For me this was more of a Mystery rather than a Spooky Story and this was done so so well kudos to Christine. I liked the School setting and how it was run even the rules were interesting. I would of liked to know more about the main character Finn Jones as this really would of pulled the readers in .

For all the above reasons Phantom Academy 3 Stars but can see if a newbie wanted a slightly spooky story with a splash of Mystery this would be a perfect fit

This was a fun read with a great concept—ghosts at a magical academy? I’m in. Finn’s coconut-related death felt a bit abrupt to me, but I can see tweens finding it quirky. The mystery with shady teachers and missing paintings kept things fast-paced, though I wish there’d been more focus on Finn adjusting to ghost life. His character (and ghostly friendships) has so much depth waiting to be explored—hopefully in a sequel! My only real gripe? Way too much bathroom humor. Otherwise, a clever, entertaining start to what I hope becomes a series.

✨✨Tour Stop✨✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

💕💕Quotes I loved💕💕
- Madame Lecter says that some ghosts make a sport out of hiding people‘s keys and wallets and phones and socks, but this is cruel and we should not do it
- I vaguely recall learning about book numbers like this back when I was in living people school. Was it the Huey decimal system? The Dewey decimal system? The Louis decimal system? I can’t remember; I never needed to use it.
✨✨Onto the Review✨✨
What happens when children pass away? Do they continue their education? When Finn gets hit on the head with a coconut he finds himself in the after life where he gets to choose between going to the great beyond or going to phantom academy and becoming a ghost.
This book was fully of funny quirky moments. The main characters are 12 so they have the hilariously awkward antics of a preteen. I loved their cute phrases and the main characters inner monologue was just goofy.
This is a really fun book I think it’s appropriate for kids ages 10 and up but as an adult I personally enjoyed it. I’ll be saving this book for when my goblin is reading chapter books! Thank you to toppling stack tours and the author for giving me a copy of Thai book in exchange for my honest review. If you want to see content from other creators involved in the tour head over to toppling stacks website so you can see whose next on this tour 💕 https://topplingstackstours.com/

#PhantomAcademy #ChristineVirnig #TopplingStacksTours #yabooks #bookreview #bookrecs #bookswithghosts

This was a really solid middle grade book. It was just the right amount of spooky and sad. I would've adored it when I was younger. The book ended in a way that made me think that most of the story was setting up a series. I would've been all over that as a kid. As an adult, I'd say I'm still interested enough to keep an eye out for the sequel.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

4.5 Here is a different academy because everyone is a ghost. Our main character had an unfortunate encounter with a coconut and ended up as a ghost who struggles with letting go, returning to what is comfortable, and what was before is the ideal. Facing new experiences is scary. This book can be read as a metaphor for big changes from grief to changing life and moving on. New friendships help, finding new purposes and interests, but mostly self-discovery. But it has an inspiring message of overcoming difficulties. The author balances serious themes with great humorous dialogue and thoughts.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

This book was hilarious, yet very thoughtful. I loved every bit of it!

𝙴𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
This was a quick, easy read. I really enjoyed the premise of this story about a school for ghost children. I like the supernatural and mystery elements behind the school, and the friendships that were developed throughout the story. I did feel like the ending was complete and left on a small cliffhanger, like this book could be a series, and I really hope it is. This is great for middle-grade children, and during the spooky season.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Phantom Academy definitely pulled me right in with its intriguing premise and immersive world. I enjoyed the blend of suspense and supernatural elements. What a fun and unique book for middle grade readers! A few minor complaints aside, it was a thrilling and memorable read. Thank you, NetGalley!

This was such a fun, spooky kids book. I look forward to sharing it with my 4th graders. The concept is crazy and of course my brain starts wondering about his family. But I love the lesson it teaches kids.

This was an interesting book. I didn't like that they made fun of what happened to Fin. That was not cool. Its a prefect book for a middle grade kid.

Okay, so picture this: you’re twelve, just minding your business, and then whack, a coconut drops on your head, and the next thing you know you’re dead. But instead of floating off into the great beyond, you’re enrolled in Phantom Academy, a school for ghost kids who are trying to figure out the afterlife. Yup, welcome to middle school, but make it spectral!

