Golden & Grey: An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost

Invisible Friend #1

by Louise Arnold

Tom Golden is a boy who doesn't fit in.

Grey Arthur is a ghost who can't figure out where he belongs. When a trick of fate creates an instant connection between them, Grey Arthur discovers what he is meant to be: Tom's invisible friend!

It seems like such a good idea -- Grey Arthur can make sure Tom always has his homework in class and protect him from bullies, and Tom never has to know. But when an accident gives Tom the ability to see and communicate with the ghost world, chaos breaks loose. Now everyone wants a piece of Tom, and Grey Arthur is the only one who can help him!

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Ghosts, Fiction, Paranormal, Childrens, Young Adult

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 28, 2005

About the author

Ever since I was a child, I’d dreamed of becoming an author. It was the wish I would always make on the first star of the night, or when blowing out of the birthday cake candles. I kept stacks of notebooks, filled to over flowing with poetry, stories, ideas and doodles, hoping that one day they would make it into print. The first book published, The Invisible Friend, is actually loosely based on a book I wrote when I was 10 for a school competition - a book about a ghost called Boo! who wasn’t very good at being scary, and how he made friends with two girls. Fourteen years later, for another competition (the BBC’s ‘Are You The Next JK Rowling?’) I dusted off that old idea of a lost ghost, and that was how The Invisible Friend came to exist. Funny how things work out, isn’t it?

What else? I’m a chronic daydreamer (something my friends always laugh about), I love cats, I’m a tad messy and a bit of a hoarder, I adore visiting castles, I’m afraid of wasps, I sometimes sleep walk when I’m stressed, and I’m a complete car boot sale addict, always trying to pick up strange new objects that could crop up in my books.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. It had its moments. And it had lots of weaknesses. The following quotation is representative of the book as a whole:

"Mum... desperately looked like she wanted to spit on a tissue and clean Tom to within an inch of his life."

Erm. Nice insight but: should be "looked desperately," and "to within" is very awkward and "an inch of his life" is inappropriate when Mum is expressing love and concern, and is a cliche to boot.

Also, I got peeved when we're informed that we learn about stalactites from geographers, rather than from geologists. And I'm tired of bad guys and bullies that are so unremittingly, boringly, just plain bad.

Otoh, I do like the idea that the ghostly world is spread upon the Real world like butter on toast, and that cats can move between the two. And Tom's feelings as he copes with these adventures feel authentic and make me enjoy getting to know him. And I want a proper British 'cheese and onion' sandwich.

I might just read the next in the series, because there is potential here, and since Arnold's debut got sold, maybe she could afford (or be assigned?) a professional editor for her second(? I don't know how publishing works, ok.)

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Golden, a lonely boy who is bullied and labeled a freak by Big Ben mutters to himself, "Life isn't fair" at the exact moment that Grey Arthur a timid, lonely ghost distraught over never fitting in says the exact same words to himself. The human and ghostly worlds collide at that moment and Golden & Grey can see each other and they become friends. Arthur takes on the role of Tom's "invisible friend" and tries (as hard as he can) to make Tom's life more bearable.

As time goes on, Tom's friendship with Arthur causes some oddities at home and school. He appears to be talking to himself (when he is really talking to Arthur), cries a lot, and brings Tom's parents to call in a renowned child psychologist, Dr. Brown to help him. Dr. Brown is fascinated with Tom's insistence that he can see and talk to ghosts. He asks Tom to have Arthur prove that he is 'real'. What Tom and Arthur don't know, though, is that Dr. Brown is a fraud and only wants Arthur to perform illegal activities that will make him rich.

When Dr. Brown kidnaps Tom to force Arthur to aid him in his dastardly deed, all manners of ghosts from poltergeists to faintly reals and sadness summoners to chain rattlers come to help rescue Tom and in turn, Arthur. Golden & Grey is a slightly scary, but mostly heartwarming story of ghosts and humans and the friendship between one lonely little boy and one disillusioned ghost. An adorable ghost story that isn't too scary for the younger set.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghosts are NOT nor have they ever been humans. At least, according to Grey Arthur, the ghost who befriends the recently-moved-with-no-friends, Tom Golden. Humans can no longer see ghosts, so it makes all of their jobs harder. In fact, Arthur has tried all sorts of ghost callings: Sadness summoner, Poltergeist, Faintly Real, etc. He has failed miserably at them all, until he stumbled upon his true calling: Invisible Friend to Tom Golden! Arthur remains invisible until something happens to make Tom able to see ALL ghosts. Now attention-starved ghosts everywhere (and the villian who would use Tom's unique ability)come calling. Great new series from Great Britain.

[Filippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was something I just stumbled upon, it was actually given to my little brother. He read it first but then I read it and it was great. It's a funny, remarkable book because of its story, a boy that gets a guardian ghost, which he can't see, but then gets hit by a car and can. Fantastic!

[Willemijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story about ghosts, humans and friendship. I thought that the plot was very creative. The characters were also extremely lovable (except for that one dude but you'll find once you read it). It's funny, it has tension and most important of all it has heart.

Even though it one of the simpler books that I've read, the world building was very good. There are some brilliant explanations given for the things we truly struggle with as a human being. Such as: losing socks, important papers and pens. But also feeling incredibly sad or scared for no apparent reason. Why does this happen you ask? Spoiler alert, ghosts.

So, if you're up for a story that makes you laugh go read this one!

[Christina Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on the recommendation of a pupil in my class who read it and loved it! The Ghost World is spread over the real world, like butter over toast, but humans can't usually see Ghost's because they have decided that they don't exist. A creative and fun story, perfect for aged 8 and upwards. My only reservation was that the bullying is awful, unchallenged and quite serious - would like to think, as a teacher, that there's no way that this could happen in a school today!
3.5 stars.

[Aria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

My problem was how unrealistic and unfair the way bullying and adults were handled, I think it’d leave a bad impression on kids.
Other than that it was a fun, unique concept and a fun story.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

usually not a fan of ghost books but this was not a horror book. it was actually quite good.

[Poppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Cuti-CLUE-les · Rating 3 out of 5]

It dragged a lot in the middle but I really liked the end.

[Alicia Vázquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is very inspiring and you get the story very fast. It helped me a lot to improve my german and I love the end.I just want to read the second part!!

[Corpelius · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Asia Polk · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book love it!!!

[Asiaa Polk · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this book!!! i want the second one as well!!

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not like the violence in the end. All else in the book was likeable for me.

[scorpy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[Sai Cart · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE amount of feelings I felt while reading this book.

The world building and the ghost characters are all so incredibly well written.
Cannot recommend this series enough.

[Adam Patla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

Cute read for young audiences!

[Summer Matthias Herondale · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Katharine Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Some ghosts are all lightning and fierce eyes, chains rattling and dramatic wailing." Author Louise Arnold has written a delightful story of two lonely boys, human Tom Golden and ghost Grey Arthur. Tom is once again starting at a new school and not fitting in, "...those long, lonely lunches were the most miserable times of all." Over hundreds of years Arthur has failed miserably at becoming a Poltergeist, a Sadness Summoner, and a Faintly Real, and finally invents his own position, that of Invisible Friend, when he hears despairing thoughts emanating from Tom.

"Tom and Arthur stepped through the gates and into the world of the school beyond." Middle grade readers should relate to or at least recognize some of the painful school situations that Tom endures and Arthur tries to deflect. "Bullying is contagious in that way sometimes..." Arnold does not shy away from portraying unpleasantness when Tom has to get by a group of boys, "...a choir of spitting and swearing and aggression..." There's also a fun ghostly side plot that helps make this book a strong candidate for a classroom read-aloud.

Two favorite characters were Essay Dave, a paperwork poltergeist, who is the keeper of all those papers you just had a minute ago, and The Bug, one of a network of tiny ghosts who report juicy items for the ghost newspaper. It was good to find that "There was no magical happily ever after.." when the exciting ghost action wrapped up - compromises are sometimes necessary in life. I really enjoyed this ghost story with an edge and look forward to the further adventures of Golden & Grey in the second and third books in the series.

[Alyisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhere between 3 & 4 stars. I read it with a Children's Book Club (Grades 3-5) and almost all of them loved it. Most of them did think that the scary parts were scary - but not overly so (with the exception of one child). There were spots where I laughed, spots where I was deeply worried for the protagonist's safety, and spots where I got the warm & fuzzies. The writing was spot-on (though perhaps too slow & figurative in some places for kids - for adults, the writing enhances the text). I loved all of the different classifications and descriptions of ghosts: Screamers, Chain Rattlers, Sadness Summoners, Poltergeists, Faintly Reals, Thespers, etc. etc. I also thought the author's explanation of what ghosts are (atypically, not spirits who have passed and are hanging around due to unfinished business)was interesting. If you're looking to see if the book's appropriate for your child, just be aware that there are a few things that you might not be pumped on: the word "sucks," and some references to smoking & drinking. There's a kidnapping scene that creates A LOT of anxiety and tension. Normally, I wouldn't be worried about these things but when choosing books that I know parents might be reading ALONG with their kids (and being aware that they might complain), it gives me pause. Thankfully, no one was upset about any of the content (or at least, they didn't vocalize any concerns) and the kids didn't seem phased by any of it. I really liked it and will think about reading more in the series.

[Lisa the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is inventive. Grey Arthur is a ghost that doesn't really fit in with the other ghosts. He has tried several different ghost "professions" all without much success. He finally decides to be an "invisible friend" which is not a previously known ghostly occupation.

