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Grandpere's Ghost Swamp by Rachel M. Marsh

Review: Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp by Rachel M. Marsh

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Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp
Rachel M. Marsh
Greenwillow Books
Published March 24, 2026

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp

Ferris meets Ghosts of Tupelo Landing in this cozy ghost story about family, environmental activism, food, and friendship.

Basil Theriot has spent her entire life in New Orleans—in her family’s famed Cajun restaurant in the French Quarter, really—but she’s never been out to the bayou where her grandfather grew up. She’s also never seen a ghost, even though dozens of ghost tours pass by the restaurant every day and her best friend Tommy is determined to be a ghost hunter.

But then Grandpere’s ghost appears. And he has a mission for her.

Basil wouldn’t mind being haunted if Grandpere could be helpful and share his secret recipe that might save the restaurant. But instead, he’s intent on connecting Basil with her Cajun heritage. He sends her out to the bayou to meet his an airboat captain, a shrimper, and a scientist rebuilding Louisiana’s fast-disappearing coastline.

For fans of Gracie Under the Waves and A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall, Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp has a little bit of a pinch of spookiness, a dash of environmental activism, and a heaping of family.

My Review

This is definitely one of those books where the disparate threads all come together nicely in the end. In a way, it reminded me of Once For Yes by Allie Millington. I adored the Louisiana setting. Some of the characters made me think of my partner’s family members, who are from Louisiana. His family is also Cajun, so that was a fun connection to the story as well.

It was interesting to read a book in which the main character is surrounded by people who love food and cooking, yet she has strong negative feelings about them. Basil’s perspective about the family restaurant makes a lot of sense, and it makes sense that she would have such strong conflicted feelings about her future, since she feels the family needs her to be as invested in the restaurant as they are.

I like how her relationship with her grandfather’s ghost propels the story in unexpected ways. While Grandpere clearly has something important to resolve, his presence helps Basil in ways she wouldn’t have predicted. I like that she learns a lot about him and about herself through the experience.

Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp celebrates strong family connections across generations and a love for the natural world. Give this book to fans of Elsie Mae Has Something to Say by Nancy Cavanaugh and Nowhere Better Than Here by Sarah Guillory.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Basil sees the ghost of her grandfather, who recently passed away. She eventually sees other ghosts as well.

Violent Content
A kid gets in trouble for throwing salt all over a classroom when what he thinks is a ghost appears. An argument escalates into a food fight.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Environment: Explore, Create and Investigate by Jonathon Litton

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The Environment: Explore, Create and Investigate
Paul Litton
Illustrated by Pau Morgan
QEB Publishing
Published September 22, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Environment

THE ENVIRONMENT is a simple first introduction to the environment—the air, soil, water, plants, and animals. How do we as humans slot into the natural world around us and how do our actions affect the environment? What on Earth can we do about it?

The book contains three different types of pages: Explore, Investigate, and Create. This structure provides a child-led and hands-on way for children to learn about the world around them. Create pages consist of fun crafts and activities to give children a chance to play and have fun while learning.

My Review

One of the things I really liked about THE ENVIRONMENT is the broad reach of the information it offers and pairs with experiments and activities. While it covers the basics– how important the environment is, how it’s our home as well as home to plants and animals around us– but also pushes beyond that to talk about things less often discussed, like pollution from the fashion industry.

The only thing that I felt was lacking was more definitions/explanations within the text. For example, there’s a project that’s meant to attract “minibeasts,” and I’m not sure what the term minibeasts means. Later on, there’s a section about the Greenhouse Effect which talks about how it’s just like a greenhouse but doesn’t explain what a greenhouse is.

I think this book would be a great companion to an elementary grade environmental science unit or a really cool book to use as a frame for summer projects, since there are a lot of activities and experiments to support the information in the chapters.

Readers interested in learning about caring for the earth or who enjoy interactive activities will enjoy this book.

If you have slightly older readers looking for information on how humans can cause harm to the environment, I also recommend Trashing the Planet by Stuart A. Kallen.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 6 to 12.

Representation
Illustrations show a diverse group of children interacting with experiments, projects, and the environment.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
One section includes information about an indigenous group in New Zealand who believe rivers and mountains are our relatives.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

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