INVOCANDO A SASKIA

by John Moore, Neetols

A heart-warming, supernatural slice-of-life graphic novel that gently weaves together tough, everyday themes of identity, grief, and accepting flaws in those we love the most.

Living with his grandfather and struggling in a new high school, Damian decides to summon his mother’s ghost so he can talk things out – but he blows it and summons Saskia, a scruffy, annoying kid. Trying to settle into his new life, Damian doesn’t need her hanging around trying to ‘help’ him with his crush – but Saskia’s suffering too, and everything they’re both hiding deep down might be just what they both need to get some peace. John Moore and Neetols paint a sweet and hilarious tale of young love amid grief, where someone’s flaws might be the reason you love them the most.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT, Comics, Queer, Ghosts

192 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.

Other authors publishing under this name are:

John Moore, US SF & fantasy writer
John Moore, languages
John Moore, British author and pioneer conservationist
John Moore
John Moore, Scottish physician and writer
John Moore, English clergyman of Puritan views

Reviews

[Sienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where’s the sequel?

[Juan Naranjo]

Hoy os hablo de la última de mis traducciones que ha llegado a las librerías: #InvocandoASaskia de John Moore y Neetols (Astronave, 2025), una lectura perfecta para este mes que, aunque esté recomendada a partir de 12-14 años, me parece disfrutable a cualquier edad 🥀👻

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPljGl...

[Slenchabela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so good all the way up to the last few pages. The end was rushed and seemed to just stop, without a conclusion.

[Beth Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Flying Eye Books for a preview copy for his graphic novel in exchange for a review.
I loved the premise…summoning the wrong spirit and being stuck with an annoying year old instead of your mum.
Despite Saskia being annoying and nagging him, Damien is stuck with her and although he knows the right thing to do, he is still upset and feeling vulnerable about being the new kid at school,and everyone hating him.
I really enjoyed this and the monochrome art work is extremely effective.

[Jess Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

DITCHING SASKIA ✨

This graphic novel caught my eye leaving the library yesterday. It was a sweet story, about friendship, grief and self-confidence and I enjoyed it. I liked Saskia as a character who was very sassy and sweet. It’s a really touching and lovely supernatural story that I would really recommend. I really would love to read more graphic novels ❤️

[Cheryl Harrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't been this pleasantly surprised by a book in a long time. It was so amazing that I immediately handed it to my 9-year-old son (who also loved it).

DITCHING SASKIA is more like watching a movie than reading a book. I love the black-and-white color scheme with only the orange of the spirit flower cutting through. There isn't a dull moment in the entire story. I mean, just read this premise:

"After saving up for a Spirit Flower, Damian's finally about to summon the ghost of his mother. He can't wait to tell her all about his life since she passed, but things don't go to plan. Damian ends up summoning the ghost of Saskia, an annoying, scruffy kid who loves to dispense terrible advise."

The book lives up to the hype. So good!


I received an ARC.

[Julia Pika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Flying Eye Books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a brilliant story about grief, loss and self-confidence. It's short but packs a serious punch with these themes. The artwork is stunning as well!

[Elliot McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The teenage bullying, in school and online pierced my lil soul. The complicated grief. The memory of love. The best companionship. The illustration all the way through that brings the characters so effectively to life. I love Saskia.

[India (IndiaReadsALot) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Flying Eye Books for sending me a copy of this book to review!

This was a super sweet graphic novel tackling familial grief and the fear of trying to fit in. This story is told with beautiful illustrations that feel slightly Studio Ghibli-esque and I loved the use of the black and white palette with the pop of colour. The characters feel real and complicated which I loved - I just wish there was slightly more the plot as it felt a bit sparse and the ending felt a bit rushed.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohh it’s got a little bit of a kick to it 🥹

[D.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magical realism at its best. I like the hodgepodge of grief, living a lie for others’ expectations, and needing to put yourself out there. This story also stressed me a bit. There’s a section where second-hand embarrassment is palatable.

The plotline with the mom is only hinted at. We don't know if she was abusive or prone to depressive episodes where she took her frustrations out on her son. Another story would've resolved this, but Ditching Saskia takes a different route.