Arthur decides to be the invisible friend to Tom. A young human who has recently moved to a new home and school where he is singled out as "that kid", you know the one who gets picked on. Tom is labled "Freak Boy" and tormented. This is where Arthur comes to the rescue. He does simple tasks like removing kick me signs from Tom's back and grabbing the forgotten lunch and tucking it into Tom's backpack.

With Arthur literally watching his back Tom's life just got a lot easier, until he is trying to escape a pack of bullies and is hit by a car. When he wakes up the next day in the hospital he can see Arthur and all the other ghosts around.

The concept of what a ghost is in this book is different from any other notion of ghosts. It is inventive and a fun story. Just don't expect it to be "scary" just because there are ghosts in it.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, although I'm holding back on reading it with my nieces because the school presented is just so bleak - bullies everywhere, everything broken, everything bad, nothing good at all. And our poor hero is the one who gets the worst of it.

How you feel about this probably has a lot to do with how much your own school years sucked, but at any rate I think it's probably a bit better for somebody closer to 10 than to 7.

Depressingly brutal school aside, the ghost world is well-written, the plot mostly hangs together (well... okay, the plot in this book is the weakest of the three out so far, but once you accept an invisible ghost world and a boy who can see it after being conked on the head, a crazy psychologist who wants to use ghosts to win the lottery isn't too impossible, is it?), and it's largely just fun. Even the school isn't too bad, since you know that Tom has a friend looking out for him.

[Text Addict · Rating 3 out of 5]

A juvenile and one of the Nutmeg Award books that my son recently read (that’s our state’s reading-promotion program) and recommended to me. And it is in fact a fun book. Tom Golden is having trouble fitting in at his new school, and matters are not helped when, after being hit by a car, he can see ghosts. But even before that, he’d unknowingly had a lot of contact with ghosts, because Grey Arthur had decided to be his Invisible Friend. Difficulties and hijinks ensue, though Arthur does a pretty good job at his task. An interesting feature of this alternate reality is that while ghosts are real, they’re definitely not the spirits of deceased humans. There’s a sequel, which should be out since this one was published in 2005, and I plan to look it up.

[Gina Weibel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a charming little story about being friends, with just a dash of exciting plot, and many creative facts about the ghost world. My 8 year old and I both liked it.

The question I raised to him is if being a friend requires that the person you are friends with knows that you are being kind (or in this case, knows that you even exist). Is being a friend more about what you do for the other person, or what you get in return?

I liked the fact that in the end, the bully was still a bully. School was still tough. Tom Golden was not suddenly popular or handsome. But he found a way (with a little help) to be happy in his reality.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 1 out of 5]

What began as a fun read unwound into a disappointing lack luster story.

Tom Golden started a new school year harassed and ridiculed by nasty bullies. Grey Arnold has lived his long life as a ghost who, like Tom feels that life is just not fair.

Grey Arnold, so named because he is without purpose and finds life to be grey, becomes Tom's invisible friend and with the assistance of his other ghostly creatures helps Tom beat the bullies and become self assured.

Recently added to my tbr pile after a high recommendation by Nancy Pearl in Book Crush, this is cute, but lacks any substance and thus I cannot recommend it at all.

[Britany Bracewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an adorable children's book and I have adored it for a long time.

It is sweet and even though it's for young children I found it to be entertaining and heart-warming.

The story follows Tom Golden a boy who has trouble at school with bullies. However he meets this small little ghost who becomes his 'invisible friend' as the book suggests.

Then obviously something bad happens which I won't spoil and stuff goes down and they have to work with others to prevent this ' bad stuff' from happening.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it will always have a place in my heart.

Heart-warming, adorable and a light read.

[Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Golden and Grey is a long and suspensful book packed with adventure and confusion. Golden and Grey is a very interesting book for all ages. It’s main character is a young school boy named Tom Golden. Who is having a hard time at school because of the school’s well known bully named Big Ben. One night, on his way home from school, he begins to mumble to himself. He then gets the attention of a lonely ghost by the name of Grey Arthur. He is in desparate need of a friend.They both become parteners, and go on wonderes adventures, but will they truly become friends? Read Golden and Grey to find out.

[Camille Stanford · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lonely ghost who isn't very good at scaring people, or being mischecious, or making other people sad decides to become a lonely boy's
"invisible friend" and help him out at school. But when the boy gets hit by a car and can see ghosts, it makes him a target for ghosts and humans alike.
This was a cute book, with a great ending. My favorite character is Grey Arthur, the ghost who becomes an "invisible friend" though I also liked the other characters as well.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son and I both read this book yesterday and were equally pleased. The concept of a ghost becoming an unknowing human's invisible friend makes for a thoroughly enjoyable plot. The characters were well thought and the touch of suspense was perfect. My son's first question upon finishing, "Is there a sequel?" - yes, a good read.