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Golden and Grey (An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost) by Louise Arnold
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Are you ready for a ghost story? Okay, well, are
you ready for something really scary? Here it is: the next J. K. Rowling. [Cue
thunder]
In this world of Harry Pottermania, the BBC in all its fusty wisdom decided to hold a contest in 2003 to suss out Britain’s budding children’s authors. Once the on-line votes were tallied and the little digital chads all in a row, Louise Arnold, a drama graduate and sometime stand-up comic from Canterbury was the winner. Two years on, her book Golden and Grey (titled Invisible Friend here in the U.K.) is newly published and haunting a bookstore near you. [Cue rabid applause] The book has some familiar elements for Potter fans: it’s a school story, there’s a lonely young boy, and there are, of course, ghosts. But there’s much that’s delightfully unique about it, as well. First of all, Arnold’s ghosts aren’t inherently spooky creatures; they have to work at it like the rest of us. They’re not the leftovers of living folks but instead their own brand of curious creatures. Secondly, these ghosts aren’t simply one-size-fits-all when it comes to tasks. No, there are actually scads of different kinds of ghosts, from those who haunt cinemas that screen sad movies in order to sup on human tears to the baneful minor poltergeist called Paperwork. [Cue booing] The story kicks off when Grey Arthur, an out-of-sorts young ghost who’s a little smudged around the edges goes looking for some direction in his life (afterlife? no. half-life? unlife? whatever.) He finds himself drawn to a kindred spirit in the form of eleven-year-old Tom Golden, the target of many cold shoulders and hot-headed bullying at school. Outcast boy meets misfit ghost [cue friendship], odd happenings creep up at school, and things wind up in a pickle. The book is genuinely funny, mixing clever ideas with silly pseudo-British names to good effect (one bully’s name is Little Ben). It also boasts a tense plot (what will become of Tom?!) and tackles the sadly not-imaginary problems of bullying and childhood loneliness. If you or your rug-rats have enjoyed Rowling – or books by the likes of Cornelia Funke or Lemony Snicket – I’d wager a butterbeer that you’ll enjoy taking a spook at Louise Arnold. Golden and Grey is recommended for children in grades 3 to 7. And to bullies being held in detention, to teach them a thing or two.
Review by Mark Bradshaw, July 15, 2005 You can read the first chapter of Golden and Grey on the BBC Web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3039436.stm
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