Spotlight On: Ghosts 👻
At least once a year I deviate from my detailed and far-reaching plan for this newsletter — it’s not an exaggeration to say that I map out and often write two seasons ahead — because I’ve been inspired, for no discernible reason, to upend things.
This is almost always seamless, in the sense that you are unaware of it, but it involves a dumb amount of work on my end. This is how I’ve come to bring you this Spotlight On issue about ghosts.
I’d be lying if I said this idea wasn’t inspired by my friend Rachel Michelle Wilson’s newest book, which I’ll share more about below. In summer 2024, without knowing each other well at all, Rachel and I agreed to be accountability partners during an intense period of creative work for us both (which also happened to coincide with my life kind of falling apart, so, you know, convenient). In about four weeks, I wrote an entire book proposal, and she illustrated her outstanding book, To Catch a Ghost. We checked in every day, even in what we called “dead opossum mode,” and I’m not sure I would have been able to do it without her.
So when she asked me, as part of a group of people who supported her along her book journey, to contribute a little “ghost doodle” to the book’s endpapers, I was so honored. (The only parameter was that the ghost be representative of me. No pressure!) Here is a photo of my entirely mediocre contribution, which I will cherish forever.
Way more than that, though, I’m honored to be Rachel’s friend. She’s thoughtful, hilarious, so cool and creative and kind — I could go on! — and this issue is dedicated to her.
To Catch a Ghost by Rachel Michelle Wilson (2025)
🧒 Preschool–Early Reader (3–6)
📖 Independent Readers (6–9)
Picture book lovers, if you only lay your hands on one new title this spooky season, let it be this gem of a story about a kiddo named Sam who takes show-and-tell so seriously — so ambitiously — she decides she needs to catch a ghost.
Of course, this is no easy task, no matter how you slice it (though Sam is smart: “If your ghost is a mystery, try pizza. Almost everybody loves pizza”) and that’s part of what makes her quest so charming — it’s next to impossible, but her efforts are inventive, unexpected, and funny, and she puts her heart into the process every step of the way. In the end — which I won’t spoil — it’s her heart that prevails, even though she doesn’t necessarily get what she wants.
If there is a more charming children’s picture book creator out there right now, I don’t know who they are — Wilson’s words are clearly chosen with precision and care, and her expressive illustrations, chalk pastel and acrylic paint on rough mixed media paper, layered digitally, complement her amusing tone perfectly. There is nothing about this tale I don’t love — it’s truly a book worth catching. (SEE WHAT I DID THERE?)
The Teeny Tiny Ghost by Kay Winters, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger (1997)
🧒 Preschool–Early Reader (3–6)
“Once there was a timid
teeny tiny ghost.
He lived in a teeny tiny house
with two teeny tiny black cats.”
So begins this ghostly version of the classic story, The Teeny-Tiny Woman, wherein a timid little ghoul does his absolute best to learn how to be scary but ends up frightening himself more than anyone else. On Halloween night, when he hears some scary noises outside his front door, he has to muster all his courage to confront what’s on the other side.
This is a gentle celebration of stepping outside our comfort zones and overcoming fear, where Munsinger’s sweet pen-and-watercolor illustrations keep it cozy for the littest readers and reminds us all that even ghosts can find their guts.
Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago (2020)
🧒 Preschool–Early Reader (3–6)
📖 Independent Readers (6–9)
Things are downright tough for Gustavo, a shy little violin-playing ghost who is terrified of making friends and never speaks to other monsters. He tries to get close to them in other ways, but even when he’s right in front of them, no one ever sees him, not literally and certainly not figuratively. He longs to be part of something.
So he decides to send a very special letter to the monsters, inviting them to his violin concert in the cemetery at the Day of the Dead Party. He is worried and afraid, and… no one comes. Somehow, rather than sinking into a pit of emotional quicksand like, ahem, I might have done, Gustavo does what he loves most — plays his violin — and it makes him so happy that he glows and glows, just at the moment when all the other monsters finally show up. From that moment on, his life changes — and though he is still shy, his friends love him for who he is.
This sweet book, based on Drago’s own childhood experience, is so honest and a bit heartbreaking, but her mixed-media illustrations and the culminating messages about the courage to be who you are and to do what you love are, like learning to accept oneself, well worth the pain of getting there.
👻 If you like this one, I also recommend two terrific read-alikes:
Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett
The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason
Gilbert and the Ghost by Heather Pierce Stigall, illustrated by Jess Mason (2025)
📖 Independent Readers (6–9)
In this quiet, gentle story, Gilbert is convinced a ghost lives at 632 Savannah Street, even though his family doesn’t believe him. He knows intimately how hard it is to make friends, especially when you’re invisible — literally, like the ghost, or figuratively, like Gilbert amongst peers who just don’t ever seem to see him.
