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A review by jlynnelseauthor
The Shadows: The Books of Elsewhere: Volume 1 by Jacqueline West
5.0
A delightful middle-grade novel with an original concept and fun characters. It’s quirky, spooky, and has an unpredictable mystery to unravel.
Our MC, Olive, is a girl who doesn’t know where she fits in. Her parents are math geniuses, and she is most definitely not. She’s moved around a lot and doesn’t have much experience having friends. This is very relatable to many middle graders who are still trying to figure themselves out. My daughter also loved the MC’s name, Olive, since hers is Olivia.
West’s prose is poetic and observational. She draws clear pictures to mind and brilliantly lets readers into Olive’s imaginative thought process. The pace of the story is great with many surprises to discover. I loved the cats, the magic system, and Olive’s growth throughout the story--what a great heroine for young girls!
Magic, mischief, and mayhem abound in this extremely enjoyable tale. I look forward to more and highly recommend.
Our MC, Olive, is a girl who doesn’t know where she fits in. Her parents are math geniuses, and she is most definitely not. She’s moved around a lot and doesn’t have much experience having friends. This is very relatable to many middle graders who are still trying to figure themselves out. My daughter also loved the MC’s name, Olive, since hers is Olivia.
West’s prose is poetic and observational. She draws clear pictures to mind and brilliantly lets readers into Olive’s imaginative thought process. The pace of the story is great with many surprises to discover. I loved the cats, the magic system, and Olive’s growth throughout the story--what a great heroine for young girls!
Magic, mischief, and mayhem abound in this extremely enjoyable tale. I look forward to more and highly recommend.