Ghosts I Have Been, Richard Peck, 1977
My favorite quote: “The truth is too much for some people and too little for others.” How true is that?
Notable characters: Blossom Culp, the girl who sees ghosts; Alexander, her friend and partner-in-crime
Most memorable scene: Blossom’s visions of the sinking of the Titanic. For being a book aimed at youngsters, Richard Peck injected a lot of terror into that
Greatest strengths: Ghosts I have Been has great historical flavor. If Richard Peck had been my history teacher, I would have paid more attention
Standout achievements: The prose in Ghosts I Have Been is surprisingly beautiful. It pulls you right along the same way good poetry does. Apparently, Richard Peck would have made a great poet, too
Fun Facts: After cutting his teaching career short to be a writer in 1971, Richard Peck went on to write and publish a book every year for the next 41 years. That’s a lot of books, guys
Other media: No adaptations have been made of Ghosts I Have Been, but the first book in the Blossom Culp series, The Ghost Belonged to Me, was adapted into a film of the same name in 1976. I haven’t seen it yet and haven’t been able to find it anywhere
What it taught me: Ghosts I Have Been taught me that good book is a good book, regardless of its intended age-group or audience. I appreciated Richard Peck’s spooky tales story as much in my thirties (if not more) than I would have in grade or middle school
How it inspired me: Richard Peck is one of those authors who makes me want to be a better writer myself. His prose is both simple and pretty … and make no mistake, that’s not easy
Additional thoughts: I would have loved Ghosts I Have Been as a kid, and I remember seeing it around a lot at school — but somehow, I never got the chance to read it. I even managed to check it out at the library once, but for reasons I don’t remember, it just never happened. So, when I got older, I figured I owed it to my childhood self to track it down, and I’m glad I did. I loved it so much I bought every book in the series … and as many of Richard Peck’s standalones I could get my hands on … and they’re all pretty awesome
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Alistair Cross 