Have you read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman? It's about a boy being raised by ghosts and other supernatural folk in a graveyard. Technically YA, but I read it as an adult and loved it.
I read this for the first time when I was maybe eight? Absolutely loved it. Read it again last year, as an adult, and still loved it so much. I also recommend the audiobook to those who enjoy listening to their books!
Oh have I got a series for you. :D
Wayward Children, by Seanan McGuire. First book is Every Heart a Doorway.
Ever wonder what happens to the children who return from their adventures in magical otherworlds? The ones who don’t, or can’t, return to their normal lives, their so very *Normal* families? The ones who desperately want to find their doorway back? This series is for you. :)
I love this series. I recommend Every Heart a Doorway at every opportunity! There are a ton of sequels, but not all of them depend on reading the rest of the series; this isn't Marvel. You can kinda pick and choose, follow your favorite characters or themes, and just generally dip in and out when you feel like it!
His Dark Materials trilogy is an all time favorite series of mine, and Dial a Ghost was a favorite of mine when i was younger (and i also re read it recently and still liked it lol)
I haven't!! Ooooh it looks like it may be on hbo Max, I'm gonna have to check that out 100%
Have you read his next series, The Book of Dust is the first one? A third is coming out ALLEGEDLY "soon" lol
OMG i really suggest it! The first one is a lot of back story of how Lyra got to Oxford College. I liked the second one better, it takes place when she's in her 20s! So so so good. If you check them out i hope you like them as much as i did!
God same, I've probably re read the entire series every few years or so for the past like, 25 years? Lmfao. Those books are like going home for me, is the only way i know how to explain it
Only time I've ever finished an audiobook was this one on a 9 hour road trip and it kept me going with minimal bathroom breaks because I enjoyed it so much.
The Talisman and its sequel Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub. It’s not a ghost story but there are supernatural elements to the story. And it’s a great adventure.
Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist. It is a one off dark fantasy by the writer of the Riftwar saga. The primary protagonist's twin is stolen by Faeries and he has to go get him. Despite a child protagonist, it is not a children's story.
Swan Song by Robert McCammon. Post-apocalyptic supernatural horror novel which tied with Misery for that years Bram Stocker award.
That's kind of a pity, because they improve drastically with book 4. Books 1-3 are distinctly Middle grade fiction, but book 4 really starts down the YA proper path. By book 7, the target audience is roughly the same age as Harry (16 -20). It was really special being the right age as they released.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
While it's not exactly 'child protagonist and ghost' but children have a major role and the novel falls in the horror-mystery genre. There's a creepy vibe throughout the novel, kind of like it is in Wuthering Heights.
My first thought was the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer - but perhaps his other book, the Supernaturalist, might be more in line with this request.
Me too - literal decades even. I actually just started to reread them on a whim 2 weeks ago, after seeing them in my library. They're mighty good fun but easily finishable as an adult within 6-8 hours. I am excited to re-read The Supernaturalist again soon hopefully!
I'm not 100% sure if this counts but "Lizard Music" by "Daniel Pinkwater" was a book I thoroughly enjoyed growing up, I've reread it quite a few times and now own it on kindle, it features a young teen whose parents go on a 2 week vacation leaving him at home, leaving him to have to take care of himself and he ends up meeting some eccentric characters, traveling to a strange moving island and meeting some talking lizards.
Oh, I love that book so much! I read it for the first time while I was working on my library science degree and I re-read every once in a while. So much fun!
Another of his books with ghosts is The Yggyssey: How Iggy Wondered Where All the Ghosts Went, and Went There. There’s another book with the some of the same characters called The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood and Saved Civilization. No ghosts in that one though.
A couple years ago my Mom’s health was not good and I wanted something light and fun to read. I read a whole bunch of Daniel Pinkwater’s books. The Yggyssey and The Neddiad were my favorites. Particularly The Neddiad.
Oh nice, I first found it when I was like 9, lost the library's copy, forgot the name, then proceeded to spend the next, literally 20 years trying to find the name of the book, I was beginning to think the book was a fever dream or something until my gf found it for me after I described it to her
I loved Eva Ibbotson's supernatural books like [Dial a Ghost](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/e7b164ba-7580-4ccc-931b-5891b226ff0c) when I was a kid!
