Aggie is very excited to live on her own—until she finds out her new house is haunted. But no fear, the situation is nothing that can’t be fixed with a carefully considered list of rules: No haunting after dark. No stealing socks. No eating all the food.
But the ghost doesn’t like playing by the rules and challenges Aggie to an epic game of tic-tac-toe—winner gets the house.
About Matthew Forsythe
Matthew Forsythe is the award-winning author and illustrator of the books, Pokko and the Drum and MINA.
He was also the lead designer on the animated show, Adventure Time at Cartoon Network, and the Oscar-nominated film, Robin Robin. He lives in Los Angeles. His website is: https://www.comingupforair.net/
Activities & Links
- Check out this Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkwr9sC90z0
- Here's an interview with Matthew Forsythe about his artistic technique in illustrating his picture books: https://www.brushupmag.com/articles/interview-matthew-forsythe
- Check out these activity sheets for the book at: https://tinyurl.com/ycyzyt3a
- Here's a link to a printable ghost coloring sheet: https://www.firstpalette.com/pdf/ghost-large.pdf
- Narrative writing exercise: While coloring their ghost sheets, encourage children to develop a ghost character by exploring its personality, appearance, and quirks.
Suggestions for Further Reading
- Check out the other 2026 Ladybug Longlist titles featuring Friendship & Cooperation at: https://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2026/01/ladybug-longlist-friendship-cooperation.html
- Hardly Haunted by Jessie Sima, a 2023 Ladybug Finalist title, and There's a Ghost In This House by Oliver Jeffers are some other titles about ghosts.
- For more books about friendship, consider The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen, a 2022 Ladybug Longlist title, or Norman Didn't Do It! (Yes, He Did.) by Ryan T. Higgins, a 2022 Ladybug Finalist title.
This is one of nine titles nominated for the 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award.
We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all the titles by Labor Day.
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