Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
What is going on at Grandma Winnie's house? What will Sarah find behind the bookcase and will she be able to undo all the bad that Balthazat caused? What will happen to Billy, Jeb, Edgar, and the bat - Joshua? Will the dead make it to Penumbra? Find out when you go Behind the Bookcase.
This book is beautifully illustrated and has made me want to read more. The ending left me with a lot of questions to be answered as well.
This book is beautifully illustrated and has made me want to read more. The ending left me with a lot of questions to be answered as well.
The illustrations are great. The story is ok, I just did not understand the ending and had to check twice if there really were no pages missing...
The premise of the book was interesting, but I was let down. On Goodreads it says if you like Alice in Wonderland, The Twilight Zone and Caroline than you will most likely enjoy this book. I didn't feel this to me true. Although it does have some of those elements in the book, the descriptions weren't strong enough. For instance if the author could have written more of the five senses into this book than I would have been more immersed in the book. The characters to me also seemed a little flat. This maybe because the book was geared for ages 8-12 (so basically middle grade). This may have been written this way so the book wouldn't have seen as complicated and if this is true I can understand that. I did enjoy the illustrations as well. The book ending seemed so incomplete to me. Overall, I do recommend this book because it is a simple read with an interesting premise.
Basically this reads as a detailed testimonial for why you should always have a death plan. Sarah's Grandma Winnie dies without one, and it throws multiple worlds into chaos, unleashes a very passive army of the dead, as well as setting up events to allow a vindictive dictator access to the ordinary world. So basically, make sure you talk early and often with your friends, family, and heirs about what should happen if you die.
Also: horrific transformations as punishment, questing adventures to multiple worlds, sibling rivalry, etc.
Also: horrific transformations as punishment, questing adventures to multiple worlds, sibling rivalry, etc.
3.5 STARS
I enjoyed this one, it was dark, creepy, and magical. I loved how this was full of illustrations, it made it a lot more fun. However I felt like it was a tad too whimsical for me and started to confuse me at parts and even got a bit boring. I'll talk about it more in my wrap up. If you liked Coraline, Alice in Wonderland, and Spirited Away I'd say give it a read. :)
- Richard
I enjoyed this one, it was dark, creepy, and magical. I loved how this was full of illustrations, it made it a lot more fun. However I felt like it was a tad too whimsical for me and started to confuse me at parts and even got a bit boring. I'll talk about it more in my wrap up. If you liked Coraline, Alice in Wonderland, and Spirited Away I'd say give it a read. :)
- Richard
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
This was really creepy and weird and yet boring at times. I liked it but kinda hat to force myself to finish it.
The Books of Elsewhere meet Dante's Inferno with a dash of Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe-- Sarah's grandmother dies, and the family goes to sort out the house to sell it. Sarah soon discovers her Grandmother was not deluded and creepy, as her mother feels, but a gatekeeper of the dead, sending them to purgatory (Penumbra, in the basement)) until they're sorted into heaven (Ormaz) or hell (Scotopia) which exist between matching bookcases. Sarah's first foray behind the bookcase leads to her meeting a villainous cat, snowballing the plot into solving one problem after another to get everything back in the right world.
Like it!
Hmm . I don't really know what to think of this book except I liked it . I wonder what the author was trying to portray or tell us because believe me apart from the adventures, I got nothing. But it was different and kinda okay.
Overall, 3.5 stars.
Hmm . I don't really know what to think of this book except I liked it . I wonder what the author was trying to portray or tell us because believe me apart from the adventures, I got nothing. But it was different and kinda okay.
Overall, 3.5 stars.