If you like Harry Potter, Skulduggery, Neil Gaiman, etc.you will love The Ministry of Pandemonium series. This is No 2.
Ben and his friend Becky have a gift that helps them work for Mr October in the Ministry. It is their job to help the departed souls journey into the Afterlife. They also try to get to a dead person as soon as possible so that the Lords of Sundown don't steal the soul and take it to the underworld. As Becky and Ben are still in school, they only work for a few hours each evening, but Ben's gift is developing and it is going to be very powerful and this has made him a target for the evil Lords. The first thing that happens is Becky's house is destroyed by a tornado, the second ( and more sinister) is his mother falling for a guy on holidays who isn't the nice rich entrepreneur that she thinks he is - he's something far more sinister...
With quirky characters (Mr October can change persona to match his mood - nice old man one minute, angry pirate the next) and the quintessential good versus evil wrestling for bewildered souls after death, fantasy readers from Grade 5 upwards will be enthralled.
The part about the Whisperer turning everyone in school ( even the teachers) against Ben and Becky is particularly good. ( )