Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3001 in VHS
• Released on: 1998-01-01
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 105 minutes

Customer Reviews

Ghostwriter: Unique, fun, and creative
In a world awash with unimaginative children's programming, inappropriate dialog, and overly disciplined rules, one show stood out above the rest. "Ghostwriter" fans will always remember the diverse team of kids who ran around Brooklyn cracking codes and solving mysteries. Some people have teased the show for its early 90's look of colorful outfits, trendy headgear, mild rap music, and brief introduction to the internet. But the show didn't reek of ignorance like some programs of today. The kids were hip in their time but the messages are timeless. While the Ghostwriter team worked on solving mysteries, they also learned about environmentalism, drug abuse, violence, war remembrance, and family feuds.

So who IS Ghostwriter? We don't know. In this pilot episode, a ghost suddenly pops out of a book in the basement of 12-year-old Jamal Jenkins. He's depicted as a bubble that floats around the screen before diving into books or a computer. Ghostwriter cannot hear or talk. It takes Jamal and his friend Lenni Frazer a few tries until they realize he can only communicate through words. Ghostwriter doesn't remember who he is or where he came from but he does want to "protect the children". The enigma surrounding Ghostwriter never went away but the idea of a word-searching ghost caught on. Because Ghostwriter can move from afar, he's able to transmit clues and tips back to the team and their notebooks.

This show was intended to teach reading and writing skills but the idea of New York smart kids with a word-tracking ghost for an ally gave the stories a unique feeling that was different from "Nancy Drew", "Hardy Boys", or even "Scooby Doo".

The pilot mystery is about the origins of Ghostwriter, the team, and their first mystery. When Gaby Fernandez is walking to school one day, her bag is stolen by a stranger in a two-headed mask. She's only one of many kids who have had been robbed lately, all in the same manner. Jamal finds a coded message and a button with the word THABTO as his only clues. His friend Alex, Gaby's older brother, tries to help him crack the code. Together, Jamal, Lenni, Alex, and Gaby team up to discover the true identity of the backpack thieves.

There's something wonderful, almost magical, about watching the story through the wide-eyed children. They're all a bit frightened by Ghostwriter at first but gradually, they learn to accept his help in solving the mystery. From Lenni's affection in hugging the computer screen to Gaby's shriek when she finds the message on her wall ("Gaby thirsts for knowledge?" "Yeah! It means she always wants to know stuff.") to Jamal's modest but heroic actions to Alex's daring plan to infiltrate the THABTO meeting, each of them shines with his or her special qualities.

We sympathize with Jamal who feels a letdown when the case ends. Then he rallies everybody together at his house and suggests they continue working as detectives. The Ghostwriter team is officially initiated. After all, it's never the end of an adventure. It's only the start of a new one. Whether you're showing this video to a younger generation of kids or reliving old memories ("old" meaning you watched this in elementary or middle school) you'll be glad you knew about "Ghostwriter".

I really want this show on DVD
I used to watch every episode I could when I was younger. This would be the first DVD I would buy if it came out. I wish the makers of this show would look at all of the online petitons, there are over 400 people wanting it on DVD.

Three Heads are better than one!
This was the first Ghostwriter movie, the one that started the series. It would be nice if you all could bring it back (we have a copy of this video and my daughter loves it), but this time, it would be very, very nice if you could also release some of the others as full length movies.

My mind recalls the episode where Ghostwriter travelled back to the 1920s and helped a little boy and girl, named Frank and Catherine to solve a mystery. Many years later in 1993, Catherine is a well-known old-lady mystery writer, and Frank has died, but because Ghostwriter helped them to solve the crime back in the 1920s, Frank became a doctor and saved one of the future kid's daddy. I really wish you all would put this episode into a full-length movie and release it so we could all buy it and enjoy it.

Another one I really liked was the one where Lennie cut the video on the kids against drugs campaign at her school. "You Gotta Believe, and reach for the stars..." It was just beautiful. May I urge the producers of this show to please, please release these videos for us to buy?

All of these that were 4 and 5 part series could be released onto videos. I'm sure there would be no trouble selling them.