From School Library Journal
Grade 3-7 -A friendless 11-year-old who gets picked on at school meets a ghost without a job. When Grey Arthur decides to become Tom's "Invisible Friend," things change for both of them. For some unexplained reason, the boy can suddenly see all kinds of ghosts and meets quite a few. In the novel's most amusing moments, Arthur describes the assorted ghost types to his new friend. These include Sadness Summoners, Faintly Reals, and several varieties of Poltergeists including Paperwork and Sock Harvesting specialists. When a con man posing as a psychiatrist kidnaps Tom, several of his supernatural friends join forces in the rescue effort. The intersection of ghosts and humans offers some funny moments, but the plot seems contrived as it veers from school problems to kidnapping. Tom is essentially a dull character; he whines frequently, and reacts to events but shows little individual personality. His total trust in the con man stretches credulity, and his parents come off as equally dense in that episode. The villain also veers out of character, foolishly trying to help a cat down from a tree in the midst of his grand evil scheme. Arthur is more fun, but the friendship between ghost and boy is not especially compelling. The inventive world of spirits portrayed here is the humorous draw, but an inconsistent plot and undeveloped characters prevent this from being a top choice in the ghostly humor field.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Booklist
Gr. 4-6. Misfit ghost Grey Arthur and 11-year-old Tom Golden (a frequent scapegoat of bullies at his new school) share the belief that life is unfair, which somehow magically bonds them together. Arthur becomes Golden's "invisible friend," and Tom develops the ability to see ghosts--which contributes to their friendship but causes problems when some Screamers and a Sadness Summoner frighten Tom. The Goldens consult a child psychiatrist to make things right; unfortunately, the charlatan just wants to use Arthur to win the lottery. Arnold's debut novel gets off to a slow start, but children who stick with the story will be rewarded by a rousing finale that serves up just deserts and involves the efforts of the entire ghostly community. The characters are multidimensional, and Arnold's alternate reality is well thought out: her ghosts are individuals who train for a variety of jobs--among them, poltergeist and chain rattler. Briticisms abound, but that won't deter anyone who has read Harry Potter. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
