Ghost Boy

by Iain Lawrence

Harold Kline is an albino -- an outcast. Folks stare and taunt, calling him Ghost Boy. It's been that way for all of his 14 years. So when the circus comes to town, Harold runs off to join it.Full of colorful performers, the circus seems like the answer to Harold's loneliness. He's eager to meet the Cannibal King, a sideshow attraction who's an albino, too. He's touched that Princess Minikin and the Fossil Man, two other sideshow curiosities, embrace him like a son. He's in love with Flip, the pretty and beguiling horse trainer, and awed by the all-knowing Gypsy Magda. Most of all, Harold is proud of training the elephants, and of earning respect and a sense of normalcy. Even at the circus, though, two groups exist -- the freaks, and everyone else. Harold straddles both groups. But fitting in comes at a price, and Harold must recognize the truth beneath what seems apparent before he can find a place to call home.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Coming Of Age, Adventure

340 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 10, 2000

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the close of World War II. Harold Kline is an albino and an outcast living with his mother, a disheartened widow, who's since remarried.

While she's trying to forget the husband and son she lost in the war, Harold misses his dead father and older loving brother who's been deemed MIA. Harold must now endure on his own the daily taunts of "Ghost" and "Maggot" and other names used by the normal people of his small home town of Liberty.

When a run-down circus comes to town, Harold seizes the chance to run away with the freaks from the traveling circus. There Harold gets some of the acceptance he's been craving. But, when he discovers a talent for working with the circus's aging elephants, he's torn between remaining among the freaks who initially accepted him or trying to "fit in" with the "normal" circus folk.

This book is an educational picture of a way of life that's now gone and at the same time a timeless tale of the lure of acceptance and belonging versus the pressure to "be normal" in order to fit in.

I recommend this book as an entertaining read and for presenting a unique look at a moral dilemma. The writing is well crafted and authentic feeling. The characters are genuinely likable and understandable and one can clearly see both sides of the "fitting in" question clearly and fairly. It's well worth the reading time, not only for those who (like me) enjoy "walking a mile in the other guy's moccasins" but for everyone.

[Nic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this one up because I recently wrote a story featuring a boy about this protagonist's age who also has albinism, and I was interested to see how the author handles it. (Incidentally, both this and the last book I read had "ghost" in the title without referring to an actual ghost.)

As far as how albinism was handled, I think I can best say, "frequently." Harold - identified for the first few pages as "the Ghost," based on a nickname bullies gave him - is constantly looking at himself and ruing his white, white skin. He literally dreams, as well as daydreams, about how wonderful it would be to have tan skin, or freckly skin, or any skin other than the "milky" "chalky" "whitewash" skin he's in. I don't think a page of the roughly seventy I read goes by without Harold being intensely aware of how pale he is.

Harold goes fishing: Gets bummed over the paleness of his reflection. Rubs mud on his arms.

Harold sees a shed snakeskin: Wishes he could shed his own skin for a tanned one.

Harold falls asleep: Dreams about how everyone would love him if only he didn't have that pesky albinism.

The author kind of does this with all character descriptions, really. If someone is small, she's small in every way the thesaurus provides, every time she appears. And when Harold spends awhile hanging out with Thunder Wakes Him, there are passages about the contrast between their skins "like whitewash and terracotta" that kind of make me sick. Same thing when the fortune-teller appears. Anyone who isn't one hundred percent Caucasian gets her/his skin color described to death with every appearance.

This treatment of a teen boy living with albinism was not too helpful for me given how much Harold lets the condition define him. I'm interested in how people with albinism go about their lives regardless, not RUN OFF AND JOIN THE CIRCUS because NO ONE ELSE ACCEPTS THEM.

I also found it a little odd how the author referred multiple times to how "blurry" Harold's vision is. His descriptions make it clear he has nystagmus, and certainly it and other vision issues are commonly associated with albinism, but in my research I consistently found accounts from people with albinism saying that their vision was NOT blurry. They said that it can be hard for normally-sighted people to imagine someone having low vision without having blurry vision, but that that was the case for them. (A better description one offered was that their vision is "low resolution.")

Ultimately, what made me put it down was a lack of real attachment to the characters and story, plus the fact that I found the writing style at times pretentious. I had to create a new shelf, "didn't finish," for it, because "couldn't finish" was too harsh. I could have finished it, just didn't feel the need to.

[Riley Bower (period 2) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost Boy by Iain Lawrence is a fictional novel about a fourteen year old boy named Harold. Unlike the other children of Liberty, the town in which Harold lives, he is an albino(a medical issue that causes lack of pigmentationin your eyes, skin, and hair), and all the children know him as Ghost Boy. One day Harold is fishing down by Rattlesnake creek, when he is approched by agroup of kids. They bully him all the way into the entrance of Hunter and Green's traveling circus, where he is given free tickets to the show by Tina and Samuel. Later that night, harold sneaks out with only a base ball and bat in hand, missing the circus but hitching a ride with thunder wakes him instead. Eventually the two-some reach the circus, where Harold meets the Gypsy magda. On his crazy circus adventure he learns his talent(which is training elephants to play baseball), meets many friends, and discovers that being different isn't that bad after all.If you want to know more about know Harold's crazy and accidental adventure, reading this book is a must! Personally, I enjoyed the book immensely,due to the fact that it had many unexpected twists and turns, and a huge shock factor. Also, I really appreciated how all the main characters in thewere accepting and open minded to one anothers flaws and differences.I reccomend this attention grabbing book to anyone who is looking for a good read.

[Sarah Boggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book ok because it did have a few boring parts, and the ending left me thinking there was going to be a sequel... The book is about an albino boy named Harold Kline. He runs away from his home in Liberty, USA to go to the circus. He meets Mr. Hunter, Tina (Princess Minikin), Samuel (the Fossil Man), the Gypsy Magda, Flip (the horse trainer), Roman (the rigger), and Wicks (the cook). When he meets Flip, he falls for her instantly. He does anything and everything for her, including abandoning the "freaks": Tina, Samuel, and the Gypsy Magda. When the Gypsy Magda predicts death, Harold doesn't think he has much to worry about, until Tina is play fighting with him, but makes one of the elephants, Conrad, think she's trying to beat him up. Conrad tramples Tina, killing her, and fullfilling the prediction the Gypsy Magda made. Mr. Hunter then must shoot Conrad, fearing that he may do something like this again. In the end, Flip marries Roman, and Harold just goes home. I think Iain Lawrence could've made a sequel by having Harold run into the circus again, and end up on another adventure!! Overall, I'd give this book 3 stars.

[Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was good but there wasn't anything special about it though. This book is about a 14 year old boy named Harold Kline. He lives in a small town called Liberty with his Mother Mrs. Beesley, his step father Mr. Beesley, and his faithful dog Honey.Harold has been teased and bullied for as long as he can remember. He is an albino and has a nickname of Ghost Boy because he's very pale but also he is very shy and insecure. One day the circus into town and he meets the "freaks" of the circus. He meets a man named Samuel, a princess named Tina, and the Gypsy Magda. Samuel is an eight foot tall man/ape that is covered from head to toe in fur. Tina or Princess Minikin is a grown woman who is no taller than a toddler. The Gypsy Magda is an older lady who can see the future and can perform numerous other daunting tasks. Harold decides to run away and join the circus in hopes of meeting another albino who is in the circus, the Cannibal King who is from Ooola Boola Mambo. As his journey begins he meets an old Indian named Thunder Wakes Him who is also part of the circus. He gives him a ride on his chestnut horse for a while until a terrible storm comes and forms into a tornado. Harold and Thunder Wakes Him take cover in an old buffalo wallow. After the storm passes they find the distinct silver air stream trailer of Samuel's and Tina's. Harold rides with them in the air stream and becomes good friends with them. The whole circus got split up during the storm and Harold, Tina, and Samuel finally arrive at the meeting area and rejoin the rest of the circus. With the help of Tina and Samuel Harold gets a job working with a family of elephants, the Roses. When he got his job he met a girl named Flip she seemed to like him which was surprising for Harold because every girl he's ever met didn't like him and teased him. She does an amazing routine of riding five different horses at the same time while performing several different tricks. Harold's job is to teach the elephants how to play baseball, while he is teaching the elephants he comes to find he loves Flip and she loves him. All is well the elephants are starting to play ball and everything is fine between Harold and Flip until a rigger named Roman returns after having to go buy a new canvas. The night he returned Flip completely ignored Harold and laughed at everything Roman says. Harold doesn't see Flip until the next evening when he normally sees her for the majority of the day each day. Harold is sad when Flip finally comes to see him but she assures him there is nothing between her and Roman. Harold is manipulated by her beauty and trusts her again. Roman is just like all the other kids in Liberty he teases him and calls him names, and a couple times has tried to beat him up. Harold creates a very strong bond with Conrad the main elephant while they train. They are going to present Harold and the baseball playing elephants at their biggest stop Salem, Russia. At their last stop before Salem Flip tells Harold that she and Roman are getting Married, Harold is crushed. He goes to meet the Cannibal King after his disappointment and comes to find he is a really nice and layed back guy unlike rumors that he'd heard. Before they leave for Salem Samuel, Tina, the Gypsy Magda, Wicks (the cook), Harold the roses and several other people gather to play baseball. While they're playing Harold is on second and Tina's the baseman and she's messing around with him. When Conrad fields the ball he starts to run the bases. when he sees Tina messing with Harold he thinks she's hurting him so he rears up and stomps down on Tina and kills her. Everyone goes completely silent and goes and gives their condolences to Samuel who was the closest to Tina. after a few minutes Mr. Hunter one of the co-owners of the circus comes out and shoots Conrad because he is to risky to try to keep under control. Harold heads home to Liberty in an immense amount of sadness. When he arrives he is met by many of the kids that bullied him before. Though this time Harold feels a lot bigger then he did before and they all sense that and leave him alone. When he walks into his house he calls for his mom and is greeted by her and Honey with a long everlasting hug.

[Zoe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Harold Kline is an albino. In his home town of Liberty, he is picked on and called rude names like "whitey" and "maggot". Harold's only friend is his dog named Honey. Not to mention, Harold's father died in a war and his brother is fighting in the war and has been pronounced MIA, missing in action.
One day, while fishing at the Rattlesnake, Harold meets a very unlikely duo. Their names are Samuel and Tina. Samuel is big, hairy, and very rude to Harold. Tina is the opposite. Tina is short, really short. Tina is also kindhearted. In the circus, their names are The Living Fossil and Princess Minikin.
Honey refuses to leave when Harold decides it is time to go, so he leaves her. On his way home Harold hears of The Cannibal King from Hopalong. The Cannibal King is from Oola Boola Mumbo and is albino like Harold. This interests him. While discussing the Cannibal King with Hopalong, Honey arrives with a note. Inside the note is a ticket to the circus from Tina and Samuel. Harold rushes home to tell his mother, who tells him he cannot go. Harold is infuriated. He decides to sneak off and go to the circus anyways. Harold only gets two things, a ball and a bat from his brother David.
When Harold arrives at the circus, he finds the circus has packed up and left already. But low and behold, an old Indian named Thunder Wakes Him is there and offers Harold a ride to the next destination of the circus. After riding with Thunder Wakes Him, Harold meets up with Samuel and Tina and the trio set off by themselves.
The truck gets stopped so they meet the Gypsy Magda. She warns him, she tells him to “Beware the beast with unnatural charm, and the beast who food with its tail. A wild man is meek and a dark ones pale”. I applaud you, Iain Laurence for such amazing foreshadowing.
Upon arrival, Harold meets Flip. She is stunning and, get this, has unnatural charm. Flip uses Harold to teach the elephants how to play baseball for her own personal agenda. Towards the end, Flip reviles that she is marrying Roman, a rude rigger who picks on Harold.
Conrad, one of the elephants who is learning how to play baseball tramples Tina and kills her. This sends the circus a wreck. Harold finds out that the Cannibal King isn’t a king, or a cannibal. He is just a normal guy from Canada. What about Thunder Wakes Him? Well, inspiringly, he isn’t an Indian. It’s all makeup.
I hated this book. I knew from the very begging that this book was a giant metaphor for acceptance. The plot was very slow at times and I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. Also, the so called plot twist was predictable. Overall, not enjoyable.

[Caroline Englert]

The story begins when Harold Kline, an albino teenager, is fishing at the Rattlesnake, a river on the outskirts of Liberty, USA. Next, he finds his way to the traveling circus, Hunter and Green’s. He meets Tina and Samuel, some of the sideshow acts, before he heads home. Also, Tina and Samuel give Harold a ticket to the circus, but when he asks his mother and step-father if he can go they say he can’t. That night he makes the hard decision to run away from home to join the circus. He misses the circus, but hitches a ride with Thunder Wakes Him (Bob), an Indian who travels with the circus. Bob takes Harold to Tina and Samuel’s trailer so he can travel with them. Then, Harold meets the Gypsy Magda who tells her experiences with the Nazis as a little girl. The Gypsy Magda, Tina, Samuel and Harold drive through a small town where they cross paths with a farmer in a panic because his daughter is dying. The Gypsy Magda and Harold try with all there might to heal her. In result, the girl is okay and they all go to her house. The girl’s mother dyes Harold’s hair black and at first he likes it. Following this further, he realizes that he shouldn’t be ashamed of how he looks. In the meantime, Harold and the sideshow acts arrive at the circus. Harold meets the owner of the circus, Mr. Hunter and Flip who gives him a job. Harold begins working with the elephants and tries to teach them to play baseball. As the story progresses, Harold becomes ashamed of Tina and Samuel because they are considered “freaks”. He tries to spend less and less time with them, but they still have open minds about Harold. Also, Flip and Harold become closer… or at least that is what Harold thinks. Roman, a rigger, bullies Harold and is close to Flip. At the first circus stop, the children admire Harold and the attention goes to his head. He starts threatening Roman with the elephants. Harold meets the Cannibal King, who is also an albino and who Harold admires very much. Then, all of the members of the circus play baseball with the elephants. Tina gives Harold a little shove and one of the elephants, most close to Harold, tramples her. Tina dies and the elephant is shot. Finally, Harold returns home to his family and sticks up for himself when he is bullied, something he never would have done without his experiences in the circus.
I enjoyed this book very much. I liked it because Harold learned that it is okay to be different. He learned to not be ashamed of his friends even if other people don’t think much of them. I am really glad I read this book.

[Whitney Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this book on a display at the library and it brought back memories from elementary school, so I couldn't resist checking it out and revisiting it!

Some books we read and love as children are timeless and we can revisit them again and again. This one was a quick read and entertaining, but the plot was definitely very straightforward and much more predictable than my 5th grade self remembers (I also just finished A Storm of Swords which is perhaps one of the most detailed and complex plots of all time, so that may be why I felt so disappointed).

It definitely brought back memories of being "different" and not fitting in, which is probably why I found it so relatable in elementary school. I was never a "popular" kid, and was much happier with my books than interacting with other people (I wonder if all book lovers have a little bit of "outsider" in them?). I definitely love stories of those who don't fit in: The Phantom of the Opera, Jane Eyre, Beauty and the Beast, etc., and it's probably because I WAS that kid, and many times still am.

I loved the animals in the book especially, Honey. The elephant storyline was SO similar to Water for Elephants I had to look up which was published first-and it was this book! I wonder if Sara Gruen drew any inspiration from this? Water for Elephants is definitely more "grown up", but there were so many similarities I definitely wonder...It was pretty basic and predictable, but nonetheless, a fun little wave of nostalgia.

[Collin Adkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out as a story full of bullying and stayed that way for about two chapters. Then Harold, The main character, went to the circus and met two of the circus' sideshow freaks. Princess Minikin or Tina is an adult lady that is about the size of a 9 year old. But has the heart as big as the sea. On the other hand, The fossil or Samuel is larger than the average man, and is covered with fur like a sasquatch. Although they were very kind, he left but soon returned that night, only to find that the circus had left. An old indian who worked with the circus came by the next morning and offered Harold a ride. Thunder Wakes him was the old indian's name and they rode through a big thunderstorm until they got to Tina and Samuel. There in the storm and on the side of the road, Harold met the Gypsy Magda. After the storm went past, The Gypsy made a haunting prediction that scared Harold and made him want to ask more, but the gypsy wouldn't answer. Once they got together with the rest of the circus, Harold noticed a major case of segregation in the circus. There were the freaks on one side and everyone else on the other. When he went to get a job, he met Flip Pharoah, a beautiful girl who rode horses in the circus. He was assigned as Elephant trainer, and therefore met the Elephants. Their names were Conrad, Max Graf, and Canary Bird. He then set out on a mission: teach the elephants baseball. Everything was going swell, Harold was eating at the best seat in the cook tent, and a beautiful girls at his arm, until Roman Pinski showed up. As it turned out, Flip and Roman were getting "married" but decided to wait until Flip got some money. On two occasions, Conrad came to Harold's rescue after Roman threatened him. The second time, was a bit more serious than the first, to the point where Mr. Hunter, the owner of Hunter and Green's Traveling Circus, was about to shoot Conrad. Fortunately, he didn't with a little persuasion from Harold. Finally, after hours and hours of work, Harold got Conrad to pitch accurately, and Max and Canary to field and bat. Then one time before their biggest show in Salem, Harold went to meet the Canibal King, another albino which is whom he came to see. They talked for a while then Harold and the Freaks all went to play baseball with the elephants. Their game attracted more and more people, until every one but Flip and Roman were playing. This is where the Gypsy's prediction came true. It was horrible, Tina playfully shoved harold off the base since Conrad was coming, but he fell. Conrad saw this as her beating him and veered slightly from his path and stomped on her, killing her. When Conrad stopped, Samuel came to get her, and hold her for the last few moments of her life. From the waist down, it appeared as if she wasn't there, "and her dress looked like paper." While walking away with the gypsy, he looks back at samuel and sees a orange flash, followed by a gunshot, farther out in the field. he begins to cry as he hears a massive thump on the ground and imagines conrad sinking to the ground. The next morning, he says good bye to the freaks and leaves for Liberty. When he gets back, he stands up to all of the bullies, not even cowering a little bit, and asks them to just let him go home. His wish is granted and as he walks up to the door, he gets scared to go in, but he does anyway. He calls for his ma and she comes down the stairs and give him a giant bear hug. His dog Honey, who he had left behind came and rubbed up against him too. he was glad to be back, and his mom was glad too.
I thought this was a good book, but it was a slow paced one. I think it wasn't really my type of genre and not really my style of reading. It had a predictable plot that i could see half way through the book. Overall, I have seen better books but this was great in its own ways. This book started out as a story full of bullying and stayed that way for about two chapters. Then Harold, The main character, went to the circus and met two of the circus' sideshow freaks. Princess Minikin or Tina is an adult lady that is about the size of a 9 year old. But has the heart as big as the sea. On the other hand, the fossil or Samuel is larger than the average man, and is covered with fur like a Sasquatch. Although they were very kind, he left but soon returned that night, only to find that the circus had left. An old Indian who worked with the circus came by the next morning and offered Harold a ride. Thunder Wakes him was the old Indian’s name and they rode through a big thunderstorm until they got to Tina and Samuel. There in the storm and on the side of the road, Harold met the Gypsy Magda. After the storm went past, The Gypsy made a haunting prediction that scared Harold and made him want to ask more, but the gypsy wouldn't answer. Once they got together with the rest of the circus, Harold noticed a major case of segregation in the circus. There were the freaks on one side and everyone else on the other. When he went to get a job, he met Flip Pharaoh, a beautiful girl who rode horses in the circus. He was assigned as Elephant trainer, and therefore met the Elephants. Their names were Conrad, Max Graf, and Canary Bird. He then set out on a mission: teach the elephants baseball. Everything was going swell, Harold was eating at the best seat in the cook tent, and a beautiful girls at his arm, until Roman Pinski showed up. As it turned out, Flip and Roman were getting "married" but decided to wait until Flip got some money. On two occasions, Conrad came to Harold's rescue after Roman threatened him. The second time, was a bit more serious than the first, to the point where Mr. Hunter, the owner of Hunter and Green's Traveling Circus, was about to shoot Conrad. Fortunately, he didn't with a little persuasion from Harold. Finally, after hours and hours of work, Harold got Conrad to pitch accurately, and Max and Canary to field and bat. Then one time before their biggest show in Salem, Harold went to meet the Cannibal King, another albino which is whom he came to see. They talked for a while then Harold and the Freaks all went to play baseball with the elephants. Their game attracted more and more people, until everyone but Flip and Roman were playing. This is where the Gypsy's prediction came true. It was horrible, Tina playfully shoved Harold off the base since Conrad was coming, but he fell. Conrad saw this as her beating him and veered slightly from his path and stomped on her, killing her. When Conrad stopped, Samuel came to get her, and hold her for the last few moments of her life. From the waist down, it appeared as if she wasn't there, "and her dress looked like paper." While walking away with the gypsy, he looks back at Samuel and sees an orange flash, followed by a gunshot, farther out in the field. He begins to cry as he hears a massive thump on the ground and imagines Conrad sinking to the ground. The next morning, he says good bye to the freaks and leaves for Liberty. When he gets back, he stands up to all of the bullies, not even cowering a little bit, and asks them to just let him go home. His wish is granted and as he walks up to the door, he gets scared to go in, but he does anyway. He calls for his ma and she comes down the stairs and gives him a giant bear hug. His dog Honey, who he had left behind came and rubbed up against him too. He was glad to be back, and his mom was glad too.
I thought this was a good book, but it was a slow paced one. I think it wasn't really my type of genre and not really my style of reading. It had a predictable plot that I could see half way through the book. Overall, I have seen better books but this was great in its own ways.
This book started out as a story full of bullying and stayed that way for about two chapters. Then Harold, The main character, went to the circus and met two of the circus' sideshow freaks. Princess Minikin or Tina is an adult lady that is about the size of a 9 year old. But has the heart as big as the sea. On the other hand, the fossil or Samuel is larger than the average man, and is covered with fur like a Sasquatch. Although they were very kind, he left but soon returned that night, only to find that the circus had left. An old Indian who worked with the circus came by the next morning and offered Harold a ride. Thunder Wakes him was the old Indian’s name and they rode through a big thunderstorm until they got to Tina and Samuel. There in the storm and on the side of the road, Harold met the Gypsy Magda. After the storm went past, The Gypsy made a haunting prediction that scared Harold and made him want to ask more, but the gypsy wouldn't answer. Once they got together with the rest of the circus, Harold noticed a major case of segregation in the circus. There were the freaks on one side and everyone else on the other. When he went to get a job, he met Flip Pharaoh, a beautiful girl who rode horses in the circus. He was assigned as Elephant trainer, and therefore met the Elephants. Their names were Conrad, Max Graf, and Canary Bird. He then set out on a mission: teach the elephants baseball. Everything was going swell, Harold was eating at the best seat in the cook tent, and a beautiful girls at his arm, until Roman Pinski showed up. As it turned out, Flip and Roman were getting "married" but decided to wait until Flip got some money. On two occasions, Conrad came to Harold's rescue after Roman threatened him. The second time, was a bit more serious than the first, to the point where Mr. Hunter, the owner of Hunter and Green's Traveling Circus, was about to shoot Conrad. Fortunately, he didn't with a little persuasion from Harold. Finally, after hours and hours of work, Harold got Conrad to pitch accurately, and Max and Canary to field and bat. Then one time before their biggest show in Salem, Harold went to meet the Cannibal King, another albino which is whom he came to see. They talked for a while then Harold and the Freaks all went to play baseball with the elephants. Their game attracted more and more people, until everyone but Flip and Roman were playing. This is where the Gypsy's prediction came true. It was horrible, Tina playfully shoved Harold off the base since Conrad was coming, but he fell. Conrad saw this as her beating him and veered slightly from his path and stomped on her, killing her. When Conrad stopped, Samuel came to get her, and hold her for the last few moments of her life. From the waist down, it appeared as if she wasn't there, "and her dress looked like paper." While walking away with the gypsy, he looks back at Samuel and sees an orange flash, followed by a gunshot, farther out in the field. He begins to cry as he hears a massive thump on the ground and imagines Conrad sinking to the ground. The next morning, he says good bye to the freaks and leaves for Liberty. When he gets back, he stands up to all of the bullies, not even cowering a little bit, and asks them to just let him go home. His wish is granted and as he walks up to the door, he gets scared to go in, but he does anyway. He calls for his ma and she comes down the stairs and gives him a giant bear hug. His dog Honey, who he had left behind came and rubbed up against him too. He was glad to be back, and his mom was glad too.
I thought this was a good book, but it was a slow paced one. I think it wasn't really my type of genre and not really my style of reading. It had a predictable plot that I could see half way through the book. Overall, I have seen better books but this was great in its own ways.

[Boo Oropallo · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, this story begins in the small town of Liberty, USA. Harold Kline, a teenage, albino boy, is being teased by the other kids in the town. He goes to where the train stop is, as he does every Saturday, to wait and see if it will stop and his brother, David, who went to go fight in the war, will get off. It doesn's stop and he goes to the river to fish; there he meets Thunder Wakes Him, an old Indian. He says that he follows the circus around and that it is coming soon. Harold starts waling again, and sees the circus being put up and the other kids watching. They start to tease him again but a Fossil Man named Samuel from the circus scares him off. Samuel takes him into the tent and there Harold meets Princess Minikin, AKA Tina, who is a very short woman used as a sideshow. They talk and Harold is asked to join the circus. He declines, and when he leaves, his dog, Honey, his only friend, stays with Tina. While walking home he runs into Hopalong, putting posters up around town. He shows Harold a poster of The Cannibal King, who is the first other albino Harold has ever seen. Honey comes back with a letter from Tina and Samuel and a ticket to the show that night. Harold goes home, where his mother and step-dad, Walter Beesley, tell him he is not allowed to go to the circus. That night he decides to run away to the circus, bringing only some clothes, his brother's bat, and his brother's baseball. He leaves Honey behind.

Eventually, when he reaches the cricus, he finds it has already left, and meets the old Indian again. He takes Harold on his horse to follow the circus. A storm comes, and they find Samuel and Tina's trailer. The Indian makes Harold go inside. Later the Gypsy Maga comes, another sideshow from the circus. The Gypsy Magda is said to be able to see the future. Tina and Samuel give Harold his first own room. The next day is a traveling day, and the group has a lot of fun driving to the next destiniation. They pass through a atown and a throng of people come to stare at the freaks.They reach another town and stop for gas and food. When they go in for food they meet a little girl named Doris who they become friends with. Her mother comes out and yells at them, and the cook makes them leave with their food. The Gypsy Magda makes Harold ride with her, and she tells him how her family was killed by Nazis and that he should be grateful he has a family.

Later, while driving another storm comes and the trailer is stuck in the mud. A man comes by with his sick daughter and the Gypsy Magda makes hime stop. She and Harold save the girl's life, and the farmer takes them back to his house for a special thank-you dinner. At the farmer's house, his wife dyes Harold's hair black for him. They start traveling again and evenutally meet up with the cirucs. Harold is introduced to Mr. Hunter, the manager and ring leader, who directs him to Flip Pharoah, the horseback rider, for a job. She gives him a job working with the elephants and feeding her horses. As he works with the elephants he gets the idea to teach them baseball to save the failing circus. He and Flip start training the elephants. Harold learns about the circus. He learns at meals, the freaks eat first, and everybody else after. Once while practicing with Flip and the roses (the elephants), it starts raining and Harold's hair dye starts washing out. Harold starts to develop a crush on Flip. Harold beggins eatting with the normal performers, much to the freaks' dismay.He has to choose between Flip and his friends.

One night, Flip tells Harold how her parents died in a crash. She also invites him to sleep in Roman the Rigger's tent, and he moves his stuff there. Samuel starts to ignore him but Tina is still very happy to see him. Harold and Flip keep training the roses. One day at lunch, Roman the Rigger comes in, bullying harold and captivating Flip. Flip starts to be mean to Harold whenever Roman is there. Harold confronts Flip about whether Roman is her boyfriend but she wont answer him straight. Harold figures out how to get the roses pitching, catching, and batting. The circus sets off for their next destination. Flip tells Harold he is making the roses mean and ugly because he has them bully Roman for him. Harold watches the circus perform for the first time and sees how bad it really is. While with the elephanst Roman comes and tries to beat Harold up, but Conrad comes and almost drowns him in mud. Mr. Hunter wants to shoot the elephant but decides not to. The circus packs up, and Harold rides with Wicks in the elephants truck because he was told to stay with the elphants at all times. They set up again and Harold keeps working with the roses.

Wicks later tells Harold that Mr. Green is not a person; Mr. Hunter just made him up to tack on another name. After more practicing, Harold goes to meet the Cannibal King. At first he is frightened of the King, but after talking, realizes he is no different than Harold.

The circus comes together and plays a game of baseball; Harold, Samuel, Tina, the roses, The Gypsy, Wicks, Mr.s Hunter, and a lot of other performers. Flip and Roman come to watch. While playing, Conrad runs toward Tina and Harold on a base, and tries to protect Harold from the princess who seems to be hitting him. In reality, she is trying to push him forward to run. Conrad smashes Tina multiple times, and she lay there crumpled. She passes away in Samuel's arms, surrounded by Harold and the Gypsy. Mr. Hunter shoots Conrad once and for all. The circus packs up slowly. Harold dcides to go home and says his goodbyes.

Finally, Harold makes it to Liberty on the train; when he gets off the other children come and tease him. He stands up for himself and walks home. Once there, he is greeted by his mother, who is angry at first, but starts crying and hugging him. Honey comes down from Harold's room, which she has barely left since he ran away, but Harold's mother refuses to let him go from her hug, even to pet his dog.


I sort of liked this novel. I liked some of the parts, like when the friendship between Harold, Tina, and Samuel was fixed. I also liked when Harold finally stood up for himself, and how he gained confidence throughout the book. I didn't really like how the story ended. It left some holes, like what would happen to Samuel, the Gypsy Magda, and Flip.

[Chase · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ghost Boy By Iain Lawrence is a fictional book about a fourteen-year-old(Harold) that lives in Liberty, Texas. Except Harold isn't like all the other kids in Liberty, he is different because he is an albino(a person having a congenital absence of pigment in the skin and hair, and the eyes). Since Harold is an albino and considered different than everyone else he is treated as an outcast and is made fun of. One example of this is a quote at the beginning of the book
"He’s ugly and stupid
He’s dumb as a post
He’s a freak and a geek
He’s Harold the Ghost.” (p. 3)". So Harold is not treated well and this causes him to have a fear of not fitting in. But later in the book Harold is accepted as a normal person in a traveling circus. This book is good but is a little boring at some point but still good. And I would recommend this book to whoever relates to Harold so that they might learn something from his life story.

[Matthew Newland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost Boy is about a young boy named Harold. Harold is a 14 year old albino outcast that lives in Liberty, USA. His father went to fight in World War II and died. In addition, his brother also fought in the war and died. Then, while fishing, Harold hears calliope music. Subsequently, Harold follows the music and finds the Hunter and Green’s Circus. There, Harold is “mugged” by other kids. Following that event, Harold met Tina (aka Princess Minikin) and Samuel (aka the Fossil). After that, Harold learns that there is an albino in the Hunter and Green’s Circus named the Cannibal King. Harold is delighted at the fact that there is finally another albino besides him for once. Later on, his dog Honey brings Harold home a ticket to the circus and a letter from Tina and Samuel. When Harold gets back home, his mother scolds him about the fact that he lost all of his belongings and that Harold’s mean stepfather, Mr. Beesley, went after him. Further on in the night, Harold decides to leave and go to the circus. However, Harold only finds the prairie. Shortly, an Indian named Thunder Wakes Him offers Harold a ride. When it starts to rain hard, the duo seeks refuge in a cave. At that point, Thunder Wakes Him tells Harold the old Buffalo Woman legend; when the rainfall stops, the duo travel onward and find Tina and Samuel’s trailer. Thunder Wakes Him drops Harold off there and at that point leaves Harold for the time being. When Harold walks in he finds Tina and Samuel again. Not far after, Harold meets the all-knowing Gypsy Magda. When Harold walks the Gypsy Magda back to her truck, Harold considers this an act of bravery for himself. Thereafter, Harold comes back to the trailer to see that Samuel and Tina made him his own room. When the overflowing river stops, the trio (Harold, Samuel, and Tina) start driving again. Harold also sees hills and thinks they’re mountains. Following that, the trio stops at a city/town and quickly gets taunted. They then leave the town. After that the Gang stops at a local schoolyard. After they start going again they go through “bible country”. While driving Harold learns about Flip Pharaoh. Then, the trailer crashed. While staying on the road, the gang meets a farmer whose daughter is in grave condition. The Gypsy Magda then heals the girl; in return the farmer’s wife dyes Harold’s hair dark. Finally, the gang meets up with the circus. There, Harold meets Flip, Mr. Hunter, and the roses (elephants), Conrad, Max Graf, and Canary Bird. Harold then says that he wants to teach the roses to play baseball. Later, Harold tries to teach the roses to play baseball. When Conrad finally hits it, Harold goes to eat dinner. When Harold eats dinner, he learns that the freaks must eat first. While eating Harold meets Wallo and Esther. Then, Harold is questioned by the main people in the circus. While practicing, Harold’s dye starts to run off’ so he runs to the trailer and Flip sees Harold’s normal self. Then, Harold eats with the normal people and not the freaks. Later, Harold refuses to eat with the normal people and eats with the freaks instead. While Harold is gone the elephants make a double play. After that, Harold tries to teach Conrad to pitch; unfortunately it doesn’t go well. During dinner, Mr. Hunter introduces everyone to Harold. Following that, Canary Bird proves to be a good pitcher, but pitches wild. Meanwhile, Harold finds hairs on his chin and thinks he’s turning into Samuel. Later on that night, Harold and Flip go stargazing. It’s cut short because Flip got very emotional. While Harold is teaching the roses to field, Roman comes in a truck. At breakfast Flip behaves odd around Harold. After that, Tina and Samuel and the Gypsy Magda are rude to Harold. Following that, Thunder Wakes Him gives Harold a razor as a sign of manhood. After Thunder Wakes Him leaves, Harold shaves and Flip comes to Harold with the roses. Roman then shows up and appears angry. Later after that, everyone starts packing up the circus. Harold rides with Mr. Hunter and learns that part of Roman's job is to be a bully. The circus starts to build up at Trickle Creek and Harold feels like a hero. Following that, Harold finds the Cannibal King. When Flip meets up with Harold she accuses Harold of being a showoff and says he sounds like Roman. Then, while Harold is feeding the roses, someone says the roses eat with their tail. After that the circus starts and it was pathetic. Harold then meets up with the Gypsy Magda and says she sees an angry boy in her crystal ball that could be either Roman or Harold. Harold then goes into the Cannibal King's trailer. Harold and Flip then practice with the roses. following that, Flip gets hats for the roses to wear. After that, Flip leaves Harold sobbing. Next, the roses play baseball without Harold helping them. Then, Harold learns the true motives of Flip and who Mr. Green is. After that, Harold learns that Flip is marrying Roman and that Flip is the beast with unnatural charm. Then, Harold meets the Cannibal King and almost everyone in the circus plays in a baseball game with the roses. During the game, there is a controversial call and everybody starts arguing. Then, Conrad hits a ball and drops the bat for the first time. Harold then realized that Conrad wouldn't stop running. Tina is too late to get out of the way and is trampled by Conrad. Tina then dies in the arms of Samuel. Tina's last words were "Go see your mama, kiddo." Mr. Hunter then pulls out a gun and kills Conrad. After that, Harold decides to leave the circus. Harold says his goodbyes and ventures back home. Finally, Harold comes home to see his mama.

[Therese Gochnauer]

The book Ghost Boy by Ian Lawrence was a captivating novel of a boy’s battle with his confidence. The main character Harold Kline was a young, albino boy who is constantly bullied by the other kids in Liberty. Not only did he kids in Liberty tease him but his stepfather does as well. He had bad home life after his father and older brother died in the war and then one day the Hunter and Green circus came to town and turned his life upside down. He was by the Rattlesnake River with his honey colored dog fishing like he did every day when he heard the sweet sound of the calliope music. Harold knew this was the circus and he decided to follow the splendid sound. When he arrived he found the "freaks" tent. Inside the tent was a large, hairy, a scary man who appeared to be 8 feet tall. He was standing next to a little woman who had the body of a three year old but the face of a forty year old. The two started to talk to Harold the ghost and he did not respond. The little woman's name was Tina and the large hairy man's name was Samuel. Tina offered him a coke and he was hesitant to take it but he eventually did. After taking the coke Harold was about to leave when Tina asked if Honey could do any tricks. Harold replied with a quick nod and he then called for honey, but she didn't come. Tina asked if he could show her the tricks so Harold showed the tiny woman how honey could roll over and sit on command. Tin seemed very impressed and wanted to see more, but honey didn't know more so, again Harold called for honey so they could leave and she still would not come. This hurt Harold's feelings because honey has been his best friend since forever and she is choosing some freak she just met over him. This infuriated him so he left and headed home. When he got home his mother scolded him for being out so long and coming back empty handed. After he got home without Honey, Harold ran into a man named Hop along. He was putting up posters for the circus when Harold saw the cannibal king. He was an albino just like him and that made Harold want to go to the circus. Later that night honey came home and in her collar was a ticket to see the circus and a note from Tina and Samuel saying how they hope to see Harold tonight. Harold's mother saw the ticket and refused to let Harold go so Harold went on his own. He snuck out of the house when h knew his parents would be asleep and he left honey behind because he knew he circus life was no life for her. Before leaving he went to his brother’s room and took the bat, ball, and glove Harold and his brother used to play baseball with and left. He left behind everything and when we got to the fairgrounds the circus was gone. He ran into an old Indian named Thunder Wakes Him and he agreed to take Harold to the circus. After traveling for what seemed like forever Harold and Thunder Wakes Him found Tina and Samuel's trailer stopped by the side of the road. Harold rode with Tin and Samuel and during the trip the three became good friends. When they caught up with the rest of the circus they asked Flip the girl in charge of giving out jobs if Harold could have a job and she agreed. Harold instantly fell in love Flip and they began to work together. Harold came up with an idea to teach elephants to play baseball. The two kids practiced and taught the Roses to play base ball and Conrad, one of the elephants took a special interest in Harold. She was always there to protect Harold until one night when things went to far. One of the riggers named Roman came to beat up Harold for spending to much time wt Flip and Conrad almost trampled him .Mr. Hunter was going to shoot Conrad because he could not have a rogue elephant on his hands but Harold agreed to stay by his side at every moment and Mr. Hunter agreed not to shoot him. After this run in Harold thought the elephants would never learn to play baseball, but one night they did. The next morning the elephants and the freaks played a baseball game. Harold was on second and Tina was just messing around with Harold when Conrad hit a pop fly and came running towards second base where Harold was. Protecting Harold Conrad trampled Tina squashing her and she died. After this event Mr. Hunter shot Conrad and Harold went back home to see his mother. When he got home his mother showed animosity at first but then wouldn’t let go of Harold because she missed him so profusely. Homey was there waiting for Harold and the Ghost was not a ghost anymore. I liked the beginning of the book more than I liked the end of the book because the beginning was happier and upbeat and the end just killed of all the characters. The end of the book was sad and I didn't like it as much as I hoped I would. In the end I think Harold found his confidence.

[Ellie Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harold Beesley is a ghost. Harold is an albino, lonely and an outcast. Stuck in his sad town of Liberty, Harold dreams of heading to Oregon and meeting up with his long lost brother, David, and living as mountain men together. The problem is, David has left to serve in the war, and he hasn't returned. Also, Harold has no way to escape the sad and dull life of Liberty. Until one day, when Harold meets an old Indian man on horseback, Thunder Wakes Him, and is told about the circus that passes through Liberty each year. Later on, Harold goes to the circus grounds where me meets Samuel, a gigantic fossil, and Tine, a bubbly little princess. The two side show freaks tell Harold about the Hunter and Green's Circus. Later that evening, as Harold makes his way back home, he stumbles upon a Liberty resident, Hopalong. He tells Harold all about the Cannibal King, a tough and fierce albino king from the jungle of Oola Boola Mamboo. Intrigued by the idea of meeting another albino, Harold ditches home and starts the treacherous endeavor of catching up to the circus and meeting the Cannibal King. After travelling with Thunder Wakes Him, Harold starts to travel with the Tina, Samuel, and the Gypsy Magda. The Magda is especially interested in Harold and is curious about his upcoming future. After reading Harold's tea leaves, the Gypsy warns Harold to beware of the beast who feeds with his tail, the ones with unnatural charm, and an angry young boy. Moving on, the circus starts to travel again the next morning heading north. Along the way, the group makes various stops at gas stations and fields to get fresh air. Then, the Gypsy Magda has a strange premonission and has the group stop in an Amish village to help save a soul. The Gypsy Magda saves a farmer’s daughter from dyeing, and in thanks, the farmers family offers food and a warm bed. The next morning before they left, the farmer's wife dyed Harold’s hair a jet black as a gift of thanks. Once the freak show catches up to the whole circus, Harold gets a job with Flip, a sassy cowgirl, where he trains the elephants. He quickly decides that he will teach the giant creatures how to play baseball. Furthermore, after about 2 weeks of practice and circus prep, Roman Pininski, a strong rigger who cares for Flip, returns to the circus. Harold immediately feels jealousy, because he thought that Flip and he had a relationship developing. Roman quickly learns to hate Harold and they tend to avoid each other. Moreover, the circus travels to a field on the outside of Salem. Each year, Salem has scouts from Barnum and Bailey to recruit new circus members. As the circus cleans tents and equipment, Harold finally meets the Cannibal King. He was nervous and excited, but the "king" turned out to be a regular guy. This is when Harold realizes that the beast that feeds with it's tail are the elephants, the one with unnatural charm is Flip, and he is the young angry boy. Harold is shocked that has was so naive. The king and Harold become friends and discuss what it’s like to be albino. Then, in a sudden turn of events, the elephants start to play baseball - by themselves! After witnessing such a wonderful event, the entire circus joins in the game and doesn’t stop. About mid-way through, Roman and Flip stop by and Roman says his last remarks to Harold as Flip chases off and trys to convince him that she and Harold had no sort of relationship. As the game continues, Conrad, the greatest of the elephants, takes his turn to bat, he hits, and starts to travel to first base. But out of the corner of his eye, he sees Tina, the "princess"; push Harold to run to home plate. All of a sudden, Conrad switches his path of direction and squashes Tina under his gigantic foot. The little princess was left with her entire bottom body paper thin. She dies in Samuel’s arms while squeezing Harold's hand. After this tragic event, Mr. Hunter shoots Conrad and Harold decides he doesn’t want to go to Salem after all. He's rather just go home and be with his family. So the next day, Harold catches a train home where he returns to the dull life of Liberty, but this time, he has some fascinating stories to be told.

I enjoyed this book because it had such a developing story line. In short, choppy books, it's hard to feel for the characters because you haven't seen them act for long period of time. Also, this story included one of my favorite animals, horses. Lastly, I loved the fact that this book really illustrates the personality and persuasiveness of Flip.

[Dean Kovacs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sad story...wished for a little more positive and more transformation of the main character

[Amy Pollock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Harold. He's albino and also lives in Liberty. A lot of people make fun of him for being Albino and call him mean names like Ghost. His brother David has gone off to the war and his Father dies a year ago in the War. He has one mother and a step father and a dog named Honey. Honey goes everywhere with Harold and is his best friend/companion. Harold loves to go fishing on his past time with his dog at Rattlesnake river. A place where him and his brother always used to go together. When he was coming back some kids were antagonizing him and took away his worms, fish, and his pole. He started walking away when this big harry hand popped out and took him. It was an freak from the Circus. Honey was barking Hysterically to the beast to put his friend down. But in reality he was not hurting Harold but just trying to help him. There was a lady and a man. Two complete opposites. The lady was named Tina: A tiny Princess. And Samuel: A harry huge "Fossil." Both of them played in the freak pat of the Circus. Right away though Harold became jealous of Tina because Honey was suddenly attached to her. she would not leave Tina's side even when Harold called for her. So Harold started to make his way home when he met up with Hopalong (Well that was his nickname of course.) Hopolong started telling Harold about an Albino in the circus called the Cannibal King who lived in Oola Boola Mongo. Instantly Harold wanted to meet one of his own kind: an Albino. As he walked home Honey showed up with a letter. It was signed from Harold and Tina. And in the letter was two tickets. Harold thought of it as a sign and was making a plan to join the circus. When Harold arrived home his mother was furious because he hasn't been home all day. He was sent up to his room. Harold then started thinking about his brother . the times they played together like baseball and Rattle Snake. So at night he packed his bags and left honey for the Circus. Harold only packed some clothes and a baseball bat, glove, and a softball. When he arrived at the circus everything was gone. And right when he was about to leave an old indian who was part of the Circus offered him a ride to catch up with them. There journey was adventurous! They went through a flood and a couple days of riding to finally catch up with Tina and Samuel. They welcomed him with hugs and smiles and instantly he had made new true friends. They played games and told them about there selves. after a while they wanted him to meet the Gypsie Magda. She was an fortune teller. At first Harold was uneasy about her and still is an dis also scared. All of them went through many adventures like going to a restaurant and Harold standed up for them, having their truck flipped over, bringing a little girl back to life, and Harold getting his own room! But once they arrived at the Circus and Harold got an job from the circus As an elephant trainer everything started drifting away. Harold started to fall in love with a girl named Flip: the best bareback rider anyone has seen. As Harold spent times playing baseball with the elephants and hanging out with Flip Tina and Samuel were just a memory. Harold started becoming popular and more popular. He then started thinking he was better than everybody else. Untill Roman came. Roman was Flips ex and then she was starting to go for Roman. Harold started to feel so alone and all he had now was the elephants. Tina and Samuel didn't hang out with him and he thought it was all over and he made a mistake. The elephants always stood up for Harold though. Like when he was mad at Roman Conrad the elephant always would always do something horrible to him. Mr. Hunter then made Harold stay at the elephants side at all times. Harold did do something great though. He brought all of the Circus members together in a game of baseball. But in that game Tina died by Conrad trampling over the tiny princess. At that point Harold decided to go home. and right when he went home his mother was relieved and kept him in her arms for a long time.
I didn't really like this book that much because it didn't grab my attention that much. I like books that are thrilling and this one seemed lifeless and dead to me. I was never really caught in to it. But it was not horrible. I just didn't really care for it at all.

[Mackenzie Goddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harold Kline is a boy who is taunted by children because he is an albino. His brother David and his father went to go fight in the war and his father died and his brother went missing. Harold lived with his mother, Walter Beesley (his stepfather), and his dog Honey who was also his best friend. Harold and Honey were walking to the circus one day when some children started to tease Harold. He was pulled into the circus tent by a "living fossil" named Samuel. Samuel was with a small old woman who looked and was the size of a doll. Tina and Honey automatically loved each other. Harold called Honey to come but she didnt move so he left without her. Harold walked back to his father's old shop where he saw an old family friend named Hopalong setting up flyers for the circus. The man Harold saw on the poster was an albino that was part of the circus known as the Cannibal king. That day Honey came back to Harold with two tickets to the circus from Tina and Samuel. That night, Harold left everything from his home without telling anyone that he was leaving for the circus to go meet the cannibal king. On the way, Harold meets an old Indian named Thunder Wakes Him who helps him through his journey. When Harold catches up to the circus, he stays with Tina and Samuel. Harold gets introduced to Mr. Hunter who runs the circus, and a beautiful girl named Flip who has an act in the show. Harold imediatly falls in love with Flip. Harold was introduced to the roses, Max Graf, Conrad, and Canary Bird who are the three preforming elephants in the circus. Harold didn't have anything to do with the circus so they assigned him the job of an elephant trainer. Harold trained the elephants how to play baseball. Conrad and Harold had a unique bond and Conrad practaclly felt what Harold felt. Finally, Harold met Roman Pinski who was Flip's "boyfriend" and afraid of elephants. Roman bullied Harold by calling him whitey. Harold felt too small to be able to stand uo for himself. Flip tried to reason with Roman to not tease Harold, but Roman would not listen. One day, Conrad saw Roman teasing Harold and Conrad got so angry, he picked up Roman, swung him around, and drug him around. Harold finally comanded Conrad to let Roman go. Roman demand for Conrad to be shot. Harold convinced Mr. Hunter to not shoot Conrad, however, the one condition was that Harold had to stay with the elephants at all times. Soon enough, Harold realized that Flip was only using Harold to get money off the elephants. This broke Harold's heart. Flip also confessed that her and Roman are eventually getting married. This made Harold even more depressed. Harold met the cannibal king and realized they have a lot in common and that the cannibal king was born in Canada. Alltogether, the cannibal king, Tina, Wicks (the chef), Samuel, the Gypsie Magda (who had been telling Harold his future), and Harold played baseball with the elephants. Harold was on the elephant's team against everyone else. When everyone had a small argument over if someone was safe or not, Tina was "punching" Harold (kind of sarcastically) and Conrad saw this and got angry and trampled over Tina. After this, Harold left the circus and went home. When he got to his town, children teased him. He arrived at his home and met his mother there. He didn't see Honey at first until she ran up and sat by him. Harold was happy to be home.

I liked the book a lot, but I wish it could have a happier ending, or another book to keep the story going more. I liked how the book described things in great detail so it made you feel as though you were there. I really liked how the author used so much figurative language, so if you didn't understand something, it would be compared to another thing so you could understand it more. This was a great book, but I feel that people would be more interested in it if there were a second book to leave someone on the edge of their seat.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a 14-year old albino boy named Harold. He frequently calls himself "the ghost". Harold was sitting at the Rattle Snake River when he met an Indian named Thunder Wakes Him, and who told him about a circus that was in town. He told Harold the circus was travelling to Oregon. While on a walk back home, Harold decides to go and check out the circus where he was teased by the children attening the circus, until he passed out. While at the circus he learned of a man called "the Cannibal King", who was an albino like Harold. It was then that Harold decided he should go on with the circus to met the man who was like him. He woke up to the sight of a tiny woman named Tina and a hairy man named Samuel who were a part of the circus.

After talking to Tina for sometime, she invited him to travel in the circus with them. Harold refused the offer and went on his way. While walking back home, he saw a poster of the circus and talked to Hopalong, a guy in town, about it. Then Honey, Harold's dog, showed up with a ticket under her collar.

Once he arrives home he is angrily greeted by his mother, telling him that his "father" was out looking for him. Harold's real father was killed in war and his older brother was MIA (missing in action). It had always been their dream to go to Oregon and become mountain people. Joining the circus did not seem like a bad idea after all.

That night Harold decides to leave for the circus and leaves Honey behind. As he is sneaking out, he meets Thunder Wakes Him again and rides with him to the circus. On their way to the circus
Thunder Wakes Him, who also went by the name of Bob, and Harold get to know each other better throught the tough journey. They finally meet up with Tina and Samuel. This is where Harold meets the Gypsy Magda for the first time. The Gypsy Magda told Tina ,Samuel , and Harold's fortune.

Once they got on the road they traveled a long way and ran in to trouble but soon got out of it and kept heading on their way. When they reached the circus, Harold met a girl named Flip and instantly fell in love wih her. Harold was helping Flip with the animals and she decided he should try to work with the elephants.

While working with the elephants for a little while, he decides to teach them how to play baseball. Being caught up with teaching the Roses (the elephants), he slips further away from Tina and Samuel.

When Roman came back with a patch for the tent things got tricky. Flip drifted away from Harold and left him to tend with the elephants. One day Roman was threating Harold and almost got killed by Conrad, one of the elephants. From then on Harold, stayed closer to the elephants and taught them more. Flip was off with Roman most of the time, but would come by from time to time to see Harold.

One night Harold woke up and saw that the elphants were gone, and when he went looking for them he found them playing baseball all on their own. From then on he felt normal, and was treated more like every one else. Harold finally ended up meeting the Cannibal King, which was the main reason for his journey.

Harold and the "freaks" were playing baseball happily, when suddenly Conrad charged and trampled Tina. Tina later died in Samuel's arms. That was then Harold decided he needed to leave. He thought about all of the things that had happend to him over this adventure, and said his final goodbyes and headed home. On is way back people wondered where he was and why he had suddenly disappeared, but this time didn't tease him. Once he finally made it home he was reunited with his Mom and Honey.

I enjoyed this book because it was interesting and like nothing i have read before.It was very descriptive and a very enjoyable story to read.It made me feel like i was right there with Harold as this all happend. I hope I will come along another good book like Ghost Boy.

[Tyler Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book a teenage boy, Harold, is dealing with a lot of problems in his life. His father has died in the war, his brother has still not come back from the war, he does not like his step-father, Walter Beesley, and gets bullied a lot. He also only has one friend, his dog, Honey. But, one day while down at the Rattlesnake (a river) Harold meets an old Indian, Thunder Wakes Him. Harold asks why he is here, and the Indian says for the circus. After that, Harold decides to go to the circus. While he was there a group of kids came, and stole his fishing pole and his fish! But, before they start doing other things to Harold a living fossil, Samuel, snatches him out of the crowd. This is where Harold meets the smallest woman alive, Tina (AKA Princess Minikin). They tell him he should join the circus. Then, Harold leaves and goes to his Dad's old store. While there Hopalong John shows Harold a poster of another albino known as the Cannibal King. This makes Harold want to go join the circus. So, Harold goes home to his mother who was "worried sick" for him. Anyway, Harold starts to get mad, and storms off to his room, and starts to pack. Why? To join the circus of course! He then tells his only friend, Honey, goodbye, and sneaks out of the house. Harold then finds the old Indian who tells him the circus has already left. But, the Indian gives him a ride. They travel for hours on end. Finally, it starts to rain, and the Indian drops Harold off with "The Freaks." This is when Harold starts to grow attached to them. They then start to travel, and Harold meets the Gypsy Magda. The Magda is a mysterious old lady who tells the future. She then tells Harold a story about her life. After that, Harold meets Mr. Hunter, the owner of the circus. Harold asks if he can join, but it is not up to the owner. It is up to a beautiful girl named Flip. So, Harold, and "The Freaks" journey on. But, finally, they meet Flip who lets Harold into the circus. As this is going on he starts to fade away from his friends, and go towards the girl, Flip. But, then Roman shows up. Roman is a rigger who bullies Harold. As this is going on Harold becomes the elephant trainer who is to teach the elephants to play baseball. He teaches them how to field, pitch, bat, and run the bases. But, before they get to Salem, Oregon, they make one last performance. After the performance Roman starts to bully Harold yet again. This is when the elephant, Conrad, almost kills Roman. After that, Mr. Hunter almost shoots Conrad, but Harold stops him. Then, Harold starts thinking Flip is his "girlfriend" for how nice she is to him, but then comes to find out after Flip and Roman get some money they are going to get married. This is when Harold meets the Cannibal King. The Cannibal King turns out to be just like Harold. He is not some psychopath who is going to attack Harold. Instead they become friends. Then, Harold catches the elephants playing baseball by themselves. This is when everyone joins and starts to play a game. During the game Conrad hits an infield fly, and he starts to round first straight to Tina. Harold dives to protect her, but Conrad still stomps all over her and kills her. Finally, Harold decides to return home. He gets home, and him and his mother reunite, and just sit there, and hug.

I like this book because it had a great theme, acceptance. Also, I could picture everything that was going on. Even though the ending was very sad it was still overall a phenomenal book. Thank you Mrs. Dietzen, and Ms. Mitchell for letting us read it.

[Anna E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave the book Ghost Boy a rating of three stars because I felt like it was a very well written and planned out book but soon found myself becoming very bored with the plot and story line. Another reason I did not like this book was becasue of the ending. I did not enjoy the ending of this book as much as I would have if the author had made some changes. This book is about Harold Kline who is an albino and is bullied just about every day because of it. Harold's dad was killed in the war and is brother has yet to return. One day, when the circus comes to town Harold decides that he has taken enough from bullies, his mom, and his new step dad, Mr. Beesley. Harold is also determined to find the Cannibal King who is an albino just like him. Harold then packs up his stuff and leaves to join the circus. Harold makes many new friends like Princess Minikin (Tina), Samuel, the human fossil, the old Indian (Thunder Wakes Him), and The Gypsy Magda, while traveling to the circus. Once Harold gets to the circus he meets a beautiful and talented girl who he instantly fell in love with. Harold decides that he wants to work with the elephants/roses and comes to find out that he has an unspeakable bond with them. Harold begins teaching the roses how to play baseball. Flip and Harold's relationship son changes the way Harold treats his friends. However, this serious relationship that Harold shares with Flip does not last, when Flips strong, tan, and handsome, friend Roman, who also happened to work at the circus as a rigger, showed up. Flip continues to treat Harold as if they were a couple and Harold continues to teach the roses. As the circus travels Harold finally teaches the roses to play baseball. Harold soon finds out that Flip was just using Harold to teach the roses and make money . He also finds out that Flip and Roman planned on getting married. Depressed, Harold is determined to find the Cannibal King. After his long journey Harold meets the Cannibal King and realizes that being different is okay and that everyone is the same on the inside. Harold and the Cannibal King met up with Harold's old friends and they all decided to play a game of baseball with the roses. As more circus members joined the game the more fun they were having and cooperative they were becoming. One of the roses, Conrad, was running around the bases when Tina got in the way. Tina was killed and Harold lost his best friend. Soon after that, Conrad was shot and every ones fun came to an end. In the end, Harold went back home to Liberty but once he got there he was not intimidated by the bullies that he had run away from, instead he stood up for himself and realized that their words could not hurt him.

[Cassie Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ghost Boy is a fabulous book for audiences of all different kinds. It is appropriate for animal lovers, suspense addicts, and romance lovers. I personally love this book and the ending wraps it up perfectly. In this amazing book, Harold Kline is an outcast because he is an albino. He is shunned by the neighborhood kids and called Ghost Boy. His older brother, David, is fighting in the war so he is the only child for now. His only friend is his beloved dog, Honey. He was shy and thought nothing of himself until he met an Indian named Thunder Wakes Him by a river he fishes at. The Indian told him he was from Hunter and Green's Traveling Circus. Later on Harold meets circus members who invite him to come watch their show. His mother tells him he is no longer allowed to go fishing and tells him he can not go to the circus. For that reason, Harold decides to leave his hometown, Liberty, without Honey to join the circus so he would possibly be accepted. He travels with Thunder Wakes Him for part of the journey and then travels without the Indian. He then meets up with the circus members he had met before in Liberty. In addition to Tina and Samuel, Harold met another circus member named the Gypsy Magda. Together they traveled to the circus. Harold meets the rest of the circus crew and gets offered a spot in the circus. He wonders what he will do as an act but later an idea dawns on him...he can teach elephants how to play baseball. As he gets used to circus life, he meets the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, Flip Pharaoh. Moreover, he falls in love with Flip but knows there is something odd going on with her behavior. Later on, Harold finds out Flip and a tent rigger, Roman Pinski, are getting married once they get enough money. As the story comes to a close, an accident happens while some of the circus members were playing baseball with some elephants when one of the elephants stepped on Tina and sadly killed her. Furthermore, that elephant had to be put down because of his actions. For this reason Harold returns home to Honey and his mother. This book will go down as one of my favorite books of all time. However, I wish the author had spent more time talking about the members getting over Tina's death because at one part it was talking about her dying and the next it was talking about Harold leaving. On the other hand, the book was both riveting and also heart warming. It appealed to me not only because it was full of drama and left me wanting more, but I also enjoyed it because it is different than the modern books being published now. In conclusion, I recommend this book to anybody who wishes to read a novel that has endings that will completely surprise you. I truly enjoyed every second of it.

[Andrew Colvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Ghost Boy by Iain Lawrence, Harold Kline is an albino 14 year-old in the town of Liberty. Throughout his whole life, Harold has been troubled by the other kids of Liberty, and called "The Ghost" because of his albinoism. After getting mugged by the children of his fishing pole and fish he caught recently at the Rattlesnake, Harold and Honey (his dog), wander near the circus in Liberty. There, they find peculiar people (freaks, the circus calls them), Samuel and Tina. Harold greets them very shyly, but become friends quickly. After going home (where he is not treated very nicely after his father died and his brother went MIA), Harold traveled to the outskirts of the town, and meets Thunder Wakes Him, and he offers him a ride to the circus. After reuniting with Samuel and Tina, Harold meets the Gypsy Magda. Shortly after the friends reunite, they meet the rest of the circus at a checkpoint. A couple days go by, and Harold finally meets a young woman named Flip, the girl Tina has been describing to him, and they get along very nicely. After wondering what to do, Harold decides to get a job at the circus, and asks Flip for one. Flip decides he will be in charge of gromming, cleaning, feeding etc. for the elephants (they are refered to as "roses") and horses. One day, Harold comes up with one crazy idea to teach the roses how to play baseball. Soon after Flip weirdly agreeing, they set out on a track to teach the roses. As Flip and Harold teach the roses, Harold feels a little romantic around Flip, and he spends some more time around her. Then Roman Pinski comes and pretty much ruins the romance between the two because Flip was holding two things back: Roman and Flip were going to get married as soon as the roses were ready to sell because of their talents. Soon after learning the truth, Harold meets the Cannibal King (another albino) and goes with him to his trailer. They have a nice conversation and decide that everybody will be playing a baseball game. During the game, Tina gets a little rough with Harold, and Conrad (one of the roses that is very protective of Harold) smashes the little woman into the ground several times until Conrad is called off. Tina dies and everyone says their final farewells to Tina, and then she days. Then after the death, Samuel gives Harold some money to travel back home to Liberty to his mom and step-dad, and his mom greats him sadly telling how much they were worried.

I enjoyed this novel fairly well due to some of language used throughout the story. With twists and turns, joy and death, Iain Lawrence portrayed the book so well that it was if there happened to be an imaginary TV in my head! The book was definetly a winner for me!

[Isabelle Mccreless · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harold is a tall and thin 16 year old boy who lives in a small town named Liberty, he’s an albino too. He gets picked on every day for the way he looks from bullies and is discouraged by his mother and step-father. One day after his daily fishing, he encounters a circus. While he is caught in a group of bullies that strip him of his pole and fish, he is pulled into a circus tent by a mysterious figure. The mysterious figure was a kind monster named Samuel, there was another person in the tent, and her name was Tina. They both welcomed with welcome arms, but they frightened him because they were circus freaks. Samuel was a hairy monster, and Tina was a tiny little princess. After he returns home he decides he doesn’t want his life anymore, so he runs away to the circus, he stays with Tina and Samuel in their trailer. It takes them a while to get back to the circus because of a nasty storm, but on the way he meets a new friend, Gypsy Magda. Gypsy Magda is an old woman that is thin and wrinkly, and always is warning Harold about his future. They finally meet up with the circus; Mr. Hunter is the owner of the circus but he doesn’t decide if Harold can be a part of it yet until a girl named Flip decides first. Flip is a perfect girl that Harold gets chills when around. She gives him a job to take care of the animals. While Harold spends his time with the elephants he decides to teach them how to play baseball. It goes pretty well, and Flip helps him. He and Flip seem to hit off, but sometimes Flip doesn’t show any emotion. Harold finally gets the elephants ready to perform for Salem, but if they can’t, the cirrus will end. Wicks the cook tells Harold that Flip is only using him to train the elephants so they will be more valuable because Mr. Hunter owes her money, so if they are successful she will get her money. He soon later learns that Flip and Roman, the mean rigger that has bullied Harold in the past, are getting married. He is hurt; after that he goes to see for the first time, the Cannibal King, an albino. He learns that they are just the same, he gets told that it gets better in the future by the Cannibal King. They meet up with Tina, Samuel, and the Gypsy Magda and they all make up. They go back to the elephants and all play baseball; everyone in the circus comes and joins the game except for Flip and Roman who are watching. Harold tells them to come and play but Roman, who is scared of elephants, refuses. Harold told him that he would be the stable boy once they got married, so he stormed off and that might have ended the wedding, but Flip comes to play ball.

[Marla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this book 4 stars because it was a nice story of Harold and his journey about becoming a circus freak. Although I was a little upset with the ending it was a good book. In the beginning of the book Harold ran away from his home because he was upset with his stepfather and mother. He also saw a circus poster with the Cannibal King on it. The Cannibal King is an albino just like Harold so he was destined to meet him. Also all of the kids in Liberty made fun of him because of his pale skin. Harold also left behind his one and only best friend Honey, his pet dog. Harold meets Samuel and Tina while he is running away. They are both part of the Hunter and Green's circus. Tina is known as Princess Minikin and Samuel is the human fossil. They take Harold in and help him become part of the circus. Later in the book Harold meets the Gypsy Magda and he finds out that she is a fortune teller. After he meets the Gypsy Magda, Tina and Samuel give Harold his own room. Later on all of them are driving in the car and they get into an accident because it is raining. A man drives down the road with a sick daughter and the Gypsy Magda tries to help them but he refuses because he says they are "freaks". Eventually Harold assures the man the can help and the Gypsy Magda heals his daughter. The man takes them to his house and his wife dyes Harold's hair black. Eventually they reach the circus and Harold meets Flip and Mr. Hunter. Mr. Hunter hires Harold as the elephant trainer at the circus so Harold tries to teach the elephants how to play baseball. A while later Roman shows up and he has had history with Flip even though Harold thinks himself and Flip are a couple. Roman taunts and teases Harold with the names that he thought he escaped from in Liberty. Since Harold has such a strong bond with the elephants the biggest one, Conrad, protects him when Roman teased him. However Mr. Hunter thought the elephant was going to kill Roman so he almost kills Conrad but Harold persuades him not to so he has to stay with the elephants 24/7. Eventually one morning Harold come to find the elephants had finally learned how to play baseball on their own after lots of hard work. After that on the same night all of the freaks and non freaks come out to play baseball with Harold and the elephants. However during the game a terrible tragedy happens. Since Tina is so tiny the elephants don't see her so they step on the bottom half of her. She sadly passes away the most upset person is Samuel. Since he killed Tina, Mr. Hunter kills Conrad. Eventually Harold leaves and goes home to his mom, Honey, and Mr. Beesley.

[Allison Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harold, an albino, starts out as an insecure boy that thinks of himself as a ghost: no one can see him, no one can hurt him. He was fishing at the Rattlesnake and sees Tina and Samuel, two sideshow acts in Hunter and Green's circus. On his way home, he sees a poster with another albino name the Cannibal King who was in the circus. So, he decides to run away with the circus during the middle of the night and leave his mom, dog, and step-dad. He meets a man named Thunder Wakes Him, who is in the circus and takes Harold with him. A huge storm hits, but they finally meet up with Samuel, Tina, and Gypsy Magda (a woman that can tell the future). They travel together and come across many towns that are new for Harold. In one town, Harold stands up for himself and his friends for the first time. Harold also helps Gypsy Magda save a farmer's daughter, who is about to die, while on their travels. They finally reach the circus and Harold is introduced to Flip, who he instantly falls in love with. He starts to teach three elephants how to play baseball as his act. Flip always is trying to pull away Harold from his freak friends, but they had accepted him they their own child. Mr. Hunter finally welcomes Harold into the circus family and Harold is continuously pulled away from his friends. Flip always urges him to work with the elephants, and he finally teaches them to pitch, throw, and catch, like a real game. A rigger in the circus, named Roman, loves Flip, but strongly dislikes Harold. Harold goes down by the river to sleep, and when he awakens, is greeted by Thunder Wakes Him. Thunder Wakes Him gives Harold a safety razor, and Harold shaves for the first time. At one of their shows, the Gypsy Magda tells Harold his fortune and Harold is scared by it. Conrad, one of the elephants, defends Harold against Roman and protects him whenever Roman is bullying Harold. For example, Conrad almost kills Roman when he comes toward Harold, about to hit him. Harold finally meets the Cannibal King and finds out that he is a lot like himself. Every member of the circus starts playing a game of baseball with the elephants and an argument starts. Conrad starts to run and crushes Tina. Tina, before she is about to die, tells Harold to go back home to his mom. So, he tells everyone goodbye. Samuel was distraught. When he returned home, his mother was so overjoyed, and Harold finally accepted himself and his step-dad. I would recommend this book to others because it is an inspirational story about accepting yourself and not judging someone by how they appear.

[Kristi Bono · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning of the book, Harold is an overlooked albino boy in the small town in Liberty, USA. He only has one friend and that is his dog, honey who has always been there for him. In this small town, he is often bullied and made fun of by the other kids. He lives with his mother and her new partner because his father and his brother died in war. He has always missed them and always hoped he would come back so that him and his brother could go to oregan together like they had always dreamed of. When the circus comes to town, he sees so many other "freaks" just like himself and he wants to join because he thinks that he will finally fit in somewhere. He follows them to their next location with somebody who follows the circus, also, named Bob or Thunder Wakes Him. He is an old Indian and Harold and him go on a trip together to follow the circus. The main reason why Harold wanted to join the circus was to meet an albino man that had become famous. His name was the Canibal King. When Harold has the opportunity to join the circus, he immediately jumps in to take the position as an animal trainer. He is training the elephants, or the "roses". The,three elephants names are Maxgraph, Canary Bird, and the alpha male, Conrad. This elephant is also Harold's favorite. He want to be able to teach the elephants how to play baseball. He wants to prove that no matter how many people tell him that he cannot do it, he can push through. At this point in the book, he has already met so many new friends. For example, he has met Tina, Samuel, the Gypsy Magda, Flip, and Roman. He has a crush on Flip, but Roman is a tan, tall guy that gets all the ladies, and Flip starts to fall for Roman instead. When he finally teach the roses how to play ball for a whole game, the tiniest girl there, Tina, got stomped on by Conrad because the elephant though that she was hurting her master, Harold. When she dies, Harold tries to get the Gypsy Magda to save her life, like she did to somebody else earlier in the book, but she says that Tina was always so happy and that she would not want to live like that. She wouldn't want to live with no legs. The boss in charge of the circus then shoots Conrad for what he did to little Tina. Then at the end of the book, Harold goes back to his mother and to Honey in Liberty.

[Bennett Zollner · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning, Harold is fighting through his life in a small town through much discrimination and bullying. He and his dog, Honey, feel all alone until they meet a few friendly circus freaks, tiny Tina and hairy Samuel, at Hunter and Green’s Traveling Circus. That night he leaves his dog and mother to follow the circus. He joins up with Thunder Wakes Him, an old Indian, who takes him to the circus. Here at the circus his new friends introduce him to the circus. Then he meets Flip Pharaoh who he falls in love with. She later shows him the roses, a trio of colossal elephants. That was when he came up with idea to teach the pachyderms how to play baseball. Over time he goes from sitting with the freaks at breakfast and dinner to becoming very popular at the regular dining tent. Eventually, the pachyderms learn how to hit, pitch, and catch a baseball. Soon, a rigger named Roman arrives at the circus, who turns out to have a history with Flip. Roman has a strong hate for Harold and constantly tries to harm him. But, one specific elephant, Conrad, is always there to protect Harold. Once the circus began to move closer to Salem, Harold notices how bad the circus really is. It was filled with slow and clumsy acts that quickly lost the audience’s attention. After this they follow the Cannibal King, another albino Harold wants to meet, to their next stop before Salem. Later he learns that Flip has been using him so she and Roman could have money when they got married. With no hope left for him he goes out to meet the Cannibal King. At first, he seems scary, until Harold saw that he was just like him. The Cannibal King and Harold return to Tina and Samuel’s trailer where they decide to play baseball with the elephants. The whole circus, eventually joins in and are having a blast. Then Conrad hits the ball and starts to run around the bases when he stomps of tiny, little Tina. Tina tells Harold to go home before finally dying. Conrad is later shot and killed by Mr. Hunter . The next morning he says his goodbyes to his new friends and returns home to notice he has changed. He notices that he is no better than anyone else, but better than he used to be. Overall, I believe that The Ghost Boy was a fantastic novel because there is no other story like it and shows how people deal with life problems like discrimination and betrayal.

[Elsa Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that Ghost Boy was a very exciting book. It teaches you about self acceptance and to be who you are. Ghost Boy starts out in a small town called Liberty, where a boy named Harold lives with his mom, stepfather, and dog. Harold is an albino dealing with a lot of trouble. For example, bullies mess with him by taking his stuff and call him names. In addition, his father died in war and his brother hasn’t come back.

One day, Harold is walking back from the Rattlesnake River and he meets “freaks” from the circus named Samuel with his tiny friend Tina. Later that night, Harold decided to run away to go to the circus. He catches a ride with Indian Bob on his horse. They meet up with Tina, Samuel, and the Gypsy Magda; they are all delighted to see him. At a restaurant, the “freaks” are made fun of again. But this time Harold stands up for everyone. The circus keeps driving to their next destination and they get stuck in a muddy ditch. A farmer with a sick child comes and helps them out. In exchange, Gypsy Magda saves the child. They arrive at the circus and Harold meets everyone, including the beautiful Flip. Harold begins teaching the three elephants how to play baseball. Harold sees the lies of the circus and he spends less time with the “freaks”. Indian Bob gives Harold a razor as a symbol of turning into an adult. The elephants are getting better at baseball. Roman, the rigger, bullies Harold and in defense of Harold, Conrad (an elephant) nearly kills Roman. Mr. Hunter, the boss of the circus, almost shoots Conrad but Harold reasons with him. On the way to the next stop Harold has to ride with Wicks, the cook. Wicks helps Harold see the lies of the circus. Later, Flip tells Harold that she is going to get married to Roman. The whole circus engages in a baseball game with the elephants. Conrad runs the bases and topples over Tina. A short moment later, Tina passes away. Mr. Hunter then shoots Conrad. Harold decides to go home and the next morning says all of his goodbyes. When he gets home, he finds his mom and Honey surrounding him in love.
Dr. Seuss once said, “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” I thought that Ghost Boy was a book that kept you wanting to turn the page and taught you an important lesson of self acceptance.

[Katie Zollner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: In this novel a boy named Harold, who lives in a small town called liberty, is picked on and discriminated against. When Harold goes off to the river to fish he meets an old Indian named Thunder Wakes Him. Thunder Wakes Him tells him all about the circus which is where he works, and later on a man named Hopalong shows Harold posters of circus members including the Cannibal King. Next, he pursues the circus where he is taunted by kids and later pulled into a tent by a man named Samuel. In the tent he meets Samuel and Tina, two of "the freaks". Honey, Harold's dog, stays behind and later brings Harold a ticket to the circus. That night Harold leaves for the circus and gets a ride to its next location with Thunder Wakes Him. After a storm he runs into Samuel and Tina again and also an old woman named the Gypsy Magda. While they all head to the circus they go through many adventures like saving a young girl from certain death from illness. When they arrive at the circus he meets other "freaks" like Wallo, a sausage like man, and a girl named Flip. Flip uses Harold throughout the novel for her personal agenda which is to finally get her money from Mr. Hunter, the owner of the circus, by having Harold train the roses, elephants named Conrad, Max Graf, and Canary Bird, to play baseball. He later on meets a rigger named Roman who bullies on Harold because he is in love with Flip. For example, near the river Roman threatens to harm Harold while he is talking to flip, and Conrad protects Harold since they have an emotional bond together. Harold later unravels the story between Flip and Roman which is after Flip’s parents died she became very close with Roman and they planned to marry after she got her rightful money for the roses from Mr. Hunter. Harold finally meets the Cannibal King after waiting for a long time and discovers “the freaks” are normal people in disguises for the success of the circus. Before the circus arrives in Salem, the location in which Harold must have the rose’s performance ready, while the circus members practiced baseball Tina was crushed by Conrad and soon afterwards died. Then Conrad died afterwards because of the accident with Tina then the next morning Harold heads back home to Liberty to reunite with Honey and his mother.

[Shelby Merlau · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning, you meet the main character, Harold, who is an albino and is constantly tormented by other kids. He is having to deal with his new stepdad and his MIA brother who went to war. Around this time, he meets Tina and Samuel, who are acts in a traveling circus. They give him a ticket to the circus and before long, Harold packed up all his belongings and left everything behind to go to the circus and live with "freaks" like him. After traveling for days, they finally make it to the circus. Along his journey, he met the Gypsy Magda, a fortune teller, and many other people. After arriving at the circus, he gets a job from Mr. Hunter to be the elephant trainer. He also meets Flip Pharoah who doubts his abilities to train the elephants. Harold spends weeks training Conrad, Max Graf, and Canary Bird and teaching them to play baseball. As the training is taking place, Flip and Harold begin to bond and she continually tells him that he is not a freak. He grows farther and farther away from Tina and Samuel but Tina was always sweet to him. Then, Roman Pinski shows up and teases and taunts Harold. Flip tells Harold that her and Flip used to be a thing but that they weren't anymore. Conrad picks up on how rude Roman was and one day he attacked Roman. Harold stopped him before he was injured but he was furious. Mr. Hunter became enraged and almost shot Conrad but Harold talked him out of it. Flip and Harold drift farther apart and Harold finally meets the one person he came to meet, the Cannibal King, who is also an albino. Later, Harold brings everyone together to play a friendly game of baseball, Freaks vs. Elephants. When Conrad bats, he becomes out of control. He tramples Tina and within minutes, she dies. Mr. Hunter became so enraged he shot Conrad. The next morning, Harold said his goodbyes and went back home. He walked through town with confidence even when kids were teasing him. He finally made it home and gave his mom a big hug. I enjoyed this book because I thought it had a great message to accept others even if they are different that you.