The Lost Notes of the Soul Spinners

The Lost Notes of the Soul Spinners by Reece Carter. Allen & Unwin 2025. Paperback MG novel, 337 pages. RRP $18.99. ISBN 9781761066801.

Reviewed by Debra Williams

From the author of A Girl Called Corpse and The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright comes the third and final book involving ghosts, Girl and Corpse, their human friends Flip and Nan Little, a giant Huntsman spider called Simon, and an assortment of ghoulish and otherworldly and magical friends and foes.

When a ghost-eating wraith appears in the forgotten seaside town of Elston-Fright searching for the magical lost Notes of the Soul Spinners, it’s enough to make any kid ghost a bit nervous. Faye de Corail may have the townsfolk under her spell, but Girl, Corpse and their friends are determined to stay out of her way. After old foes resurface and a child is snatched, Girl and Corpse begin to piece together a sinister plan that not only threatens the lives of their friends, families and the people of Elston-Fright, it may send them all to Death Proper too. 

The two ghosts must track down the notes to prevent Faye from being granted an evil wish. With a tightly woven and involved plot, the reader is taken on a journey that has much mystery in the background, especially regarding Corpse and Girl’s real-life identities before becoming ghosts. There is a surprise twist as the notes are revealed as something quite different to paper notes, which was what everybody thought they were looking for.

This novel is aimed at confident readers aged 8-12 years.