The Wonder of Ghosts, a guest post by Adam Rosenbaum

Ghosts can be scary. And sure, I get it. They’re invisible beings from the great beyond that haunt and moan and, for some reason, occasionally wear white bed sheets. That’s a lot of unknowns to deal with. And unknowns can be scary. But for my debut novel, THE GHOST RULES, I had a different thought…what if ghosts weren’t scary at all? What if we as the audience, instead of being frightened by a ghostly tale, were left with a different feeling altogether?

There’s nothing wrong with scary ghosts. I adore a good ghost story that makes me double-check behind the shower curtain and sleep with the closet light on. But I grew up on a healthy 1980s diet of E.T. and Back to the Future and Flight of the Navigator, where the stories that really hit home were the ones that left me with a sense of wonder about the unknown. 

The initial idea for THE GHOST RULES came quickly when I was at home reading a book. Out of nowhere, a picture frame fell down on the other side of my very empty living room and I thought, with a chuckle, “What if a clumsy ghost bumped into it?” And that was it. I was off and running. Pretty easy, right? Well, yes, except for the whole years-long, excruciating, pain-stakingly exhausting writing of the thing. 

But even easier than that initial idea? The main character’s name: Elwood. 

I chose the name because of Harvey, an old movie from 1950 where Jimmy Stewart (the guy you see on TV every Christmas in It’s a Wonderful Life) plays a pure-hearted, charming man named Elwood P. Dowd who just happens to be best friends with an invisible rabbit that only he can see. The movie is funny and sweet and full of whimsy, the perfect trio for me. And, coincidentally, the same trio I was going for with THE GHOST RULES.

In my book, Elwood P. McGee is a 12-year-old boy whose family has to move from Nashville to a small Tennessee town after the death of his older brother, Noah. Soon after moving, Elwood discovers that he can see ghosts. And they’re everywhere! But instead of terrifying the living, these ghosts are mostly just bumbling, clueless reflections of their former selves, trapped in their former houses, and slightly obsessed with coffee. They’re funny and obnoxious and irritable and they get a little nervous around the living. In other words…not so scary. 

Elwood is, understandably, a little freaked out and overwhelmed by having ghost-sight. But luckily, he becomes friends with two girls his age who help guide him through his new ability (although not without some awkward bumps along the way). When it finally dawns on Elwood that he can see dead people…and his brother Noah is dead…he’s determined to find the ghost of his brother and talk to him one last time.

I hope my Elwood stirs up the same feelings of joy that Jimmy Stewart’s Elwood gave me the first time I watched Harvey. I also hope that whether you’re moving to a new town like Elwood McGee, or you just heard a creepy noise from the hallway in the middle of the night, you can view the unknowns in your life from a slightly different angle and set aside your fear just long enough to embrace a little wonder. 

Meet the author

Adam Rosenbaum has operated a sawmill in Kentucky, stocked groceries in Los Angeles, and was a student draftsman at his local power company growing up in the suburbs of Nashville, where he currently lives with his wife and kids. When he’s not writing things or reading things, you’ll probably find him running down a trail or trying to find the perfect blueberry donut.

Website: www.adamrosenbaumwrites.com

Instagram: @rosenbaumwrites

Threads: @rosenbaumwrites

About The Ghost Rules

Twelve-year-old Elwood McGee never asked to have “ghost-sight,” and it involves a lot more drool-dodging than he expected. Ghosts are the WORST—and they’re all over the place in this sharp-witted middle grade debut novel.

Did you know that ghosts love coffee? They’re not trying to be scary. They’re just deprived of an appropriate amount of caffeine! They also bump into things by accident, are occasionally nosy, and get a little nervous when they’re seen by the living.

Elwood McGee knows these ghost facts because he’s one of those rare people with the gift of ghost-sight. And it turns out ghosts are everywhere! Especially in the small Tennessee town where Elwood and his family had to move following the death of his big brother Noah, which Elwood thinks was his fault.

Once Elwood figures out he can see ghosts, he becomes single-mindedly determined to use his powers to see Noah and talk to him once last time. With the help of two girls who live on his street, Elwood embarks on a journey through the surprisingly funny world of ghosts and faces the realities of letting go.

At once hilarious and heart wrenching, Adam Rosenbaum makes his middle grade debut with a supernaturalish novel about grief that’s perfect for fans of Gordon Korman and Dan Gutman.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

ISBN-13: 9780823456581
Publisher: Holiday House
Publication date: 08/13/2024
Age Range: 8 – 12 Years

Filed under: Guest Post