Christine Virnig’s Phantom Academy is spooky-fun perfection! It’s got all the usual middle school chaos, awkward friendships, weird teachers, and mysterious hallways but now everyone’s transparent and floating. Our unlucky hero Finn is the new ghost on campus, and he quickly realizes that dying doesn't make growing up any easier. There are still cliques, cafeteria troubles, and yes, homework, rude, right? Even the afterlife has tests?!

But beneath the ghostly giggles is a clever and heartfelt mystery. Something strange is going on at Phantom Academy, and Finn and his new friends are determined to get to the bottom of it. The whole book has Graveyard Book meets Tim Burton vibes with just the right balance of laughs, chills, and warm fuzzies!

Finn is funny and endearing, and his fish-out-of-water energy makes the story fly, sometimes literally he’s a ghost, after all! The friendships feel real, the school is full of quirky charm, and there’s even a dash of existential afterlife crisis just the right amount for a 12-year-old navigating ghost puberty.

⚡️Thank you Toppling Stacks Tours and Christine Virnig for sharing this book with me!

This was pretty charming and lighthearted for a book about ghost children. I liked the concept of the Phantom Academy, but I wasn't a huge fan of the story itself. I bet it will be a hit with the target audience, though.

I loved it! This is a perfect middle-grade book: it has humor, emotional connections, mysteries, and well-rounded characters. There is an engaging mystery with no cookie-cutter bad guys, which I really liked. The book's universe (a boarding school for ghost kids who have recently died) is rich and three-dimensional, and seems like the sort of place that could be explored over multiple books.

This story was so charming and fun and dealt with a heavy topic in such a beautiful way! I loved Finn and going on this journey with him. I’m such a huge den of middle grade books and this didn’t disappoint!

I really enjoyed this book! The whole premise is built on children dying young, and that's a tricky place to start. I was curious whether Christine Virnig would handle that too flippantly or if it would fill the book with deep sadness, but Virnig walks that line absolutely beautifully. PHANTOM ACADEMY is an adventure--it's a group of kids joining up to navigate their new school and learn the rules and go on adventures. It's fun! But PHANTOM ACADEMY also handles death in a beautiful and deeply affecting way. From Finn's POV, he's desperate to get back to his parents and his little sister. I admit I shed a few tears when he realizes that he can't--and that staying away is the best way to honor and love them. This is a book for anyone, but I could see it being especially moving for a young reader struggling with loss and wondering why their loved one can't just return.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for this ARC!

Younger me would have loved this book. It's younger middle grade and while there are ghosts, I would say it's light on the spooky. Still,I think middle graders will love this book, because it has humor and a pretty good ghost school. I liked the characters for the age range of this book and think the plot was a good mystery adventure.

What a great book!! I love the mystery and the humor in this one, and the concept is definitely fun. It's not at all scary, so it's perfect for those kids who want something eerie and mysterious, but who do not want to be scared.

Another solid effort from Christine Virnig. This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025. I'll say it mostly lived up to the hype. It'd be really hard to butcher a concept this fun. I would've preferred more attention on Finn coming to terms with being dead/a ghost instead of so much focus on a missing painting, but the ending offers potential for a sequel so I expect that to be addressed should there be a book two. And I really hope there is because there's a lot of depth to Finn's character and his relationships with the other ghosts (students and teachers) that has yet to be explored.

I could've done without the bathroom humor, though. Even for a MG book, there's far too much of it in my opinion.

Welcome to a laugh-out-loud afterlife where a boy goes to ghost school and learns that family and friends are at the heart of being human. Kids are going to absolutely adore Finn, empathize with his quest to get back to the people he loves, and be on the edge of their seats as he and the other students solve the mystery of what the Phantom Academy is up to and how his gift of speaking to characters in paintings fits into it all. As a grownup reader, I bawled at the end. Finn your mom would absolutely be so proud of you!! Hope this is the start of a new spooky series that follows Finn and his friends on more paranormal adventures!