A review by allaboutfrodo
Behind the Bookcase by Mark Steensland

3.0

In Behind the Bookcase by Mark Steensland, two kids go with their parents to the creepy house their grandmother lived in before she died. They are going to clear the house out and sell it. Sarah discovers the land of Scotopia behind the bookcase in her bedroom. There she meets a cat who identifies himself as the King of the Cats, as well as a walking hand with a large eye in the palm and a boy with only half a face. Sarah makes a terrible mistake and sets out to fix things. Along the way, she meets other odd people in Scotopia, bickers with her brother, and learns to be less afraid.

I found Behind the Bookcase to be a fairly routine fantasy about other worlds with entrances into ours. There are occasional bright moments, but the best thing about it is the atmospheric black and white drawings by Kelly Murphy.

The fantasy world of Scotopia is well built, with a map to help you visualize the layout (although I found the introduction of another world later in the book unnecessary and not very helpful to the plot). Young people who enjoy stories about children who misbehave, cause problems, and manage to put things right will probably enjoy Behind the Bookcase.

I read an advance reader’s copy of Behind the Bookcase. The jacket says it will be on sale on October 9, 2012.