But good reading experience overall

3.5

[Jaimie · Rating 1 out of 5]

**received as an ARC from the publisher

This graphic novel had a lot of potential to be a unique exploration of teenage grief through a softly spooky ghost resurrection lens, but it fell far short of the mark. Protagonist Damien accidentally resurrects the lost ghost girl Saskia instead of his mother with a magical spirit flower, which sets the stage for a slew of high jinx and deep character exploration, but instead of actually getting into the magic of the world created by writer John Moore or trading on the humour and pathos that seems rife with the highschool setting, we get half-baked resurrection magic, touches of social media complications, and predictable characters who barely seem interesting or relatable. Maybe the story needed to be double the length to really get into things, but I don’t feel like we got anything unique or groundbreaking here in terms of storytelling or characters. The artwork was slightly more interesting, using a blue-shaded monochrome with flashes of magical orange to set the tone, but without solid writing to back it up the visual storytelling didn’t really hit the mark either.

[Estibaliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25

I loved the art, and the story itself, though pretty stereotyped, was interesting. However, the ending felt really abrupt, and all the side characters were very superficially developed.

This graphic novel definitely needed to be a serialized one, or have more pages to be more than average, but it was a nice read anyway.

[Nathan Bartos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story with beautiful art about loss, grief, and the glorification of people after they are gone. The idea of this expensive flower that temporarily brings people back as ghosts was interesting, and I liked that they were just included as fact instead of overly explained.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic premise. Enjoyable read. I would have loved to get to know the characters a bit more. The characterisation was a little bit superficial especially given the heaviness of the central idea. Lush artwork. Monochrome with the spirit flower 🌹 highlighted- chef’s kiss. And that cover… drool.

[Luce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this - it was quite interesting that he summoned the wrong spirit, and then had to deal with that. I feel like it didn't necessarily linger long enough on some bits, which might have given it more impact, but it was enjoyable, and an interesting look on how we remember the dead.

[BillyDingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars!

This was a short read and I think this was a good book! But unfortunately there's not a lot I have to say about it. I thought the art style was STUNNING, super anime-esque, just very visually pleasing and the exact reason why I picked it up from my local library! The plot and characters were good, but unfortunately I feel like both lacked depth. The only character that I really felt like I could connect to was Saskia and I did enjoy Damian's love of horror, but otherwise I can't remember anyone's name and I didn't really care for them that much 😬.

I also feel like I needed more? And like some of the plot could've been explored more or concluded but instead, we never get to see Damian meet his mom, we never get to see him resolve his trauma around his mom, we never get to see him get with Elijah. We never even get to see *exactly* what happened with Saskia, how she died, and why she ran away, we're sort of just told and then made to move on really quickly. I feel like if these things could've been explored in depth, it would've added depth to the story and make it feel richer. But either way I'm glad that I read this, again the art style was gorgeous, and I found out that this is from a publisher that I have previously read and enjoyed so I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by them as well as this artist!!

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world where summoning spirits isn't such an uncommon occurrence, thanks to the help of Spirit Flowers, what happens when one lonely high schooler accidentally summons the wrong ghost? Thus begins the story of Damian and Saskia, the lost girl of Eastwood.

This was a great read to start off spooky season. The characters were really endearing and the overall message was pretty uplifting. (You could almost say it raised my "spirits." 👻)

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5! I could have used a couple more pages, felt like it ended a bit suddenly.

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute

[Mariya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! Easy, one-sitting read with a captivating story. It’s short but you quickly get attached to the characters.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic art, solid story execution and engaging characters. Especially like the worldbuilding around the magic flower.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it but then it felt like it ended in the middle of the story?

[Jessica Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

New kid. Trying to fit in. Lies that spiral. Truth redeems, even if it’s messy

[Kathryn Hemmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ditching Saskia is set in a world like our own, but with a key difference. If someone manages to acquire a Spirit Flower, they can summon a ghost of their choosing.

Damien is having a rough freshman year, and there’s no one he wants to talk with more than the ghost of his mother. Using a Spirit Flower, he accidentally summons a young girl named Saskia who’s more than willing to help him get his life in order.

What begins as a light comedy about high school friendships gradually shifts into a more serious tone as Damien confronts uncomfortable truths about his mother’s depression, Saskia’s murder, and his new friends’ unhealthy relationship with social media.

Despite the story’s twists and turns, Neetols’s art is consistently gentle, and John Moore’s writing carries the characters safely through their emotional challenges. While presenting an intriguing set of intertwined mysteries, Ditching Saskia also provides readers with a safe space to explore the theme of grief.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The graphics on the cover caught my eye right away, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’m glad I checked this book out from the library being that it was a cute and fast paced graphic novel, but I felt like it was missing something that I can’t pinpoint.

[Selina⚔️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art and I love the Filipino references. Lolo and the cat have my heart. 5 stars in this aspect

I decreased it to 3 stars though because I'm not really satisfied with the overall story.

[Jonas H · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
Some transitions between pages felt a bit disjointed, and the story could've been fleshed out into t least 50% more, but overall cute.

