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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
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
- GenresMiddle GradeSupernatural
224 pages, Hardcover
Published August 13, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 23, 2024
This book made me feel warm inside. It was nostalgic and clever and felt like you were reading something from a kid in the best way. I want more books like this. I want to give Elwood a big big hug. He was just sooo precious.
Elwood’s brother died a few months before and before that his grandfather died. His family moves to a new town where he meets two girls, Tabitha and Sydney who take him under his wings but during this he also finds out he can see ghosts and talk to them.
Elwood decided to go on an adventure filled with grief, heartbreak, friendship and more to figure out how to heal
Also I loved the narrator for this book, he did the voices perfectly. His grandpa voice was absolutely perfect and I could tell who each character was.
Thank you NetGalley, Adam Rosenbaum and the publisher for the arc of this book, I think it changed my life 😍
Elwood’s brother died a few months before and before that his grandfather died. His family moves to a new town where he meets two girls, Tabitha and Sydney who take him under his wings but during this he also finds out he can see ghosts and talk to them.
Elwood decided to go on an adventure filled with grief, heartbreak, friendship and more to figure out how to heal
Also I loved the narrator for this book, he did the voices perfectly. His grandpa voice was absolutely perfect and I could tell who each character was.
Thank you NetGalley, Adam Rosenbaum and the publisher for the arc of this book, I think it changed my life 😍
June 2, 2024
The Ghost Rules by Adam Rosenbaum does an amazing job dealing with grief with unique characters.
I like how Rosenbaum lets the grief speak for itself, aka, the ghosts talking to our main character Elwood. It's such a smart way to teach kids about dealing with grief.
I also like how each character has its individual personality that lends to the plot. The characters push the story forward, creating the plot points based off of pure emotion.
Lastly, The Ghost Rules is hilarious. Elwood has such a funny voice, constantly cracking sarcastic jokes that make you chuckle. In my favorite line Elwood references the dead ghosts in a sarcastically witty line about wanting to stay on earth after you die plus forget all your memories in the process: "You could be thinking. 'wait, so I can stick around forever AND forget all the bad stuff that ever happened to me? Sign me up!' Well hold your (dead) horses."
Overall this book is witty, funny, and a great way to introduce the process of grief. 5/5 stars for sure.
I like how Rosenbaum lets the grief speak for itself, aka, the ghosts talking to our main character Elwood. It's such a smart way to teach kids about dealing with grief.
I also like how each character has its individual personality that lends to the plot. The characters push the story forward, creating the plot points based off of pure emotion.
Lastly, The Ghost Rules is hilarious. Elwood has such a funny voice, constantly cracking sarcastic jokes that make you chuckle. In my favorite line Elwood references the dead ghosts in a sarcastically witty line about wanting to stay on earth after you die plus forget all your memories in the process: "You could be thinking. 'wait, so I can stick around forever AND forget all the bad stuff that ever happened to me? Sign me up!' Well hold your (dead) horses."
Overall this book is witty, funny, and a great way to introduce the process of grief. 5/5 stars for sure.
August 27, 2024
A protagonist the reader will immediately identify with, 12 year old Elwood is struggling with the unexpected loss of his older brother Noah, and his family's sudden move to the one horse town where his estranged grandfather once lived, to "start over".
Removed from his friends, his home and everything that is familiar to him Elwood is resentful, and less than inclined to make friends with the two girls he unexpectedly meets in their new town - even if one of them did save him from the town's miniature hounds of hell on a rather embarrassing occasion!
But life becomes even more complicated when Elwood realises that he has the ability to talk to ghosts, and (once he has grasped the significance of that) becomes desperate to return to their original home in order to find out if Noah is still there in ghost form...
A funny, touching and immensely enjoyable story that will be perfect for any middle grade reader, and a quite a few grown ups too.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Removed from his friends, his home and everything that is familiar to him Elwood is resentful, and less than inclined to make friends with the two girls he unexpectedly meets in their new town - even if one of them did save him from the town's miniature hounds of hell on a rather embarrassing occasion!
But life becomes even more complicated when Elwood realises that he has the ability to talk to ghosts, and (once he has grasped the significance of that) becomes desperate to return to their original home in order to find out if Noah is still there in ghost form...
A funny, touching and immensely enjoyable story that will be perfect for any middle grade reader, and a quite a few grown ups too.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
August 8, 2024
I originally got this book for my child who read it the same day we received it! I am happy to report that my kid says, "this book was awesome!" This is coming from a kid who does no particularly enjoy chapter books that don't have artwork throughout.
From an adults perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There are a lot cute puns in this books and it definitely made me chuckle out loud on several occasions. It's a good, fun and clean book! I think it introduces losing a loved one and essentially tells you that even though your loved one may be departed and you cannot see them, they are still with you in spirit.
I would absolutely love to see this book become a long lasting series and possibly even a movie or TV series! Congratulations Adam on publishing your first book! I hope to see more!