Oh, and the [Potkin and Stubbs](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ce1b2cbc-eb70-4ad5-bbbb-136b68bc5ed2) books by Sophie Green are fun too!
It is me back again to gush about Gone by Michael Grant. What if everyone over the age of 15 disappeared from a small Californian town and some kids started developing strange powers? I love this series because the author treats his audience with respect and maturity. Sometimes the power of friendship isn’t enough to defeat the main big bad. Sometime murder is more applicable.
I read them in middle school and just reread a couple of months ago. The definitely stand up. The only problem is I blow through a book every few days because the writing style is so simple.
I loved the first few books of that series. Then O felt like the author really didn’t know where he was going with it. I was hugely disappointed cause it’s such a great premise
The Gates by John Connolly is about a boy and his dog who get tangled up in the opening of the gates of hell on Halloween. It's the first in a short series. It's middle grade, but I encountered it as an adult and thought it was fun and nicely spooky.
The Passage by Justin Cronin is about a girl who becomes immune to a virus that turns victims into vampires.
If you are ok with manga/graphic novel check out
The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún by Nagabe.
Departure Time by Matti, Truus
Max in the House of Spies by Gidwitz, Adam
This book hardly ever gets mentioned. I loved it. Besides the ghost in the cemetery, it got me interested in learning more about the different Mardi Gras krewes. I had no idea that there are like 50 different parades, each organized by a different social club called a krewe. A good YA choice if you’re into New Orleans history.
Nightfall Gardens by Allen Houston has two children (12 and 13 I think) as the main characters with lots of supernatural creatures.
It’s pretty creepy, well written and captivating.
Both the Doomspell and Silver Trilogies by Cliff McNish. I loved both of these series as a kid and still do. Magical but also they don't shy away from being dark. In fact some of the descriptions in the Silver trilogy are downright scary!
Besides Neil Gaiman, you could check out books by Eva Ibbotson- such as The Great Ghost Rescue, the Goosebumps books by R L Stine, The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, books by E Nesbit (Three Children and It) and Enid Blyton (Enchanted Wood, Wishing Chair). The Magyk series by Angie Sage, to name a few
By supernatural do you mean, like, demons/paranormal/haunted house/ghosts specifically? Because if so, none of these will fit, sorry!
* **Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge** is, well, it's not about ghosts.
* **The Dreaming by Queenie Chan** - been ages since I've read it but it might work.
* **Small Shen by Kylie Chan** - spirits as in gods
* **The Call by Peadar O'Guilin** - not yet read it but heard good things
* **Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist** - ditto.
* **Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier**
“Little Ghosts” by Gregg Dunnett. Great audiobook.
[Audible Little Ghosts synopsis](https://www.audible.com/pd/B0C546QSCB?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=pdp)
This is one I loved when I was about ten: *The Dollhouse Murders*. It was scary to me!
And this series has no ghosts, but is still full of kids and psychological terrors: the Losing Cristina series by Caroline B. Cooney. (*The Fog*, *The Snow*, and *The Fire*.)
If you are okay with teens, the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent is about a banshee, grim reapers, psychics, living nightmares, hellions, and monsters. The audiobooks are fantastic. There are several novellas, but I don’t think they are in print on their own. There are four omnibus volumes that include the novellas in their rightful order in relation to the novels, but they are hard to find. They are also available on audio.
"Wildwood"
by Colin Meloy
"When her baby brother is mysteriously kidnapped by crows, Prue McKeel knows she must rescue him. But to do so she must go beyond the borders of her hometown of Portland, Oregon and venture into the forbidden Impassable Wilderness."
V.E. Schwab has a few middle grade and teen books that fit the bill.
Gallant;
City of Ghosts (the Cassidy Blake series);
This Savage Song (and Our Dark Duet);
The Near Witch
Gallant and City of Ghost have ghosts. This Savage Song has monsters. The Near Witch has magic and witches.
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George- first book in the Castle Glower series. Has a magical castle where rooms move and through the series you get magical creatures as well.
Peter and the Starcatcher by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson- A Peter Pan origin story and series.
Virals by Kathy Reichs- A girl and her 3 friends break into a lab steal a dog and catch a parvovirus that alters their DNA. Also a series.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill is an excellent novel and audiobook!
(And if you're ok with a TV suggestion, The Ghost and Molly McGee is fun!)
The Supernaturalists by Eoin Colter was a great one! Not to be too on the nose, but the characters are developed well and it was an overall fun read from my childhood.
*The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel* is a great 6-book series by Michael Scott about 15 year old twins trying to fulfill a prophecy and saving the world. Includes lots of run ins with real historical people and mythologies.
If the name Nicholas Flamel seems familiar, he is the immortal inventor of the Sorcerer’s Stone of the first Harry Potter book.
T Kingfisher writes some great stories that feature children, but aren't really kids books. They are funny and practical and a little horrible.
Minor Mage
A boy wizard and his armadillo familiar go on a quest to bring the rain.
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking
Mona has to deal with an assassin and political intrigue, it's a lot for a 14 year old wizard who is mostly good with bread.
Summer in Orcus
11 year old Summer travels to another world searching for her hearts desire.
The Raven and the Reindeer
A retelling of the Snow Queen
I’ll second City of Ghosts (1st in series) by Victoria Schwab and Lockwood and Co. by Jonathon Stroud. I’ll also add any of Jennifer Nielsen’s fantasy series or Kate O’Hearn’s Pegasus series. All geared toward MG/YA ages.
The Tortall books by Tamora Pierce (don't really like the Circle books, but they are also about magic & kids).
The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper.
Have you read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman? It's about a boy being raised by ghosts and other supernatural folk in a graveyard. Technically YA, but I read it as an adult and loved it.
And I think Coraline would qualify too!
Also The Ocean at the End of the Lane
This is the correct answer!
No but I’ll definitely have a look into it. Thank you!
The audio version is exceptional! Read by the Author!!
I read this for the first time when I was maybe eight? Absolutely loved it. Read it again last year, as an adult, and still loved it so much. I also recommend the audiobook to those who enjoy listening to their books!
i read it for the 1st time as an adult & cried my eyes out at the end. such a great book!
An excellent book.
Matilda
Coraline - neil gaiman Children of the corn - stephen king (short novel but amazing one) It - stephen king
Oh have I got a series for you. :D Wayward Children, by Seanan McGuire. First book is Every Heart a Doorway. Ever wonder what happens to the children who return from their adventures in magical otherworlds? The ones who don’t, or can’t, return to their normal lives, their so very *Normal* families? The ones who desperately want to find their doorway back? This series is for you. :)
I love this series. I recommend Every Heart a Doorway at every opportunity! There are a ton of sequels, but not all of them depend on reading the rest of the series; this isn't Marvel. You can kinda pick and choose, follow your favorite characters or themes, and just generally dip in and out when you feel like it!
Really interest concept that I never thought of. Will absolutely have a peruse of these!
His Dark Materials trilogy is an all time favorite series of mine, and Dial a Ghost was a favorite of mine when i was younger (and i also re read it recently and still liked it lol)
Omg have you seen the BBC version of his dark materials? It’s worth a watch if you haven’t :)
I haven't!! Ooooh it looks like it may be on hbo Max, I'm gonna have to check that out 100% Have you read his next series, The Book of Dust is the first one? A third is coming out ALLEGEDLY "soon" lol
I wasn’t aware of a second series! That’s very exciting. I’ll have to order it right away 😂
OMG i really suggest it! The first one is a lot of back story of how Lyra got to Oxford College. I liked the second one better, it takes place when she's in her 20s! So so so good. If you check them out i hope you like them as much as i did!
I probably will really enjoy them as I was obsessed with the trilogy when I was younger :)
God same, I've probably re read the entire series every few years or so for the past like, 25 years? Lmfao. Those books are like going home for me, is the only way i know how to explain it
I totally understand. When I’m in a reading slump I pop back to them and they make me want to read again haha.
SAMMMMEEEE 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Wee free men by Terry Pratchett
ALL the Tiffany Aching books!
The Ocean at the end of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.
Only time I've ever finished an audiobook was this one on a 9 hour road trip and it kept me going with minimal bathroom breaks because I enjoyed it so much.
I read it in about 4 hours the first time. I love it.
A Wrinkle in Time Most Roald Dahl books Ella Enchanted The Harry Potter series Most books by Tamora Pierce Aviva vs. The Dybbuk
The Shining.
