The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows | Jacqueline West

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Olive has moved so many times to accommodate her mathematician parents' academic pursuits, but the house on Linden Street is different from their other white-walled apartments (and not just because she can't hear neighbors through the walls). There are nooks and crannies and endless rooms to explore. The previous owners' belongings - from a pair of mysterious eyeglasses to pictures permanently fixed in place - are still throughout the house. A chance encounter leads Olive to discover the relationship between the glasses and the paintings, but that is far from the house's greatest mystery. Will she learn which of the house's other inherited inhabitants to trust before its too late?

This book reminded me strongly of Coraline, with Olive distanced from other children her age and the child of pre-occupied parents, but the tales quickly diverge there. The Shadows is less of a morality tale and more the story of a girl coming into her bravery. The central mystery of the house is well-plotted and wrapped neatly, although the promise of a series is evident from the book title right on through to the last sentence. As I've said before, I'm not the biggest proponent of talking animals, but the three protective cats were an interesting element to the story. I liked the character Morton, a boy trapped inside a painting so long he has become part of it, the best. His storyline reminded me a lot of Michael Buckley's latest installment in The Sisters Grimm series, as they were traveling through storybooks, trying not to alter too much of the tales, lest they attract the attention of the Editor.

At the end of the day, there's nothing like a good ole-fashioned haunted house story, is there? Inspired by this read, I suggested my boyfriend and I listen to This American Life's House on Loon Lake while returning from a holiday party late last night. If you ever wanted the chance to explore a fully stocked abandoned house -- even if the repercussions are as scary as you imagine they could be -- I highly recommend this as a double combo.

Posted on Sunday, Dec 5, 2010