Eleven-year-old Nina Tanleven and her best friend, Chris, have the ability to see ghosts and have encounters with them in their town. Unlike in other books, where kids have encounters with ghosts and never tell their parents or other adults because they think nobody will believe them, Nina and Chris tell their families about their experiences, and other people in their town believe their stories and are aware that they have the ability to see ghosts. There’s nothing really secret about their experiences, and the girls find their ability to sense ghosts gets stronger after repeated encounters with them.

Nina lives with her single father, who is an architect, because her mother left them. Some people call Nina “Nine” because her full name sounds like “nine-ten-eleven.”

The series is by Bruce Coville, who also wrote other scary books for kids.

Books in the Series

The Ghost in the Third Row (1987)

Nina is trying out for a play when she learns that the ghost of a murdered actress is haunting the theater. When someone starts doing things to sabotage the play, people are inclined to blame the ghost, but Nina knows that she’s not responsible and that she needs the help of the ghost to learn who the saboteur really is.

The Ghost Wore Gray (1988)

Nina’s father is renovating an old inn when Nina and her friend Chris find an old photograph of a Confederate soldier from the Civil War. Then, they meet the ghost of the soldier himself, and it seems like there’s something he’s trying to tell them about secrets from the past.

The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed (1991)

Nina gets a part-time job at an antiques store, and she and Chris have another ghostly encounter in a mysterious old house with a disturbing painting.