Golden & Grey: The Nightmares That Ghosts Have [Paperback]

Louise Arnold (Author)

Book Description

Series: Golden & Grey

When you have a ghost as your friend, like Tom Golden does, you quickly learn the benefits. Grey Arthur supplies Tom with pens in class, grabs Tom's lunch when he forgets it, and generally helps him out as any best friend would. It's just that, in this case, no one else can see Grey.

But right as Tom is settling into a comfortable routine, his life is once again turned on its ear when Grey Arthur starts a school for Invisible Friends in Tom's house. Ghosts are crowding into Tom's room and setting up camp in his attic with hopes of learning the art of the newest job in the ghost world. Meanwhile, other ghosts are mysteriously disappearing, and the repercussions are felt throughout the human world, even by Tom's parents. There are sinister forces at play, and it's up to Tom and Grey to figure out what's going on.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–Fans of 11-year-old Tom Golden and his Invisible Friend, ghost Grey Arthur, will thoroughly enjoy this sequel to Golden & Grey: An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost (S & S, 2005). For readers new to this pair, the author fills in the details, allowing careful readers to catch up. With their newfound celebrity, Tom and Grey are fairly bombarded by ghosts in all forms looking to become companions to human children in need of friends. Meanwhile, ghosts the world over are disappearing at the hands of the legendary Collector. Although a few notes sound reminiscent of a Harry Potter story (notably the references to spaces hidden between train station tracks), the ghostly elements and personalities are refreshingly original, funny, and endearing even in the face of danger.–Genevieve Gallagher, Murray Elementary School, Charlottesville, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In this delightful follow-up to Golden and Grey: An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost, 11-year-old Tom Golden discovers that his spirit-world fame has prompted his ghost friend, Grey Arthur, to start an Invisible Friends school for goth-ghost Mildred, poltergeist Tike, egotistical Thesper Montague, and a Harrowing Screamer. Things are chaotic but manageable until ghosts begin to disappear, which leads to a dangerous mission and the discovery that the mythic, scary ghostworld character called the Collector is real. Arnold's engaging story, laced with sly wit and whimsy, brings ghost and human worlds together, with abundant, inventive details and diverse characters that interact and influence one another in often unexpected ways. Tom is an appealing protagonist who faces magical and mundane challenges while keeping his ghost-seeing ability and his spectral cohorts a secret. Full of high jinks and heart and not too scary, this will appeal to fans of Eva Ibbotson. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (October 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689875878
• ISBN-13: 978-0689875878
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,620,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Golden & Grey (An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost) actually evolved from a story I wrote when I was in junior school for a writing competition. It involved a mildly inept ghost called Boo, and his inability to be scary. Fifteen years later, nudged on by a BBC online competition, I dug the story out from the murky recesses of my memory, and ran at it again. The opening paragraph I concocted won, and from there I was contacted by an agent, introduced to a publisher, and my feet haven't really hit the ground since.

I'm currently working on a third book, and for those that are curious, the repetitive life cycle of an author is this:

Stage One: Surround yourself with pens and notebooks, daydream a lot.
Stage Two: Surround yourself with cups of tea, pages of notes, and type it all up.
Stage Three: Surround yourself with highlighter pens and post-it notes, and edit the work.
Stage Four: Go back to Stage One.

So I'm firmly entrenched in Stage One again, leaving a trail of ink stains and doodles in my wake.

I live in Canterbury with my partner Kieran, and our cat, Squeek. When I'm not writing, chances are I'm either watching Neighbours, ordering my cat down from the tree opposite my house, going to car boot sales, or watching a live band down my local pub.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good., September 30, 2010

By 

Ulyyf "Connie" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golden & Grey: The Nightmares That Ghosts Have (Paperback)

Tom Golden's life gets a little more complicated when his friend starts operating a school for invisible friends in their home. That would be bad enough, except that ghosts are disappearing, and we think they're being stolen, and it's really not good.

This one is a little more serious than the first - among other things, the bad guy is better integrated into the story. (And let me tell you, he is scary. Not scary in and of himself - as they tell Tom before going for the major confrontation, he can't REALLY hurt humans - but scary in how he thinks and acts. That little speech he gives Tom? Chills and shivers.)

I will say that one thing doesn't add up - and this is a SPOILER, so be aware! We know by the end of the book how to defeat the villain, and it's something simple. All (or at least many) of the ghosts in England are holed up at Tom's house for safety and companionship... of course, if the Collector finds them, it's REALLY all over. And this is a BIG target for him if he should find out about them!

Instead of sending Tom and a small crew of ghosts out to get the Collector, why not arm all the ghosts with their secret weapon and lure him over to Tom's house? Wouldn't that have been more efficient and a lot safer for the ghosts? Why not at least TELL them how to deal with this guy so that they wouldn't be so scared in the meantime?

Well, obviously that solution would've lacked a certain panache, and for storytelling reasons this one makes more sense, but the characters don't know that!

That's my only big issue with the book, and it's not that big, so... yeah. I recommend this for any child old enough to not be too freaked out by how horrible Tom's school is.

5.0 out of 5 stars A very fun book to read!, January 6, 2010

By 

T. Davis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Golden & Grey: The Nightmares That Ghosts Have (Paperback)

I absolutely love this series! I just finished reading them all for the second time. This one was very suspenseful but the author has a way of lightening up scary, tense moments with humor.

5.0 out of 5 stars Golden and Grey, June 27, 2009

By 

Sonja West - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Golden & Grey: The Nightmares That Ghosts Have (Golden and Grey) (Hardcover)

My daughter has already read the book through at least three times. The item was in excellent condition and the transaction went well.