The Books of Elsewhere Vol. 1
The Shadows (Books of Elsewhere, Vol. 1)by Jacqueline West
Old Ms. McMartin is definitely dead. Now her crumbling Victorian mansion lies vacant. When eleven-year-old Olive and her dippy mathematician parents move in, she knows there's something odd about the place—not least the walls covered in strange antique paintings. But when Olive finds a pair of old spectacles in a dusty drawer, she discovers the most peculiar thing yet: She can travel inside these paintings to a world that's strangely quiet . . . and eerily like her own Yet Elsewhere harbors dark secrets—and Morton, an undersized boy with an outsize temper.As she and Morton form an uneasy alliance, Olive finds herself ensnared in a plan darker and more dangerous than she could have imagined, confronting a power that wants to be rid of her by any means necessary. It's up to Olive to save the house from the dark shadows, before the lights go out for good. (goodreads.com)
This book is SO MUCH FUN! When I first signed up for the 2010 Debut Author Challenge this was one of the first books I put down on my list that I wanted to read. The first thing that hooked me? The word "elsewhere" in the title. I love that word. Might sound weird, but I do. The second thing that hooked me was the cover, which I thought was something completely different (more on that later on). The last thing that hooked me - the summary.So, why didn't I read it until 2011? Well, for starters I couldn't get my hands on a copy. No one local stocked it and it was on super back order when I checked online. And then I got to the point where I couldn't buy books at all, especially not online. So when I got my gift card at Christmas I bought this book along with others. It shipped right away and I was sure I would get it before the end of December allowing me to add this to my challenge list of completed books. Sadly it didn't arrive until yesterday.I took the book with me to work, thinking I would read on my lunch break. Only as of last night and this morning I was feeling dreadful. I left work after 2.5 hours this morning and I seem to have a gastric flu. This my friends, is not fun. But as I was lying on the bed and couch today trying to find a position I could tolerate that lessened the nausea, I read this book. I could not put this book down.And now it's finished and I want MORE.See that cover up there? I thought it was a girl, in glasses, sneaking out of her bedroom window at night. Turns out, I was wrong. Yes, Olive is a girl, but that's not a window, it's a framed painting. The glasses are magic spectacles which allow her to enter paintings. Once I started reading the book I went back and looked at the cover and it clicked. I could see it all.And, and, AND! This book has pictures! I don't say that in a dumbed down way, I say that with sheer excitement and wonder. The images in the book just added to the mystery and mystic-ness of the story. You know what other books have pictures that add to the story? The Fablehaven series which I adore.I was captured by Olive and the big mysterious house almost instantly. The people and worlds in the paintings had me nervous and excited all at the same time. Who was watching? What was all this about? I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen in the story and although some of my suspicions came true, I was surprised by some other things as well. Pleasantly so.I would have devoured this book when I was 9 or 10 or even 13. It is such a great middle grade novel, similar to Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's Suddenly Supernatural series, only with a little more... depth I think I would say. (Not in a negative way to either story! I am Suddenly Supernatural's Number One Fan!)I honestly wish I could have gotten my hands on this book sooner, but on the plus side I shall have less of a wait until the next book comes out (July, I believe).The Books of Elsewhere