Arnold, Louise 1979-

Personal

Born 1979. Education: University of Kent, degree (drama), 2003.

Addresses

Home—Canterbury, England.

Career

Writer.

Writings

Golden and Grey: An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost (children's novel), Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Golden and Grey: The Nightmares That Ghosts Have (children's novel), Margaret K. McElderry Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Sidelights

Louise Arnold did not win a school competition at age nine with her story "Boo the Ghost," but more than fifteen years later she reworked the story and won a contest sponsored by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that was designed to find the next J.K. Rowling, bestselling author of the "Harry Potter" books. After it won the BBC competition, which received thousands of entries from all over the world, Arnold's story was published in book form as Golden and Grey: An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost. The children's novel relates the story of eleven-year-old Tom Golden and his friend, Grey Arthur, who happens to be a ghost.

In Golden and Grey Tom's friendship with Grey helps the human boy overcome his feelings of alienation, but it also makes him the target of a kidnapping attempt. The story's mixture of a charming friendship and a suspenseful kidnapping received generally positive reviews. Steven Engelfried, writing in School Library Journal, praised Arnold's "inventive world of spirits," but found the plot "inconsistent" and the characters "undeveloped." On the other hand, a Publishers Weekly critic called Golden and Grey a "sparkling, crisply written first novel." Considering Arnold's "fast-paced," a Kirkus Reviews contributor concluded that the book "will have readers wishing they, too, had such remarkable friends."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2005, review of Golden and Grey: An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost, p. 677.

Publishers Weekly, August 1, 2005, review of Golden and Grey, p. 65.

School Library Journal, July, 2005, review of Golden and Grey, p. 95.

ONLINE

Blast,http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/ (October 20, 2005), interview with Arnold.

Louise Arnold Home Page,http://www.greyarthur.com (February 18, 2007).