Ghost Boy cover art

Ghost Boy

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Ghost Boy

By: Iain Lawrence
Narrated by: George Guidall
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £17.99

Buy Now for £17.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Kids have been picking on 14-year-old Harold ever since he can remember. They stare at him and call him "maggot" or "ghost boy" because he's an albino. Even his mother seems angry and withdrawn when he's around.

One day the circus comes to town, and Harold runs away to join it. When Fossil Man and Princess Minikin accept him into their family, he feels that he has at long last come home. As he gains the respect of the circus owner and the beautiful trick horseback rider, Harold suddenly finds himself straddling the line between the normal people and the "freaks." If only he could figure out the omniscient Gypsy Magda's warning about the high price of being "normal".

Iain Lawrence builds an insightful metaphor with this story of a teenager facing his fear of being an outsider. Narrator George Guidall is the perfect guide for readers as they join Harold on his poignant journey toward self-discovery and acceptance.

©2000 Iain Lawrence (P)2001 Recorded Books
Coming of Age Fiction Friendship Growing Up Self Esteem & Self Image Young Adult Carnival Runaway
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Cat's Maw cover art
In the Path of Falling Objects cover art
Stepping on the Cracks cover art
How It Ends cover art
Hope Farm cover art
Halloween and Other Seasons cover art
Milkweed cover art
The Dragon's Tooth cover art
Gods of Howl Mountain cover art
AFRAID - Tidbits of the Macabre cover art
The Hunger and Other Stories cover art
Double Forté cover art
Thursday's Child cover art
The Door Before cover art
Sleepy Hollow: Rise Headless and Ride cover art
Midnight Robber cover art

Critic reviews

"The setting is wonderfully realized and captures the magic of the big top and the decidedly different world behind the scenes. This touching novel will speak especially to readers who consider themselves different, flawed, or misunderstood." (School Library Journal)

What listeners say about Ghost Boy

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Poignant

Any additional comments?

There are plenty of good stories about teenagers who don't fit it and carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. This is another, but carefully selected characters and a credible sense of the cruel reality of a failing circus where nothing is real, just show and deception make this story stand out. Combine this with a sensitive portrayal of albinism, a condition I never realised came with such hardship, and the pervading sense of human dignity and the meaning of its loss and you have a tale that stands out from the crowd.

I was a little unsure about the choice of narrator when the reading started, an older voice rather than younger, but it was the right decision by the editors. It fits the mood of the story and lends a strength to some of the adult characters that might otherwise have been missing.

Thouroughly recommended. The 11-13 age recommendation seems to me a little young and certainly a little resricted. This is a story all can enjoy and most can learn something from.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!