by Ellen Raskin
First published 1974
When the Figg family leaves the bright lights of show business behind, they settle into the sleepy town of Pineapple, where the only thing more peculiar than their new neighbors are the Figgs themselves. Daughter Delphinium dreams of escaping to the big city, but her eccentric relatives - including a grandfather who may or may not be a ghost - have other plans. As the Figgs become entangled in a local mystery, Delphinium must decide whether to embrace her family's quirks or risk losing them forever. With its whimsical characters and playful sense of the absurd, "Figgs & Phantoms" is a delightfully offbeat celebration of the unique bonds of family.
Genres: fiction, family-life, mystery, fantasy, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, quirky-characters
Setting: Pineapple
Period: 20th-century
152 pages · Hardcover · Peter Smith Pub Inc