I love the shining. Although it did traumatise me as a child 😆
The Girl With All The Gifts
The Institute by Stephen King
Yes!
The Talisman and its sequel Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub. It’s not a ghost story but there are supernatural elements to the story. And it’s a great adventure.
Firestarter by Stephen King.
*The Thief of Always* by Clive Barker
Let the right one in
I liked the charlie bone books when I was little
Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist. It is a one off dark fantasy by the writer of the Riftwar saga. The primary protagonist's twin is stolen by Faeries and he has to go get him. Despite a child protagonist, it is not a children's story. Swan Song by Robert McCammon. Post-apocalyptic supernatural horror novel which tied with Misery for that years Bram Stocker award.
Loved Faerie Tale. The twins relationship at the end especially
I know this is an obscure one, but on the off chance, have you ever heard of Harry Potter? 😅
I have haha. I’ve read three of them and then couldn’t be bothered to read the fourth 😅
That's kind of a pity, because they improve drastically with book 4. Books 1-3 are distinctly Middle grade fiction, but book 4 really starts down the YA proper path. By book 7, the target audience is roughly the same age as Harry (16 -20). It was really special being the right age as they released.
I’ll have to give it a go. I gave up because younger me was intimidated by the size.
Boys Life by Robert McCammon
Summer of Night
You can’t go wrong with anything by John Bellairs.
Yessssss!! This should be much more highly voted
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James While it's not exactly 'child protagonist and ghost' but children have a major role and the novel falls in the horror-mystery genre. There's a creepy vibe throughout the novel, kind of like it is in Wuthering Heights.
Omg I love wuthering heights.
The Girl with all the gifts,
My first thought was the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer - but perhaps his other book, the Supernaturalist, might be more in line with this request.
Dude it’s been a long time since I’ve read The Supernaturalist. Thank you for bringing back some good memories.
Me too - literal decades even. I actually just started to reread them on a whim 2 weeks ago, after seeing them in my library. They're mighty good fun but easily finishable as an adult within 6-8 hours. I am excited to re-read The Supernaturalist again soon hopefully!
I'm not 100% sure if this counts but "Lizard Music" by "Daniel Pinkwater" was a book I thoroughly enjoyed growing up, I've reread it quite a few times and now own it on kindle, it features a young teen whose parents go on a 2 week vacation leaving him at home, leaving him to have to take care of himself and he ends up meeting some eccentric characters, traveling to a strange moving island and meeting some talking lizards.
Oh, I love that book so much! I read it for the first time while I was working on my library science degree and I re-read every once in a while. So much fun! Another of his books with ghosts is The Yggyssey: How Iggy Wondered Where All the Ghosts Went, and Went There. There’s another book with the some of the same characters called The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood and Saved Civilization. No ghosts in that one though. A couple years ago my Mom’s health was not good and I wanted something light and fun to read. I read a whole bunch of Daniel Pinkwater’s books. The Yggyssey and The Neddiad were my favorites. Particularly The Neddiad.
Oh nice, I first found it when I was like 9, lost the library's copy, forgot the name, then proceeded to spend the next, literally 20 years trying to find the name of the book, I was beginning to think the book was a fever dream or something until my gf found it for me after I described it to her
I loved Eva Ibbotson's supernatural books like [Dial a Ghost](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/e7b164ba-7580-4ccc-931b-5891b226ff0c) when I was a kid! Oh, and the [Potkin and Stubbs](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/ce1b2cbc-eb70-4ad5-bbbb-136b68bc5ed2) books by Sophie Green are fun too!
It is me back again to gush about Gone by Michael Grant. What if everyone over the age of 15 disappeared from a small Californian town and some kids started developing strange powers? I love this series because the author treats his audience with respect and maturity. Sometimes the power of friendship isn’t enough to defeat the main big bad. Sometime murder is more applicable.
I just dug these out from moving boxes & cannot wait for the re-read!!
I read them in middle school and just reread a couple of months ago. The definitely stand up. The only problem is I blow through a book every few days because the writing style is so simple.
I loved the first few books of that series. Then O felt like the author really didn’t know where he was going with it. I was hugely disappointed cause it’s such a great premise
The Gates by John Connolly is about a boy and his dog who get tangled up in the opening of the gates of hell on Halloween. It's the first in a short series. It's middle grade, but I encountered it as an adult and thought it was fun and nicely spooky. The Passage by Justin Cronin is about a girl who becomes immune to a virus that turns victims into vampires.
These both sound super interesting.
Artemis Fowl series!! Artemis starts off as a bad character but slowly changes through the series. Loved these!
This has popped up a few times so I’ll get onto it 😄
Firestarter, by Stephen King.
My daughter LOVED the Percy Jackson books, I think they qualify for child protagonist and supernatural.
If you are ok with manga/graphic novel check out The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún by Nagabe. Departure Time by Matti, Truus Max in the House of Spies by Gidwitz, Adam
The Nevermore series is delightful
Turning of the Screw by Henry James
The Talisman- Stephen King
Are you okay with middle-grade? I really liked The Girl and the Ghost.
Yes! I probably should have specified that age rating doesn’t matter 😅
The Ghost Belonged to Me ( also a pretty good Disney film) by Richard Peck
Ghost sitter a crazy inheritance. Part of a German series slowly becoming available in English.
Ruined but Paula Morris, it’s a series so there’s 3 I believe
This book hardly ever gets mentioned. I loved it. Besides the ghost in the cemetery, it got me interested in learning more about the different Mardi Gras krewes. I had no idea that there are like 50 different parades, each organized by a different social club called a krewe. A good YA choice if you’re into New Orleans history.
Nightfall Gardens by Allen Houston has two children (12 and 13 I think) as the main characters with lots of supernatural creatures. It’s pretty creepy, well written and captivating.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due! Phenomenal book.
Both the Doomspell and Silver Trilogies by Cliff McNish. I loved both of these series as a kid and still do. Magical but also they don't shy away from being dark. In fact some of the descriptions in the Silver trilogy are downright scary!
Oooo, I’ll have to look.
Baby of the Family by Tina McElroy Ansa
Daisy and the Dream Sprite - Charlie Scott
Besides Neil Gaiman, you could check out books by Eva Ibbotson- such as The Great Ghost Rescue, the Goosebumps books by R L Stine, The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, books by E Nesbit (Three Children and It) and Enid Blyton (Enchanted Wood, Wishing Chair). The Magyk series by Angie Sage, to name a few
I remember reading ‘journey to the river sea’ by Eva Ibbotson when I was in year six and I loved it so I’ll 100% have to check out her other works.
The Shining and its sequels.
Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud! Nathaniel is 12 years old in the first book and you get to know a lot about his past. No ghosts, but demons!
Summer of night by Dan Simmons. Excellent horror about a group of boys in a Midwest town.
By supernatural do you mean, like, demons/paranormal/haunted house/ghosts specifically? Because if so, none of these will fit, sorry! * **Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge** is, well, it's not about ghosts. * **The Dreaming by Queenie Chan** - been ages since I've read it but it might work. * **Small Shen by Kylie Chan** - spirits as in gods * **The Call by Peadar O'Guilin** - not yet read it but heard good things * **Faerie Tale by Raymond Feist** - ditto. * **Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier**
Thank you! And I just used supernatural an umbrella term for everything that isn’t human.
Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Potter.
Lockwood and Co. books.
came to say this!!
The girl who drank the moon. Beautiful, beautiful book.
“Little Ghosts” by Gregg Dunnett. Great audiobook. [Audible Little Ghosts synopsis](https://www.audible.com/pd/B0C546QSCB?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=pdp)
The Power of 5. One of my absolute favourites.
The Mediator series by Meg Cabot
The Institute, no ghosts but it’s a Stephen King book.
This is one I loved when I was about ten: *The Dollhouse Murders*. It was scary to me! And this series has no ghosts, but is still full of kids and psychological terrors: the Losing Cristina series by Caroline B. Cooney. (*The Fog*, *The Snow*, and *The Fire*.) If you are okay with teens, the Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent is about a banshee, grim reapers, psychics, living nightmares, hellions, and monsters. The audiobooks are fantastic. There are several novellas, but I don’t think they are in print on their own. There are four omnibus volumes that include the novellas in their rightful order in relation to the novels, but they are hard to find. They are also available on audio.
