Louisiana native Rachel Marsh is back with her second novel, Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp, a middle-grade ghost story that blends family, friendship, food, and environmental activism.
Marsh, a Baton Rouge native, draws inspiration from her Cajun heritage. “When I was in middle school, I learned Louisiana loses a football field of land every hour,” she said. “I wondered who was fixing this problem. It turns out, a lot of people, from scientists to elected leaders. But there’s so much more to do. Since that school day, we’ve lost 175,000 football fields, at least.” That awareness of her home state’s disappearing wetlands inspired the novel’s bayou adventures.
The story follows 12-year-old Basil Theriot, who has spent her life at her family’s renowned French Quarter restaurant but has never visited the bayou where her grandfather grew up—until his ghost appears. Grandpere leads Basil to meet an airboat captain, a shrimper, and a scientist working to restore Louisiana’s coast, guiding her through quests that reveal her Cajun roots.
As Basil explores wetlands, she begins to question whether her path is to take over the family restaurant—or forge her own way as a coastal scientist. Along the way, she learns about heritage, responsibility, and the importance of protecting the land.
Published by Greenwillow, an imprint of HarperCollins, Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp has already received acclaim: the Junior LIbrary Guild named it a Gold Standard Selection, School Library Journal “strongly recommended” it, and National Book Award longlist author Ali Terese called it “a touching, beautifully-written, and action-packed middle grade ghost story.”
The book is now available and Marsh will soon embark on a spring tour through Houston, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans.
New Orleans Events:
- Saturday, April 11, 11am – 1pm, at Garden District Book Shop
- Saturday, April 25, 1pm – 3pm, at Barnes & Noble Elmwood
For more information, visit rachelmmarsh.com.
