GRANDPERE'S GHOST SWAMP

The ghost of 12-year-old Basil’s grandfather has a message to share.

Basil Theriot is the only one who can see ghostly G’pere at his funeral. In this slow-burn story, she follows his vague directions, trying to determine what G’pere needs from her. Meanwhile, her family stresses over their restaurant’s signature dish, seafood-stuffed mirlitons; her father, taking over for executive chef G’pere, can’t figure out the secret ingredient. Basil chafes against expectation that she’ll take over the restaurant someday—she knows the sacrifices involved, and she doesn’t even like Cajun food. Basil uses her school’s upcoming Career Day presentations, some fibs, and the assistance of her Creole-Italian best friend, Tommy Spizale, as cover for reconnecting with her family’s Cajun roots through visits with G’pere’s friends (a swamp tour airboat captain, a shrimper, and a coastal scientist). The outings allow New Orleans and Louisiana’s Central Wetlands to shine as key characters. In the climax, Basil, who’s found her environmentalist passion, faces consequences for the lies she’s told and the ways she’s treated Tommy during her single-minded quest. The plot threads come together neatly, and the character arcs are thematically satisfying. The book oversimplifies distinctions between Cajun identity, which is framed as white, and Creole, which is described as Black or mixed race (but “considered Black” in the U.S.), a dichotomy that erases Indigenous heritage and real-world complexities. Indigenous peoples are mentioned in a high-quality author’s note.

A family story that highlights environmentalism and personal connection.