Spirit Service

by Sarena Nanua, Sasha Nanua

Ghostbusters meets The Baby-Sitters Club in this supremely sweet and spooky story about four seventh graders who start a small business helping their local neighborhood spirits pass on to the other side.

All Raveena wants is to bring back her school’s beloved arts program. It’s been six months since her music-loving grandmother passed, and four since Hollows’ Peak Middle School cut its entire arts budget. Now Raveena has no way to practice music, and worse, no way to honor Grandmama’s memory.

But Raveena’s world turns on its head when she and her friends stumble upon an otherworldly discovery: an old-fashioned telephone with the ability to contact ghosts!

With her newfound possession, Raveena devises the perfect plan to raise funds for the arts program: Spirit Service, an agency that guides deceased townspeople to the afterlife by reconnecting them with their living loved ones. The best part? There are tons of spirits in need of assistance—and people willing to pay big bucks to communicate with them.

But not all spirits are interested in peacefully moving on…

To keep their neighborhood safe, Raveena and her friends must dive into the history of their town and the mysterious phone, and in the process, uncover secrets that are much closer to home.

Genres: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fantasy, Ghosts, Friendship, Canada

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 22, 2025

About the author

Sarena is the co-author of Sisters of the Snake/Daughters of the Dawn with her twin sister, Sasha Nanua. She loves to read and write YA and MG novels. She graduated from UofT with an HBA.

Reviews

[Sarena Nanua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming spring 2025--our next book, SPIRIT SERVICE! We can't wait to share this book with the world! Here's a peek at what you'll find inside:

A town founded by mediums
Girl friendship
A rotary phone that communicates with the ghost realm
Mother-daughter relationships
Discussions of grief and moving on

[Sasha Nanua · Rating 5 out of 5]

the babysitters club meets ghost squad in the sweetly spooky MG debut! releasing spring 2025

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raveena's seventh grade year is off to a bad start. The arts program has been cut due to lack of funding, so no longer has a way to honor her grandmother's memory by playing the flute with the school band. She is no longer speaking to her friend Mateo who ditched her at the school talent show at the end of sixth grade. However, things are going well with her other friends, especially her best friend Aiko, until on an antiquing expedition with her mom, the girls discover a creepy old rotary phone which seems to be able to connect them with spirits. This becomes the new business model for the school competition, whose winning monetary total will be used for whatever cause the winning team chooses, and Raveena's team wants the arts program back. Complications arise when Raveena begins using the phone for personal reasons, to connect with her beloved Grandmama, about whom her mother will no longer talk. All of a sudden, Raveena might be possessed by a level three ghost, or maybe she is just possessed by a spirit of selfishness. Can Raveena save her frienships and the arts program or will the town of Hollows' Peak be destroyed by out-of-control spirits?

[♡ A ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spirit Service follows four seventh graders as they tackle starting a small business: helping spirits pass to the other side. Raveena and her friends are on a mission to refund their school’s arts program. But their efforts have been failing until they find a telephone with the ability to contact ghosts. The only issue is some spirits aren’t interested in moving on peacefully.

This was such a cute and spooky middle grade!! I’m obsessed with all the puns and the town. It was so atmospheric and adorable. I think this is really going to hit with kids. It’s such a good story with a great message. The topic of grief was handled so well and I loved getting to see the characters work through everything. I loved the plot and the mystery element and the twist at the end. It was so easy to sink into this world and everything was so captivating. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this one!

The characters were SO good!! I loved Raveena and her friend group. Aiko, Blair, and Lillian were so cute and their friendship was lovely. The ups and downs they go through in this novel was so believable and the resolution was perfect. Loved the friendship—the authors did a phenomenal job showcasing this and creating such a loveable group of girls.

It is very much Baby-Sitters Club meets Ghostbusters so if you love either of those, this is definitely one you’ll want to pick up!

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this on an Instagram giveaway so huge thank you to the publisher and Sarena and Sasha!!

[Danielle Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was adorable and fun. Preteen mediums and some light possession. lol. Honestly, the dead grandma stuff is a lot.

Read by Reena Dutt. #booksin25

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

This was a bit too juvenile for me. None of the characters have any depth to them. Aiko likes movies. Blair likes baking and is a scaredy cat. Lillian is really smart. Raveena is selfish. Nearly every thing Blair says is about how she likes to bake or how spooky she finds something and it felt unnatural. Side characters also had minimal characterization; Paola is always muttering about her mother-in-law (but I don't think she ever even mentions her spouse) and the principal is always eating corn chips for some reason.