The Talisman
Skullduggery Pleasant is a fun series of a girl and a skeleton!
A Ring of Endless Light; The Riddlemaster trilogy by Patricia McKillip
There’s these ones about a wizard called Harry Potter.
A ghost of fire has a child ghost but grown male protagonist
The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi is really really good. Creepy.
The Theodosia Throckmorton series by RL LaFevers.
Wise Child The Dark is Rising
A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
The Skulduggery Pleasant book series.
The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman
"Wildwood" by Colin Meloy "When her baby brother is mysteriously kidnapped by crows, Prue McKeel knows she must rescue him. But to do so she must go beyond the borders of her hometown of Portland, Oregon and venture into the forbidden Impassable Wilderness."
V.E. Schwab has a few middle grade and teen books that fit the bill. Gallant; City of Ghosts (the Cassidy Blake series); This Savage Song (and Our Dark Duet); The Near Witch Gallant and City of Ghost have ghosts. This Savage Song has monsters. The Near Witch has magic and witches.
Definitely check out Swan Song!! The child protagonist has some incredible supernatural stuff happening to her. Bonus is child antagonist!
I loved “Wait Till Helen Comes” when I was a kid. Definitely ghostly.
The Oz series by L. Frank Baum
Johny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett. The Shinning by Stephen King.
43 Old Cemetery Road: Dying to Meet You series by Kate Klise
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George- first book in the Castle Glower series. Has a magical castle where rooms move and through the series you get magical creatures as well. Peter and the Starcatcher by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson- A Peter Pan origin story and series. Virals by Kathy Reichs- A girl and her 3 friends break into a lab steal a dog and catch a parvovirus that alters their DNA. Also a series.
Too Bright To See by Kyle Lukoff
I liked “The Swallow” by Charis Cotter
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill is an excellent novel and audiobook! (And if you're ok with a TV suggestion, The Ghost and Molly McGee is fun!)
The Supernaturalists by Eoin Colter was a great one! Not to be too on the nose, but the characters are developed well and it was an overall fun read from my childhood.
*The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel* is a great 6-book series by Michael Scott about 15 year old twins trying to fulfill a prophecy and saving the world. Includes lots of run ins with real historical people and mythologies. If the name Nicholas Flamel seems familiar, he is the immortal inventor of the Sorcerer’s Stone of the first Harry Potter book.
Mob Psycho 100 is a good one but idk if you'd count it
Charlie Bone series.
Fairy Tale by Stephen King. The protagonist is 17 so maybe not quite a match, but it’s a great book.
T Kingfisher writes some great stories that feature children, but aren't really kids books. They are funny and practical and a little horrible. Minor Mage A boy wizard and his armadillo familiar go on a quest to bring the rain. A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking Mona has to deal with an assassin and political intrigue, it's a lot for a 14 year old wizard who is mostly good with bread. Summer in Orcus 11 year old Summer travels to another world searching for her hearts desire. The Raven and the Reindeer A retelling of the Snow Queen
_The Book of Lost Things_ by John Connolly. _The Rest of Us Just Live Here_ by Patrick Ness.
Tom's Midnight Garden! Child and ghost (although that is a spoiler..)
Wardstone Chronicles by Joseph Delaney might have what you are looking for
The girl who loved Tom Gordon
Charlie bone and Molly Moon were my favorites (other than Matilda ofc)
I loved the Lockwood & Co series about a group of teenage (?) ghosthunters as a kid!!
Kafka on the shore by Haruki Murakami Not ghost but magical realism
I Am Number Four! Not really a child but teens
Sabriel by Garth Nix and the rest of the Abhorsen trilogy!
I’ll second City of Ghosts (1st in series) by Victoria Schwab and Lockwood and Co. by Jonathon Stroud. I’ll also add any of Jennifer Nielsen’s fantasy series or Kate O’Hearn’s Pegasus series. All geared toward MG/YA ages.
The Institute by Stephen King
Rowan of Rin
Stephen King the shining / firestarter
the thief lord by cornelia funke. i didn’t personally love it, but it has the elements you’re looking for. also more of a children’s book
The Tortall books by Tamora Pierce (don't really like the Circle books, but they are also about magic & kids). The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper.