A story about a dead twelve-year-old boy. Unfortunately, Finn died after getting hit on the head by a stray coconut. Now he is a ghost and student at Phantom Academy.
At first I couldn’t get over the sadness of a family losing their son so abruptly. After reading the first chapter, I decided to treat this as to what it is intended to be: A paranormal fantasy full of humor, a mystery to solve, and a trio of fun, engaging characters.
Finn can’t understand why he’s in school again, taking tests and not doing the assigned homework. Wasn’t that just for the living world? No, this school has teachers training underage ghosts about what to expect and be able to do in the afterlife.
Finn meets new friends in Leroy, who almost never breaks a rule, and Jade. Like you’d expect from ghosts they are somewhat transparent and float as they move. The unexpected part is they still have to eat the awful cafeteria food and use the bathroom (No spoilers here as it is rather disgusting).
These three all miss their families. and since they are stuck here for 5 years of training, seeing their loved ones again will be impossible. Finn convinces his ghostly friends to break out of this place. All they have to do is figure out how that can be accomplished. The longer they stay, their memories will become fuzzier about their time alive.
Finn’s first person narration is never boring as he takes readers through 31 chapters. The plot has all the makings of a series. There’s still much to be accomplished in this ghostly world. PHANTOM ACADEMY is perfect for the upcoming Halloween season.
BOOK BIRTHDAY: August 26, 2025 PAGES: 272
FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: PHANTOM ACADEMY by Christine Virnig
- This was like a middle school for ghosts and the interactions between the characters was both fun and frequently heartwarming.
- The mystery of why Finn is the only one who can talk to the numerous paintings on the walls of the academy was a great part of the plot.
- I smiled at the card catalog still present in the ghost library. No computers here to help find what you need.
- Finn is a well crafted character and exhibits all the charm of a 12-year-old boy. He can be funny one minute and serious the next. A memorable ghost for sure.
- The way the three characters eventually deal with death was sad but also hopeful and respectful.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christine Virnig is a children’s author who combines her child development expertise as a former pediatric allergist with her experience working in a children’s library to craft stories that make kids laugh, scream, and feel seen. On the fiction side, Christine’s spooky middle grade novels include A Bite Above the Rest and Phantom Academy. Christine also writes gross-but-educational middle grade nonfiction, including Dung for Dinnerand Waist-Deep in Dung. Her first picture book launches in 2027. Christine lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her family, an exorbitant number of dust bunnies, and one incredibly lazy cat. (Christine’s Author Website)
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COMMENTS ARE WELCOME BELOW! AND BE SURE TO VISIT ALL THE OTHER BLOGGERS ON TODAY’S MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY!
Always in the Middle... 
I’m a little put off by the bathroom humour 🙂 but I am sure this will be a hit with the target audience, and Finn sounds a strong narrator of a fun book! Thanks for sharing!
This sounds like a fun story. I’m interviewing Christine next month.
This one is up next on my reading list! I just finished reading a different MG horror book that has the same kind of blend of humor and horror, too. The main character recounts losing both his parents, and I had a hard time moving past that as quickly as the narrative demanded, so I definitely get what you’re saying about struggling and then deciding to let the book be what it’s meant to be. That was challenging for me, too. I’m glad there were other elements that made this book engaging. I liked A Bite Above the Rest, so I’m interested in reading this one.
This sounds like a book that will find a good audience among middle graders. I probably wouldn’t enjoy the bathroom humor as much as the kids will. Thanks for the review.
I like the sound of this, especially with the issue of child ghosts memoires getting fuzzier… reminds me a little of The Year of Shadows by Clare Legrand, which is probably the best MG ghost book I’ve read.
I’m going to be looking at this one soon, and it’s nice to hear that there’s a bit of humor…and that the main character matches his age. Now, I’m really looking forward to it. Thanks!
An interesting concept of a school for ghosts!