The writing had way more metaphors than what I enjoy reading. It also felt a lot like either a debut or like a middle school kid wrote it, which is appropriate for the intended audience.

A lot is kinda glossed over. Most of the spirit sessions happen off-page and are only mentioned once. The plot is pretty light. All conflict is easily solved.

I'm confused about what reverse birthdays are supposed to be. The only one that was shown was at a skating rink and people had to skate backwards, otherwise it was a normal birthday party.

The epilogue makes the second book sound like it'll be fun, but I will not be reading it.

I think the intended age group will be into this, but I don't think it will have the impact that The Babysitter's Club did.

CW: death of a grandparent, fire (in the past, causing multiple deaths), possession

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

[Jess - The Hexed Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last quarter of this was really good. The first 3/4 made me want to jab the MC in the eye. She was just... so incredibly annoying and selfish and yeah. I know the point of a story arch is for the MC to grow, otherwise I probably would have DNF'd this. To be fair, the target audience for this book may not find the character so annoying and actually may find her relatable.

It's not a *bad* book. It was just fine for me. But if you're the parent of a tween in the target age demographic, it does have some good life lessons about family, friendship, and dealing with the grief of losing a loved one.

[Jaimes_Mystical_Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute middle grade book. I enjoyed following Raveena and her friends as they discovered a mysterious old phone that could contact spirits. I loved the overall story as well as the cast of characters and I think middle grade girls will enjoy reading this one.

Thank you to @simonkids for the gifted copy.

[Amelia Willes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5! Reviewing this for work — it was fun, but I’m definitely not the intended audience. A cute intro to the paranormal/horror genre for middle grade readers though! I would have loved this when I was 11 hehe🥰

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for this ARC!

This was a really fun story. I would class it as lower middle grade, but I would have loved this book at that age. I really enjoyed it at my current age. I really liked the characters, the four girls were so much fun and I liked seeing them learn about the phone and helping both the spirits and the living move on. I liked the ghosts. This was on the low end of creepy, but it still was good. I also liked the thread of grief that wound its way through the book and the way they all learned how to handle that feeling. This was a whole lot of fun and I definitely hope for another book.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Cute female friend group. Weird magic system. Has potential.

Silver Birch Fiction 2026

[Stephanie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little all over the place for me. I liked the concept with the phone, that was cool. I was not a fan of Raveena as a narrator or the friendship tropes every direction you looked. Overall, it was a cute story with a lot of heart, even if it felt kind of cheesy.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Raveena is mourning the loss of her Grandmama as well as dealing with the fact that the entire arts program at her school has been cut due to budget issues. This affects Mrs. Yoon, the music teacher, whose husband runs Yoon’s Antiques, a store Raveena and her mother frequent. While at the store, Raveena picks up an old pink, corded phone, and finds that after delivering a bit of a shock to her and her friends, allows them to speak to the dead. The first person who contacts them is Mateo’s grandmother, a feisty spirit on roller skates. After this, the group, which includes Aiko, Lillian, and Blair, seeks advice from Paola’s Predictions and finds that they are mediums. They get customers, like Wisteria, Dahlia, and Iris Jones, who are also mediums but can’t contact their own loved ones, and who want the Spirit Service to contact “our boy” who passed… who turns out to be a Labrador retriever. As the Hollow’s Day Festival quickly approaches, the girls work to solve a community mystery involving Raveena’s Grandmama and the town, which was founded in 1925 near Toronto by immigrants from New Orleans who had mystical powers. When the school principal and many of the teachers are possessed, can the Spirit Service save the day?

This reminded me a little of Meriano’s Love. Sugar. Magic. series, the Mowery’s Twintuition, or other books where tweens have more realistic magical powers that can save the day. Missing the grandmother echoes the sentiments in Grant’s 2023 A Green Velvet Secret.

[Corinne’s Chapter Chatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️What a great entry into the paranormal genre for young middle grade readers! This was such a fun and endearing story, even to an adult!

It definitely has that baby sitter club type vibe to it which I think young girls will absolutely eat up. It’s that type of book that afterwards you could see the young readers having a sleep over and then trying to commune with the other side or go on their own ghost hunting missions.

Mt only criticism is that while it reads on the younger side, at times there is language that I think is a bit more advanced/mature for the average target audience age. Not inappropriate or anything of the sort, just older sounding at times.

