The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

 

Suraya is delighted when her dead grandmother's pelesit becomes her first friend. Pink, as she names the ghost, is equally content with Suraya, who is the first person he has ever cared for. For many years, Suraya and Pink are inseparable...but Suraya still longs for human friends, as other children always try their best to avoid her. 

When Suraya starts at a new school and meets Jing, her first human friend, Pink is happy for her...at first. However, his pride soon turns into envy, and then to malice, as Suraya spends more and more time with Jing. Suraya and Pink must learn to control Pink's dark side before it's too late. 

 

This is probably one of the best books I've read this year. It has been added to the list of Books that Made Me Cry (which includes Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Séance Tea Party, and Red, White and Whole), because the way that Hanna Alkaf makes you love the characters is so well done! It's a beautiful combination of spooky, heartbreaking, and funny, and it's the kind of book that you hug when you're done reading it.