[Genny20 · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILERS AHEAD and THROUGHOUT!
(2.5 stars)
Was it cute? Yeah. Was it a fun read? Sure! Was it great? Not really-

I really wanted to give this a higher rating, i really did. It started good then the pacing at the end just RUSHED through leaving so many loose threads. The relationship budding between the MC and his love interest went nowhere. The MC and his friend had little to no meaningful friendship moments after their initial introduction. And i really did not care for the ending. It felt like everything built up was for nothing.

I think part of it has to do with this concept being so overused in the juvenile fiction graphic novels. The concept is fine, good even, but its been so much more creatively executed in other works. Including but not limited to : The Phantom Twin , Anya's Ghost, Ghost Book , and All the Lovely Bad Ones: A Ghost Story. Graphic Novel ! This story just did not offer enough new and creative interpretations to be a stand out.

I think the story would have had a bigger impact with an ending like this (note: this is just my wild speculative opinion and you can be mad about it somewhere else or not read it if you don't care for it):
- MC does NOT see Saskia again, instead, clearly having been able to deduce that Saskia had a brother, ask for help with research like he already was going to do, and get her story out there. It would have worked best if Saskia has unintentionally revealed things about her past or what happened. He would have still been able to work on his human relationships and work at being a better person without needing the literal ghost of a child to watch him do it.
- Later we see someone visit Saskia's grave. Implication: brother found.
- MC DOES visit his mom. His mom realizes whats happening, and now in a better state than before her death, apologizes to MC and tries to explain what was wrong. MC forgives and tries to dwell on the present. His mom asks about his life now. He begins to tell her about how he's trying to make do on his promise to a friend and make things right. It would reveal his growth and still have a happy reunion with his mom.
- Preferably, the thread/motif of "make things right" would have been weaved in through moments with his grandpa (this is literally done in the selling of the scooter scene), mentions of his mom trying to make things work even through her struggle, his hoping that his dad might make things right, making things right with his school mates (it happens in the story already!), and his friend who he ditched on costumes with, etc.

I don't know. I just had a much greater expectation of the ending. It could have been a much deeper story about fixing our mistakes, even if those who suffered from them aren't around to see it.

The biggest highlight was the art. It was cute and well-drawn throughout, and our cover was beautifully colored and textured!

Is this an insane amount of thought for a kids book? Yeah definitely. Do i care? Nope- do you? Idk, you're still reading arent you? <3 thnx for reading

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.9? I picked it up because I loved the cover art - it was gorgeous. Had no one idea what the book was about, just started reading. The black-and-white illustrations inside did not disappoint and I like how the spirit flower is distinguished with its bright orange color.

17-year-old Damian is a Filipino boy whose mom died when he was 4. His dad walked out on him to join his new family, so Damian moved in with his lolo and is the new kid at school that no one cared about. He used a spirit flower to call up his mom’s spirit but accidentally summons a 9-year-old girl named Saskia who died in the woods. He can’t get rid of her for a couple days so they become friends and Saskia pushed Damian to move outside of his comfort zone. Damian is in love with Elijah, an Asian boy who is best friends and exes with Megan, who Frank, Damian’s best friend, has a crush on. Damian lies about his mom and about getting robbed to fit Megan’s story, and it all comes crashing down on him. Saskia also gets mad because people summon her often to try to figure out the mystery of the dead girl in the woods, but they lie about who she really is and she wants Damian to correct them. Damian crushes their connection, but eventually ends up using another spirit flower given by his lolo for talking to his mom on calling Saskia back to him. Damian helps tell Saskia’s story with the help of Saskia, Elijah, Megan, and Frank and they put her story in the newspaper to look for her brother.

Quick read - I read it within 30 minutes nonstop. I wish that we had seen what ends up happening with Saskia and her family, as I felt like “that’s it ???” at the end. I really liked the art style and the expressions! The characters were fun in personality, especially with their different personalities for the two leads. Saskia is so volatile, noisy, annoying, and funny 😂 Truly younger sibling vibe with an older brother.

Main messages are on how people are often complex, you make bad choices but can make better ones now, and you can love others even if you have a complicated relationship with them. I like that Damian’s mom and his memories of her are not perfect and all good, but that he still loves her. We also see a strong message regarding friendship and helping one another grow/supporting one another!

If you like short unexpected friendship stories, with a bit of paranormal/ghosts, a dash of romance, neat illustrations, and discussion on loving family, this could be a fun read.

Cursing. Bullying (physical, social media). Foster parents and abuse.