Rachel M. Marsh earned her MFA in Creative Writing for Children from Simmons University in Boston. She is the author of Rougarou Magic and Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp, published by Greenwillow. She now lives in New Orleans where she and her husband eat the world’s best food and renovate their almost-hundred-year-old house.
Larissa Melo Pienkowski
Ferris meets Ghosts of Tupelo Landing in this cozy ghost story about family, environmental activism, food, and friendship.
Basil Theriot has spent her entire life in New Orleans—in her family’s famed Cajun restaurant in the French Quarter, really—but she’s never been out to the bayou where her grandfather grew up. She’s also never seen a ghost, even though dozens of ghost tours pass by the restaurant every day and her best friend Tommy is determined to be a ghost hunter.
But then Grandpere’s ghost appears. And he has a mission for her.
Basil wouldn’t mind being haunted if Grandpere could be helpful and share his secret recipe that might save the restaurant. But instead, he’s intent on connecting Basil with her Cajun heritage. He sends her out to the bayou to meet his friends: an airboat captain, a shrimper, and a scientist rebuilding Louisiana’s fast-disappearing coastline.
For fans of Gracie Under the Waves and A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall, Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp has a little bit of everything: a pinch of spookiness, a dash of environmental activism, and a heaping of family.
Praise for Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp
“Through a blend of magical realism and regional detail, the novel offers a beautiful exploration of grief and familial expectation following a death. . . . This Cajun-soaked yarn about ghosts, family, and reconnecting with one’s roots will captivate readers; strongly recommended.”—School Library Journal
“Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp is more than a book. It’s an experience. I could smell the fish market, taste the mirlitons, feel the bayou air, and hear the Zydeco music in the French Quarter.” —M.R. Fournet, author of Brick Dust and Bones
“I was immediately pulled into the warm and bustling kitchen of the Theriot family’s New Orleans restaurant. Basil is a strong character who honors family traditions while carving out her own path, speaking up for the bayou and its inhabitants, and showing up for a friend when it matters most. A perfect recipe of humor, family connections, honoring the natural world, and a ghost with unfinished business.” —Lynne Kelly, USA Today bestselling author of Song for a Whale
Greenwillow / HarperCollins
March 24, 2026
Middle Grade
Fantasy
JGLM
After discovering that the creatures from Cajun folklore actually exist, Feliciana is torn between hiding her Southern heritage and starting fresh at her new school—all while caring for an unexpected magical friend. Rachel M. Marsh’s debut novel is for fans of Tracey Baptiste’s The Jumbies and Katherine Applegate’s Crenshaw.
Twelve-year-old Feliciana Fruge does not like Boston. If given the chance, she would gladly move herself and her mom from the freezing city right back to Grandma’s house in Louisiana. Feliciana dreams of escaping her stepfather’s corny jokes and bland food and the relentless bullying at school for “being poor” and having a Southern accent.
So, when she transfers to a new school and has the chance to start fresh, Feliciana plans to be as un-Cajun as possible in order to blend in. But then Grandma sends Feliciana a mischievous and magical monster from Cajun folklore—Roux the rougarou. While Grandma might have meant for rambunctious Roux to keep Feliciana company, now Feliciana must juggle making new friends, outsmarting a bully, creating her best art to qualify for an upcoming competition—and hiding her mysterious, magical canine companion from everyone.
Rougarou Magic is a magic-laced, tenderly drawn love letter to Cajun folklore, the bittersweetness of starting over when you least expect it, and the unlikely friends you make along the way. Rachel M. Marsh’s debut novel explores themes of friendship, family, self-identity, and change and will captivate animal lovers and fans of Ghost Squad.
Praise for Rougarou Magic
“A magically charming debut.” –Kirkus
“Marsh’s debut cleverly weaves folklore with the realism of middle-school drama, along with a sprinkle of humor and magic, to create a quick read that fills a void in most library collections. It will appeal to a wide range of readers, sharing the important message that your best self is your true self—and your roots will ground you wherever you’re planted. Readers will gravitate toward this quirky story of family and friendship. A solid purchase.” –Booklist
”This ultimately heartwarming novel contains lots of self-reflection on Feliciana’s heritage as she grows to embrace it, as well as comic relief from her offbeat new pet. Feliciana’s bully is realistically portrayed, but Feliciana learns to ignore her with the help of new friends. Cajun words, traditions, and foods are peppered throughout the text and lovingly explained. Pair with Cuevas’s Mari and the Curse of El Cocodrilo.” –The Horn Book Review
Greenwillow / HarperCollins
September 10, 2024
Middle Grade
Fantasy
JGLM