This would be a great book to read for a school book club or just to have in a middle school library. It comes out April 22, 2025!
I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Simon and Schuster Childrens through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system for Middle Grade and children’s books

⭐️ Significant problems and would never recommend to the audience.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea but may have some appeal.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ an ok book which I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend but it has some value for young readers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! I would recommend for the age or reading level appropriate for the book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Would recommend highly, especially to school programs as a wide spread reading opportunity.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mourning the recent loss of her grandmother, a tween and her friends become responsible for helping spirits find peace.
Twelve-year-old Raveena, along with her friends Aiko, Blair, and Lillian , are “zapped “ by a rotary phone that Raveena’s mother purchased from an antique shop. The phone then immediately rings with a call from a spirit, their friend Marisol’s grandmother, whom the girls help to move on. Inside the base of the phone, they find a tiny old book labeled “Guidebook for Guardians”—and after consulting with local psychic Tía Paola, Raveena and friends learn that they can serve as Guardians. The kids create a business, Spirit Service, to help people contact the deceased. They’re hoping to win their school’s business competition and earn enough to help fund the arts program, which has become a victim of budget cuts. Then Grandmama calls Raveena and asks her to retrieve an item hidden somewhere in their town of Hollows’ Peak—an item that would have a great impact—but the relationship between Raveena and her friends becomes strained while a greater threat grows. What is that threat? Will they retrieve the item Grandma wants?

The authors has written a narrative revealing the phone's complicated history with its supernatural ties to the town, its founder, and a pivotal historic event. An entertainingly spooky series opener for this series.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I wasn’t obligated to write a favorable review. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and sweet with fun Halloween vibes, and a great pick for kids.

This is a terrific friendship story centered on a groups of girls trying to save arts funding at their school by starting a “spirit service” where they connect people with deceased loved ones who are struggling to move on.

I loved the girls and their friendship dynamic and the world building is surprisingly good for a kids book. I’m not sure the concept of the phone itself worked as well as it needed to, as it feels a bit clunky in terms of how it functions.

It also seems odd to use a garden variety, plastic landline phone for this. Ghost stuff really needs to be connected to objects that are truly old, and most people still had a landline as recently as 20 years ago. This isn’t even an antique phone, it’s plastic. It made the whole thing feel a bit forced, even if the idea behind the business and the magic of the ghosts was well-rendered.

To that end, the service the girls are actually providing does work well, and the magic of it seems to function well within the framework of the story. But most of the magic of this is in the girls’ friendship with each other, which is terrifically well-drawn, sweet, and honest. I liked this book a lot, and so did my kids. We would all happily read another.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me a gifted ARC to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this one! When I first read the synopsis, I was excited because it kinda gave me like Babysitter’s Club vibes which I adored as a kid. The friendship definitely carried through on the vibes, and I liked that the authors showed how friends can have ups and downs.

The voice of our narrator, Raveena, felt like a realistic middle schooler. Raveena is struggling with her grief several months after the death of her Grandmama. I really connected to this aspect of her character, and I liked the different discussions about how people handle grief. I did get a bit annoyed with Raveena when she was keeping secrets and lying, and I was waiting for her friends to call her out for her behaviour. I was glad that they did, and I liked seeing Raveena realize how she had been acting.

I thought the pacing of the story was good. The writing style was easy to follow along with. The town of Hollow’s Peak was intriguing, and I really liked the concept of Spirit Service and the phone. The epilogue has me really interested, and I hope this could be the start of a fun paranormal middle grade series.

[LL Garland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's and NetGalley for providing the e-arc for my honest review.

When Raveena and her friends answer a strange ringing phone at a local antique shop, the girls find a way to save their school’s art program while helping unquiet spirits to move on. But when Raveena starts uncovering their colorful town’s secret past, not all the ghosts of Hollows’ Peak are interested in being helped.

Billed as Ghostbusters meets the Babysitter’s Club, Spirit Service is a sweet read with a few light scares, perfect for the younger range of middle grade readers (apart from a few bigger words and seemingly out-of-place jokes – nothing inappropriate, just lines about taxes or mothers-in-law). Authors Sarena and Sasha Nanua do a superb job of illustrating the bonds of friendship and modelling healthy grieving. The book’s emotional component really shines, especially in the relationships between the Fierce Four. Plenty of questions are left unanswered, hinting at future directions for an interesting series. I would definitely recommend Spirit Service to any young reader who isn’t seeking anything too scary.

