Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story

Mary Downing Hahn has carved a reputation as a prolific and well-loved author of ghost stories for middle grade readers. A former school librarian, Hahn went on to publish more than two dozen books and receive over 50 state awards, with her most prominent subject being the supernatural. In interviews, she speculates that children are either braver now than they used to be or “so afraid of the real world that they escape into ghost stories” (Leeper, Angela. “Talking With Mary Downing Hahn.” American Library Association, 2008). Hahn’s exploration of the supernatural in middle grade novels allows children to experience young protagonists navigating thrilling, frightening situations often reserved for adult literature.

In the Leeper interview, Hahn discusses how ghosts occupy a different space in the intellectual lives of children compared to adults. Many children describe encountering ghosts while most adults refrain from openly professing that belief. Yet when the children are not around, some of these adults admit to having eerie or seemingly supernatural experiences. Hahn often casts adults as the skeptics in the story, forcing the young main characters to investigate the supernatural occurrences on their own. Hahn does significant research into her novels, studying both the historical periods that figure into the stories and traveling to haunted environments to seek inspiration.