Sometimes a book starts a little awkwardly, like the author was trying too hard to make a start and to get too many things in too soon or to make a special effort to mention some 'agenda'. I had to make a few allowances for this one because the story I was expecting to read, about a protagonist who sees ghosts, was worked into that crucial first chapter smoothly enough to hope for some good flow to the rest of the story.

It did flow well after, though I felt the narrative was 'young' for my taste, but it's targeted at YA and middle grade and I would say appropriate for the middle grade age group, apart from the diversions into conversations about 'God' that don't quite fit in and come across as if the author is laying ground to push young readers towards religious beliefs.

Ben Conover is a boy from a religious family, but he sees ghosts, especially a girl ghost who he calls Abby. His parents don't believe what he sees is real of course and try to get him to stop making comments about it. The story covers interactions with other kids, both friends and foes, as well as family members. There are a few lessons about following the lead of older kids, especially relatives, who do things you know aren't smart and about dealing with life in general from a 12-13 year old's perspective.

Overall I did enjoy the story, but it didn't really progress in a central theme and I thought the ending left some inconclusive loose ends. I liked Ben as a character, but I did think some of the situations could have been better developed or followed up.

Ben sees ghosts. He is able to communicate with them, but they don’t visit him very often. When he admits that he sees them to his parents and his friends, he receives a lot of pushback from his friends who make fun of him and his dad who sends him to a psychologist who tells Ben he’s not crazy but starts him on medication anyway.

This book reads like it was the author’s first draft. There are some good ideas here with the plot, but the plot isn’t ultimately fully developed.

The character is 12 for most of the book and going to be beginning junior high (7th) grade which would put this book most appropriate for a middle grade audience. However, this book is very difficult to follow at times, and while it’s clear throughout that it’s supposed to be a contemporary novel, there’s not enough of Ben’s world established to truly create that.

There’s also a whole lot of characters. Ben’s parents are referred to by their first names, and Ben also has an older sister who is only mentioned a few times despite the fact that she is 4 years older than Ben and lives with him. There are other characters that are brought up in one chapter, never to be seen again.


I had been really interested by the description of the novel, but ultimately, this reads too much like an unpolished first draft to be a good read.

An interesting perspective on people with "special" talents, shows that people can make wrong choices and then come back and make them right

Ghost Boy by Stafford Betty - This one I would suggest for 5-8th grade age maybe. Easy read with an intriging story.
7th grader Ben has always had friends...unfortunately no one can see these friends but him. Abby, who has been with him since he was little, he feels isn't so much a ghost as she is his guardian angel. She often helps him in times of trouble. His father believes Ben is hallucinating while his "real" friends decide to tell the whole school which makes him the target of bullies.
Ben takes the role of being a seer of the dead pretty seriously...and Abby? There's a reason she has chosen Ben.
#GhostBoy #NetGalley

Interesting idea for a book,and quite interesting if a bit slow for me in places,.I like different though so am going to give this 4 stars because it is different and did pique my interest,I also liked the main character .I enjoy reading books that stretch my imagination and make me think and this book did that.I couldn't read too many books like this, but I think I would struggle to find another one like it,this was a very original concept and quite different.Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an ARC.

Thank you first to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I wanted to like this book, but there were a few things that just held me back from being able to enjoy it fully. First off, I found the flow of the novel to be far too stop and go. It didn't flow naturally, and instead had an odd, jerky narrative that I found myself getting pulled out of time and again. Second, the characters were all rather robotic. I didn't get the sense of any real emotion, even when tragedy struck the family. It was glossed over, more "Oh, that's too bad!" than an a moment that made any real difference in the narrative.

Ben as a lead character is vanilla. Even though he's a 12 year old boy, I couldn't get a sense of who he was. I knew some of his hobbies, the names of his friends, but I didn't know anything about him other than he saw ghosts. The same goes for his parents. Everyone was just so bland. The dialogue was also quite painful at times. There wasn't the flow or emotion that goes into actual conversation, and that's something I really missed.

The twist near the end of the book was also disturbing to me. I won't say anything since it's a bit of a spoiler, but I found it to be very offputting, and even creepy. I thought there were other avenues the author could have explored other than the one chosen.

This was a very interesting read. It's one of those books that grabs you quickly and holds your attention. I really enjoyed how it read more like a collection of short stories rather than the traditional chapter book, and I will for sure recommend this to my tween patrons,

Thank you Stafford Betty and Netgalley for a copy of this title.
Wow! 5 stars. What a sweet book with so many lessons. Ghost Boy is a book that people with resound with for so many individual reasons. I am so glad I had the chance to read this book.

A nice sweet story about a boy that can see ghosts. Each chapter is different to the last, that makes it feel like lots of short stories together. The dad is a little controlling and mother is the opposite. I like how the characters evolve throughout the book. Ben’s future is sure to be interesting.

An interesting book but very different to any other I have read. A new insight into the subject of ghosts !!

This book was fast paced and fun. It gave the reader a different look on ghosts, so to speak.
Well written and engaging.

I really wanted to like this book. This was an ok read, it was slow to get into, and it never really picked up for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

A well written book full of positive messages. The main characters is well developed and the book can touch your emotions.
Strongly recommended!
Many thanks to John Hunt Publishing Ltd and Netgalley for this ARC

Good story line, the characters were well built up and I felt intrigued to know what happens next. There was a twist that kept me interested and I enjoyed the book and the plot but found it finished quite quickly.

I really enjoyed the chapters and found that they kept the story moving and interesting, it was a great short read for young adults.

GoodReads (02 June 2018): Ghost Boy by Stafford Betty. John Hunt Publishing Ltd. Our Street Books. Children’s Fiction, Teens & YA. Publication date: 31 Aug 2018. 5 Stars.

Super. Interesting from the start, this book is about a normal 7th grade aged boy who sees and communicates with ghosts. He struggles with his peer group and his father’s disbelief, finally overcoming opposition that threatens to alienate him from both worlds—and from himself. Positive messages for growing up as a sensitive human. Highly Recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ebook for review.