So he starts leaving little gifts for the ghost — he keeps trying. Eventually, someone appears, it’s just not who Gilbert — or the reader — might expect.
Mason’s muted digital illustrations bring out the sorrow of this story, but Pierce Stigall’s hopeful narrative keeps it from being maudlin or just too sad — instead, she doubles down on believing what you sometimes cannot see and the importance of persevering until you find your people, who may just find you when you’re looking for something, or someone, else.
The Little Ghost by Otfried Preußler, translated by Anthea Bell, illustrated by F. J. Tripp (1966)
🧒 Preschool–Early Reader (3–6)
📖 Independent Readers (6–9)
Otfried Preußler — sometimes spelled Preussler — was a German children’s book author (and WWII POW) who wrote 14 short novels, many of which are no longer well-known, if they were ever well-known, and I cannot for the life of me understand why, because they are wildly imaginative, creative and zany in the best way, totally hilarious, and excellent as early chapter books — perfect for when you’re ready to start reading longer stories with fewer illustrations but are still working to increase attention spans.
This is a charming tale about a friendly ghost who longs to see the world by day instead of only haunting a castle at night. When a twist of fate grants his wish — and with his unlikely companions, an owl named Mr. Toowhoo and three local children, along for the wild ride — adventure and chaos ensue.
Tripp’s humorous line drawings are interspersed every few pages, but it’s Preußler’s warmth, humor, and delightful commitment to mischief that make this silly story about curiosity, misunderstanding, and friendship so appealing.
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier (2016)
📚 Middle Grade (9–12)
My 11-year-old would be extremely disappointed in me if I failed to include this one — which also happens to be my second-favorite Telgemeier book — so here we are.
This tender graphic novel explores family, illness, and cultural heritage through the eyes of two sisters in the author’s characteristic and imminently readable way, with expressive illustrations and a warm, hopeful tone that’s pure catnip for middle-grade readers.
When Cat's family moves to a foggy coastal California in hopes that it will help her younger sister Maya’s cystic fibrosis, they discover the town’s deep connection to Día de los Muertos… including real, actual ghosts. As Cat learns to handle her fear — of ghosts, yes, but also death — she learns more about herself and the ways in which we can accept help, even from the most unlikely sources, in learning to create space for both grief and joy. Though the themes here are real, rather than being heavy, they’re, well, light as a ghost.
Living Ghosts and Mischievous Monsters: Chilling American Indian Stories by Dan SaSuWeh Jones, illustrated by Weshoyot Alvitre (2021)
📚 Middle Grade (9–12)
Dan Sasuweh Jones of the Ponca Nation spent five years living on American Indian lands across the U.S., collecting the oral stories that fill this anthology — his own, those from his tribe, and others from many nations. Since they are oral stories — originally and still primarily told out loud — the text reads differently than it might have had they been stories intended for the page.
And there are some bone-chilling tales here — “The Rock Baby,” a traditional tale about an evil spirit that lives in the rock on the face of a cliff is so creepy I thought about it for days after first reading it; and “La Lechuza, the Owl-Witch” pretty much convinced me never to wander South Texas, alone or otherwise. Alvitre, from the Tongva tribe, adds a sinister black pen etching to each story to great effect (some, like the one that opens “Deer Woman,” are downright disturbing).
If you need a scary read for a campfire or on a windy, early winter night, this is your book.
Ghost Poems, edited by Daisy Wallace, illustrated by Tomie de Paola (1979)
🧒 Preschool–Early Reader (3–6)
📖 Independent Readers (6–9)
This slim collection from a variety of poets gently treads the line between spooky and playful. The selection ranges from short and humorous to longer and mildly chilling (emphasis on mild), making them just right for younger readers who enjoy a shiver without real fear (and who perhaps haven’t developed their listening skills enough for more complex rhymes).
DePaola’s black-and-white illustrations add a moody, old-fashioned charm and make this a good choice to grab on a shadowy, jack-o-lantern-lit evening.
Coming up next week: my annual special edition on Halloween, for even more chilling reads.
Thanks for letting me haunt your inbox today! 👻👻 SEE WHAT I DID THERE?! 👻👻
Sarah
We also love There’s a Ghost in This House by Oliver Jeffers!
I just started Claribel Ortega's GHOST SQUAD — so far, fun for middle readers.