From an adults perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There are a lot cute puns in this books and it definitely made me chuckle out loud on several occasions. It's a good, fun and clean book! I think it introduces losing a loved one and essentially tells you that even though your loved one may be departed and you cannot see them, they are still with you in spirit.
I would absolutely love to see this book become a long lasting series and possibly even a movie or TV series! Congratulations Adam on publishing your first book! I hope to see more!
August 20, 2024
The Ghost Rules is a funny and heartbreaking middle grade novel about a boy who gains the ability to see ghosts while processing the grief of the recent loss of his brother. I loved so much about this book. It had a great amount of levity and the descriptions of the ghosts were fantastic. I also loved Elwood as a main character and his 2 best friends. They all had unique voices, and there was a great side plot with the 3 trying to save a local theater.
I listened to an advance copy of the audiobook, and the narrator was fantastic. He did a great job giving each character life and adding fun sound effects to the reading. Content that would have been very heavy, was lifted by his tone.
Thanks to NetGalley, Adam Rosenbaum, and Dreamscape Media for the chance to read and review! My opinions are my own.
I listened to an advance copy of the audiobook, and the narrator was fantastic. He did a great job giving each character life and adding fun sound effects to the reading. Content that would have been very heavy, was lifted by his tone.
Thanks to NetGalley, Adam Rosenbaum, and Dreamscape Media for the chance to read and review! My opinions are my own.
August 30, 2024
The Ghost Rules
Adam Rosenbaum
Genre: Middle School Fiction
Elwood McGee blames himself for the death of his big brother. He lost both his brother and grandfather in a very short time. He and his family moved to a small town in Tennessee after his big brother Noah’s death. When Elwood discovers he can see and communicate with ghosts he wants to use his gift to see and talk to Noah. After moving he meets Tabitha and Sydney who befriend him.
The characters in this book are precious, especially Elwood. My heart ached for him as he grieved and slowly healed. This book is written with great humor. The ghosts are cracking satirical funny jokes. This is an excellent tale to assist kids in dealing with death.
Thank you NetGalley for the review copy.
Adam Rosenbaum
Genre: Middle School Fiction
Elwood McGee blames himself for the death of his big brother. He lost both his brother and grandfather in a very short time. He and his family moved to a small town in Tennessee after his big brother Noah’s death. When Elwood discovers he can see and communicate with ghosts he wants to use his gift to see and talk to Noah. After moving he meets Tabitha and Sydney who befriend him.
The characters in this book are precious, especially Elwood. My heart ached for him as he grieved and slowly healed. This book is written with great humor. The ghosts are cracking satirical funny jokes. This is an excellent tale to assist kids in dealing with death.
Thank you NetGalley for the review copy.
August 30, 2024
I loved this book! I was looking for a new audio book to read but I wanted it to fit into the "Fall/Spooky" vibes I am in currently and this was perfect!! This is a kids book about a boy who can see ghosts. That was all I needed to know. It was super cute plot that really kept me going throughout the whole story. It really helped that the narrator was one of the best I've ever heard! He really put his heart into this story. It was nice to have a little heartfelt moment too. Most kids books these days are just fun or leave you with nothing much but this one really hit the heart! I loved it! This is a must read for kids and adults alike.
August 16, 2024
This was a lot of fun! There were humorous moments which added the right amount of levity to a very serious and sad subject that kids, unfortunately, inevitably have to deal with in one form or another. Rosenbaum explores how different people navigate grief and eventually find the one right way for them to process it. I loved the characters, both alive and no longer with us, and laughed along with so many of the jokes and funny stories thrown in.
I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.
I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.
September 1, 2024
Twelve yo Elwood McGee never asked to have ghost seeing abilities, but ghosts suddenly begin appearing to him after the death of his older brother when his family moves to a new town into a house that belonged to his grandfather. He makes a couple friends and he tries very hard to keep his new ability from them, but inevitably things happen that make it quite clear he can see ghosts – one of which is his grandfather. With some very funny scenes as well as some touching ones relating to his desire to reach his brother’s ghost, Mr. Rosenbaum’s debut novel gets a 👍
August 21, 2024
Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the electronic audio review copy of this book. This is a wonderful ghost story about dealing with grief with a side of humor. Great, well-written characters, wonderful voice, and funny jokes that made me chuckle. Such a great first book by the new author! Looking forward to his next book.
August 15, 2024
I love this book! Such depth of character from this debut author. So funny and real and gut-wrenching and tense and thoroughly enjoyable.
And just wait until you get to chapter 10!! One of the best chapters I've ever read in any book across all genres and age groups.
And just wait until you get to chapter 10!! One of the best chapters I've ever read in any book across all genres and age groups.
August 16, 2024
This book was such a fun read! I cannot believe this is Adam Rosenbaum’s first novel! The Ghost Rules is written confidently, with fully fleshed out characters (pun intended!), and lots of humor. I can’t wait for the sequel!
August 23, 2024
A fun yet heartwarming story. It was the perfect mix of humour and emotion. Funny yet heart aching at the same time. Perfect for someone who likes ghosts but doesn’t like to be creeped out.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews