young Isaac, who is destined to become the ghostly helper of his family and fellow Choctaws. Isaac learns the ways of the ghost world and strives to protect his living loved ones with help along the way. Isaac takes readers on an adventure in the first book in this series. The text is accessible to a wide range of reading abilities, but would recommend for middle school readers. ( )

How I Became a Ghost follows the story of a ten-year-old Choctaw named Isaac. During the story it is revealed that there is a treaty to move the Choctaws out of their home and into a reservation, which happens much sooner than the treaty originally states and forces the Choctaw people to make the journey during winter. Isaac loses his home, is forced to live in the swamp for a short time, and eventually he and his family walk with the other Choctaws in the Trail of Tears. While this is a fictional story, and more aimed at a younger audience, it did show cruelty from the soldiers, though it was never particularly gruesome in its telling. Overall a good book. I’m interested to see what the second book in the series is like. ( )

What's remarkable about this book is that it isn't a neverending sobfest, despite the very eloquent description of the horrors of the Trail of Tears and the genocidal removal of Choctaw tribal members from their lands. While it certainly isn't cheerful (despite some brilliant levity here and there), it is a story that is filled with dignity, integrity, honor and a sense of connection to tribal ancestors and those lost on the journey. ( )