Golden & Grey (An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost) (Golden and Grey) (Hardcover)

by Louise Arnold (Author)
Key Phrases: invisible friend, ghost friend, locker key, Grey Arthur, Woeful William, Freak Boy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-7 -A friendless 11-year-old who gets picked on at school meets a ghost without a job. When Grey Arthur decides to become Tom's "Invisible Friend," things change for both of them. For some unexplained reason, the boy can suddenly see all kinds of ghosts and meets quite a few. In the novel's most amusing moments, Arthur describes the assorted ghost types to his new friend. These include Sadness Summoners, Faintly Reals, and several varieties of Poltergeists including Paperwork and Sock Harvesting specialists. When a con man posing as a psychiatrist kidnaps Tom, several of his supernatural friends join forces in the rescue effort. The intersection of ghosts and humans offers some funny moments, but the plot seems contrived as it veers from school problems to kidnapping. Tom is essentially a dull character; he whines frequently, and reacts to events but shows little individual personality. His total trust in the con man stretches credulity, and his parents come off as equally dense in that episode. The villain also veers out of character, foolishly trying to help a cat down from a tree in the midst of his grand evil scheme. Arthur is more fun, but the friendship between ghost and boy is not especially compelling. The inventive world of spirits portrayed here is the humorous draw, but an inconsistent plot and undeveloped characters prevent this from being a top choice in the ghostly humor field.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Gr. 4-6. Misfit ghost Grey Arthur and 11-year-old Tom Golden (a frequent scapegoat of bullies at his new school) share the belief that life is unfair, which somehow magically bonds them together. Arthur becomes Golden's "invisible friend," and Tom develops the ability to see ghosts--which contributes to their friendship but causes problems when some Screamers and a Sadness Summoner frighten Tom. The Goldens consult a child psychiatrist to make things right; unfortunately, the charlatan just wants to use Arthur to win the lottery. Arnold's debut novel gets off to a slow start, but children who stick with the story will be rewarded by a rousing finale that serves up just deserts and involves the efforts of the entire ghostly community. The characters are multidimensional, and Arnold's alternate reality is well thought out: her ghosts are individuals who train for a variety of jobs--among them, poltergeist and chain rattler. Briticisms abound, but that won't deter anyone who has read Harry Potter. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (June 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689874731
• ISBN-13: 978-0689874734
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,391,655 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Out of Body Friendship , July 12, 2005

By	Elinor Teele - See all my reviews

3 and ½ stars. Louise Arnold's Golden and Grey finds its way to being a rollicking read after an leisurely stroll through exposition. Tom Golden is a boy being relentlessly bullied at his new school. His despair is so great that he comes to the attention of an innocuous young ghost named Grey Arthur, who is searching for his ghostly role in life. Grey Arthur becomes Golden's Invisible Friend and guardian, and eventually introduces Tom to the rest of the ghostly universe. When Tom's ability to see ghosts is taken advantage of, it is up to Arthur and his ghosts to save the day.

Avoiding Potter syndrome when you write a book dealing with ghosts is practically impossible. Arnold has stamped her impression on the nature of ghosts (they don't say "ooooo", they're not dead people, etc.), but she does include a ghostly newspaper (the Daily Tell-Tale), phantoms that suck in light, and a boy who is able to see spirits. Though perhaps unconsciously derivative, the force of Arnold's imagination is able to suppress most parallels in readers' minds.

The warmth of the story comes in the relationship between the two boys, and Arnold's descriptions of bullying and isolation. Tom seems destined to make a fool of himself, which Arnold knows means social death in schoolroom politics. She is also particularly astute on certain small details, like Tom's mother's disgusting leftovers, his father's experimental socks, and the repetitive routine of mornings before school. A stray cliché now and again ("cold fear" and things reaching out like "greedy hands") could have been edited out.

Golden and Grey's pace picks up measurably as the ghosts band together to use their talents against Tom's enemy. The "bad guy" is frighteningly real in a modern context, as is the reaction of Tom's parents to his situation. Descriptions of Tom's plight will have both generations of readers feeling taut inside. This kind of dramatic pull is hard to create, and Arnold deserves credit for achieving it. I look forward to reading her next book, which can hopefully avoid the problems of comparisons with Potter.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Utterly charming!, July 6, 2005

By	John W. Mccarthy - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Louise Arnold's first book is a delightful, charming story. Her main characters are adorable, without ever resorting to cutesy-ness. Comparisons to Harry Potter are inevitable, given that Ms. Arnold previewed this story in an "Are You The Next J.K Rowling?" contest, but this story is completely original and stands firmly on its own two feet.

And now I finally know where all those lost socks went!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantasy for the Ages, August 4, 2005

By	Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Eleven-year-old Tom Golden couldn't be more dissatisfied with his new surroundings. He doesn't fit in with his new classmates, and, due to this difference, he is beaten up almost everyday by various class bullies, both physically and mentally, leaving him drained and friendless by the time that he arrives home from school everyday. Grey Arthur, a ghost, is looking for a ghostly position that will suit his needs, but can't seem to succeed in anything he does, simply because he is too kind. That is, until Tom comes along. Tom gives Grey the idea he needs for the perfect job. Grey decides to be an Invisible Friend. He immediately takes the position at Tom's side, keeping bullies from attacking him, or leaving vicious notes on his back or backpack, but the work leaves Grey hopeless, for Tom can't see him. That is, until a freak accident renders Tom the only human in all the world to be able to see ghosts as real people, and all that changes.

I must admit that usually, after I read one of J.K. Rowling's novels - which I just did, HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, to be exact - that I have a hard time getting deeply involved with any future novels for a good month. However, when I picked up Louise Arnold's GOLDEN & GREY, the notion was quickly swept from my mind. GOLDEN & GREY is a remarkable first novel by a wonderful new writer. Arnold's quick, lyrical writing, bring the story and its characters to life, and truly make the reader feel as if he/she were right there alongside Tom and Grey as they meet up with various ghostly species, and get into all sorts of trouble and mischief. A marvelous book that will bring a smile to the faces of the HARRY POTTER crowd.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper