Golden & Grey
Written by Louise Arnold
Reviewed by Jaclyn C. (age 9)
The book I am reviewing is Golden and Grey. Louise Arnold brings this book to life with a lot of action and makes you wonder about what will happen next. I enjoyed this book immensely and never ever wanted to put it down. Every chance you get, you will want to pick it up and read.
Do you want a book about ghosts, friendship, and suspense? Then I suggest you pick up Golden and Grey. This is a book about a dull ghost named Grey Arthur, and an average boy named Tom Golden who gets teased. But when Grey becomes Tom's invisible friend, their lives change. Tom can see ghosts and talk to them. And when Tom's parents hear him talking to ghosts they can't see, so they hire Dr. Brown to see what's up with Tom. But, Dr. Brown believes Tom can see ghosts. Dr. Brown knows something more. Tom and Grey can help him cheat. Tom and Grey don't realize this until Tom disappears. Although, Dr. Brown is getting suspicious by making Grey take tests because Dr. Brown can't see ghosts. Some of the tests that Dr. Brown gives are pushing a toy car, writing, and playing bingo. Something's up with Dr. Brown. Suddenly, when Tom disappears things turn terribly bad. Can Grey help Tom from his death?
So many thoughts raced through my mind when I read this book. I found that Grey was pretty kind for a ghost. He helped Tom whenever he needed help. I felt so relaxed even when a creepy or not good part came up. Like when Tom was being bullied by Big Ben, I knew Grey would help Tom. My guess was right, Grey was always there for Tom. I always wonder why Grey helps Tom. I guess he just wanted Tom not to be so unhappy. Not a lot of people noticed Grey, so I think he knew what Tom felt like, left out, lonely, unwanted. I always thought of ghosts haunting people, but not Grey. Now I think of Grey as like superhero to Tom. I was also surprised of how Tom changed by the end of the book. In the beginning of the book Tom hated being able to see ghosts. He wasn't so sure about having a ghost as a friend. Tom was never able to talk and see to ghosts until then, he wasn't sure he could trust Grey. They had only met a couple days ago and then Grey asked if he could live with Tom and be his best friend. In the end Tom and Grey were best friends. When this happened my mouth fell open. I was shocked. At first Tom hated seeing ghosts, and then he was close friends with them.
A book Golden and Grey could relate to Escaping the Giant Wave. In Escaping the Giant Wave boy Kyle is bullied like Tom. But unlike Tom, Kyle has human friends and Kyle's human friends are bullied too. If Kyle and Tom met they would become fast friends. Kyle learned how to stop getting bullied and he could tell Tom. I would be very happy for them. They would each have a lot to talk about like how sometimes they each hide secrets from their parents. They would each have a lot in common too, like the way they both feel, deal with their problems, and how they survive the day. I would be so glad that Tom would have a human friend. At one point in the story I got very tense. Dr. Brown shoved Tom in the back of a van! I always had a funny feeling about Dr. Brown and this got me shivering. I thought to myself, “Will Grey be able to save Tom on time?” Dr. Brown locked the doors so Tom was trapped. I got very nervous when I figured out that Dr. Brown's house was a small hut. I thought, “A rich doctor would not have a hut for a house.” And then on the very next page I found out Tom was tied to a chair. He was helpless. He could do nothing but sit and wait for Grey to come help him. What will Tom do, can Grey help him?
I strongly recommend Golden and Grey book to grades 4 through 7. Get ready to go through a world of ghosts. This book is full of suspense like when Dr. Brown kidnaps Tom. So if you have a wild imagination then pick up Golden and Grey.