[rianne ✧˖° rianne.reads.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and the authors for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

This sweet and spooky middle-grade story is a perfect mix of ghostly encounters, long-hidden secrets, and the coolest new girl gang. When seventh grader Raveena discovers an old phone that connects to the spirit world, she and her friends start a ghost-helping business to raise money for their school’s arts program. But not every spirit is ready to move on, leading to some unexpected challenges and exciting twists.

The lovable cast of characters and the small-town setting, complete with a map at the front (always a favourite detail of mine), make this story especially sweet. Raveena’s determination to honour her grandmother and save the arts program adds realistic depth, while the ghostly mysteries and town secrets kept me hooked.

While I received this ARC just after spooky season ended, it was still a fun and engaging read. I can only imagine how much better it will be to read around Halloween time!

This book is a perfectly spooky and heartfelt read for middle-grade fans!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great middle grade book with a little spooky side: ghosts!

It made me think of a paranormal Baby-Sitters club / middle grade Ghost whisperer (I loved that show!)

The story deals with heavy subjects like miscommunication in friendships, how everyone deals differently with their grief, and middle grade girl problems ;-)

My daughter is just a little too young for this book, but I'm saving it for her. She's a big fan of the Baby-Sitters books, I know she'll love this one!

Many thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Kay S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay... I enjoyed the premise and the adventure of it all. It's nice to see a ghost story for middle-graders that isn't focused solely on scaring them. It's got great messaging (power of friendship, talking about feelings, dealing with conflict correctly, etc.) and the girls are super stars at what they do.

My qualms come from the writing itself. It felt like this is the authors' first foray into middle-grade fiction (it is) and they're trying too hard to appeal to the younger kids. Sidebars about old technology or celebrities and "whoever they are", explanations about things that are "old"... it feels a little forced.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture The Babysitter's Club meets Casper and you get Spirit Service! A group of four seventh-graders sets out to save their school's art department, aided by a vintage phone that connects them to spirits they can help pass over to the afterlife! But, they end up uncovering more about their town's past and themselves along the way! This was reminiscent of series I loved in middle school and it looks like this is turning into a series, which is perfect!
Thank you Simon and Schuster for the ARC of this book!

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I heard about this book I was so excited! The main characters have a business called Spirit Service, which is like the Baby-Sitters Club but instead of babysitting they reunite people with the ghosts of their loved ones. This book was as great as I expected it to be. There were some emotional moments, since they were talking about their loved ones who they had lost. I can’t wait for the next book to come out!

Spirit Service is a great middle grade story!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of this book!

[Maya Prasad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and fast-paced paranormal middle grade! In a quirky small town, four girls come across an antique phone that can receive calls from the dead. To help save the arts program at their school, they decide to create a business where folks can contact their ghostly loved ones and help them move on to a better place. With plenty of puns and banter, these spunky four middle graders confront their own losses as well as some not-so-nice spirits. It's a very cute and enjoyable story with lightly spooky action, friendship troubles, and wonderfully eccentric side characters!

[MG · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute, fun middle grade book. I can definitely see why it was compared to Ghostbusters and the Baby-Sitters Club. It was mildly creepy in an age-appropriate way. I think the characters and plot will appeal to the book's target audience. I thought it was all very cute now as an adult, but I know I would've really enjoyed it when I was younger.

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

[Alysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky, sweet, and spunky, SPIRIT SERVICE is pure haunted delight. Brimming with charm, warmth, and small-town secrets, the first book in this new series offers chills and thrills with cozy Babysitter's Club meets Ghostbusters vibes. Themes of grief and longing are tenderly treated, while offering comfort in this gentle ghostly adventure.

A great spooky read for middle grader readers any time of the year!

[Amara · Rating 5 out of 5]

My spooky ghost loving inner child absolutely LOVED this. I'd be obsessed reading this as a kid and I'm obsessed even now. Cozy spooky Gilmore girl, baby sitter vibes Imo. And any book that mentions Boba is a winner for me. And the end does get CREEPY ahhh so good. Read it right now!!

[Mrs. Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good messages in the book on dealing with grief and unresolved trauma...but oh my that word was overused. It felt a bit disjointed at times but overall a good read for children. Relatable and appropriate for kids 9-12.

[Abbie P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just sweet and adorable, I’m so excited for another book

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful story of friendship and grief. I had so much fun reading this story. can't wait for the next installment.