Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

Ghostwriter

Credits

Cast

Network

Reviewer

Emily Tsiao

TV Series Review

Being the new kid is never easy. But maybe Ruben has it harder than some.

After Ruben’s grandma passed away, Ruben’s mom moved them in with his Grandpa Ernesto to keep the grieving man company and help run the family bookstore. Ruben hates it there.

The city is loud, there’s nowhere to skateboard, he has no friends and every time he tries to hang out with his grandpa, a classmate named Chevon–who apparently adopted Ruben’s grandpa as her own–is there.

And to make matters worse, Ruben has started seeing mysterious messages left by a supernatural being. But he’s not the only one.

Chevon, Curtis (a popular kid from school) and Donna (Curtis’s little sister) can all see these messages too. And after a little hesitation, they begin to pay attention to them. Seems that this mysterious message-maker—an entity they call Ghostwriter—has a mission for them. He (or she) needs their help, it seems, and that’ll require them to read not just the clues he leaves, but pay attention to actual books, too. Because with Ghostwriter around, they have a habit of coming to life.

Spooky, but Adorable

With chairs moving on their own, storybooks coming to life, and words appearing out of nowhere, Ghostwriter can be a bit spooky, and families with an aversion to supernatural themes should be advised. But the kids aren’t scared. This friendly ghost is designed to get kids interested in reading. Moreover, the characters Ghostwriter releases are adorable and help Ruben and the crew learn some valuable lessons—such as being kind to one another and supporting your friends.

Ruben and Chevon suspect that Ghostwriter could be the ghost of Ruben’s grandma. After all, Grandpa Ernesto said that she would always be with them, especially in the bookstore where she loved to spend time. But what could Ghostwriter possibly need their help for?

It’s a mystery that has yet to be solved and one that kids of all ages can try to figure out as they watch the series play out.

Episode Reviews

Nov. 1, 2019: “Ghost in Wonderland, Part 1”

When Ruben and a few of his classmates begin seeing written messages that nobody but them can see, they chalk it up to stress hallucinations. However, when characters from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland also appear, begging them for help, they band together to return the characters back to the pages of the book where they belong.

In the middle of the night, a fireball appears out of thin air and floats around a bookshop. As it passes the shelves of books, the books begin emitting a golden glow. When all the books are lit up, the fireball disappears, taking the glow with it. Later, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland lights up just before the characters begin appearing.

Objects seemingly move on their own, including a door, skateboard and footstool. Words mysteriously appear in a puddle of spilled orange juice, on a chalkboard and in dust. One character insists these happenings are the workings of a ghost, but the others believe it’s stress induced since nobody can see what’s happening but them.

After a boy receives a “D” grade on a test, the school principal suspends him from the basketball team. When he mouths off to her, she threatens to remove him from the team permanently. Later, he lies to his friends about the reason he can’t play and brags about his basketball skills. Ruben calls his classmates “lame” and blames his mom for making his life as difficult as possible.

The principal berates Ruben for eating his lunch in the hallway (which is against the rules). A few moments later, Ruben’s skateboard knocks over his cup of soup and a boy slips on it, injuring his arm. Ruben offers his ice pack to the boy, apologizing for the accident. A girl punches her brother in the arm.

Nov. 1, 2019: “Ghost in Wonderland, Part 2”

Ruben and his classmates continue their journey to return the characters of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland back to the book. They discover that Ghostwriter also needs their help.

A pen and typewriter seemingly move on their own to write messages. Characters use a fan to make themselves small much like Alice did in the book. Later, Alice and another girl eat a cake to make themselves big. Two shrunken characters are nearly squashed beneath a shoe when its owner doesn’t see them. A book glows as its characters are returned to its pages.

Characters from Wonderland get Ruben and his friends in trouble. The principal plans to suspend her students for eating treats intended for a fund-raising bake sale, but Ruben steps up and takes the blame, apologizing for his actions and asking the principal to not punish his friends. She is impressed by his maturity, but still gives him detention (since she wouldn’t be doing her job if she let him off without a punishment).

A boy yells at his younger sister to go home when he gets annoyed with her. Later, his friends tell him that he shouldn’t be so mean to her. A boy lies to his mom about where his sister is while he is looking for her.

Wonderland’s Mad Hatter snaps scissors open and shut near a girl’s hair, freaking her out. He admits to being “mad” and takes personal items from Curtis and Chevon, prompting Ruben to tell him that he can’t take things that don’t belong to him. The Hatter also tricks his rabbit friend by refilling his teacup and saying that the rabbit only imagined drinking it.

The Queen of Hearts continually says, “Off with their heads.” Chevon offers counseling to the queen and learns that the queen has abandonment issues with her own mother and misses the deck of cards where she grew up.

The Plugged In Show logo
Elevate family time with our parent-friendly entertainment reviews! The Plugged In Podcast has in-depth conversations on the latest movies, video games, social media and more.
Emily Tsiao

Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.

Latest Reviews

Educational

Testament: The Story of Moses

This documentary into Moses’ life draws on Christian, Jewish, Islamic and purely creative interpretations, leaving us with a blurred version of events.

Drama

The Baxters

Karen Kingsbury’s Baxters series hits Amazon’s Prime Video—and for fans of the series, it hits home.

Comedy

Davey & Jonesie’s Locker

This latest original series from Hulu is silly and quirky in a lot of ways, but parents should exercise some caution before letting tweens or teens turn it on.