Prasa o książce:

“Poet West's debut novel is a quirky and clever beginning to The Books of Elsewhere series. The Dunwoodys, "a pair of more than slightly dippy mathematicians," and their 11-year-old daughter, Olive, have just moved into an old Victorian house. Olive has learned to be independent, given her parents' aloofness ("Her persistently lackluster grades in math had led her parents to believe that she was some kind of genetic aberration"). She explores the house's eccentricities and discovers that, by donning a pair of spectacles, she can enter the house's many unsettling paintings. Inside one, she encounters nine-year-old Morton, who brings to her attention the secrets that the house and its late owner are keeping. With the help of three talking house cats, Olive works to patch together clues to save the painting-dwellers from their dark fate. The house is as much a character as are Olive, Morton, and her family, and a wicked sense of humor tempers the book's creepiness. A suspenseful plot and insight into childhood loneliness--handily amplified byBernatene's moody and dramatically lit b&w illustrations--will have readers anxiously awaiting the next book.”--Publishers Weekly, STARREDReview

“I would rate this book a 9.5 (out of 10). The story waswell-written, clever and completely unpredictable. I jumped out of my seat and gasped as some characters I had completely gained trust in became unreliable. I felt like I was standing side by side with Olive as she encountered each new problem. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as the breathtaking and mind-blowing adventures took place. This is a great summer book that will let your imagination run wild.” --TIME Magazine for Kids

“Jacqueline West builds an eerie and mysterious world. A steady stream of details ensures that readers will continue turning the pages as they try to solve the mystery of Olive's house along with her.”- Junior Library Guild,Featured as “Summer Selection”

 “Hair-raising adventures can be found close to home this summer. Soon after 11-year-old Olive Dunwoody moves into a rundown Victorian mansion with her nerdy mathematician parents, she realizes something isn’t quite right. It's full of oddities like strange paintings hanging on the walls and a trio of talking cats lurking in the shadows. While Olive's parents busy themselves solving math problems, she decides to work out the mysteries of the dusty old pictures by plunging headlong into the world on the other side of the frames. But, will she be able to escape the hidden dangers of Elsewhere? From the first few pages of The Shadows: The Books of Elsewhere, middle grade readers will be hooked on this spooky new series.” --Lauren Nemroff, Editor at Amazon, Selected it as one of Amazon’s “Best Books of the Month, June 2010”

“Olive Dunwoody and her mathematically minded parents move into an old Victorian home complete with the deceased owner's furnishings. Olive first notices that something is wrong when she can't take the paintings off the wall. She sees things moving in them. Then, while rummaging through the drawers, she finds a pair of glasses and tries them on. Olive can now enter the paintings and talk to the people in them. She is warned by a talking cat named Horatio not to spend too much time in there or to lose the glasses. She meets Morton in a painting and learns that he was forced into it because of a conversation he overheard. Olive is determined to find out more about the house and its history. But who can she trust? Her neighbors, the talking cats, or the people in the paintings? The expressive black-and-white illustrations contribute to the overall spooky mood of the story. The plot moves quickly as Olive pieces together clues. Recommend this book to reluctant readers and fans of Neil Gaiman's Coraline.”--School Library Journal

“The first book in The Books of Elsewhere series has a tall order to fill: publicity materials compare author Jacqueline West to Roald Dahl and Neil Gaiman. Luckily for readers,The Shadows does not disappoint…West introduces a spooky, magical world that will--BookPage

“A delightful romp of a book that combines mystery and fantasy, this book is filled with laughs, tension and plenty to discover…Westhas woven the tension of a good mystery with magical touches that make this book sparkle. West’s writing is something special. She creates great images with her descriptions throughout the book…Olive is a protagonist who is very human, often lonely, and at the same time clever, funny and just the type of person one would want for a friend.  The villains in the book are handsomely evil and thoroughly enjoy it.  The dangers are grippingly written, helping to add to pleasure of this light read that has wonderful dark moments too.  This is a book to be raced through and then read again to see all of the details and foreshadowing. This book would work well as a classroom read aloud or a bedtime read with older children, but the best way to read it would be under the covers with a flashlight!  Get this into the hands of Coralinefans who will find a similar heroine to enjoy here.” --Kids Lit

“Full of magic and mystery, this spine-tingling tale features a spunky heroine and first-rate storytelling.”--Education.com

“The plot, as well as the character of Olive, will seem familiar to readers of light fantasy, but West does put her own nice spin on things. Most fun are the talking cats—Horatio, Leopold, and Harvey—whose commentary keeps things fresh. By book’s end, Olive has made some inroads into the mysteries of her new home, but it’s a very large house.”--Booklist

“[West] has a knack for description and excellent prose. There’s a sense of the weird and creepy throughout the book, like in Roald Dahl’s best stories... I couldn’t wait to see what it said next.”- Forever Young Adult

“Golly, this is a good read even if you’re seven times as old as you’re supposed to be.”-- Dave Wood’s Book Report

“The Books of Elsewherejust blew me away.”--New Richmond News

“[Olive is] an intrepid adventurer, the more charming for her determination to overcome her fears. West brings this launch title to a roundly satisfying close but leaves room for plenty more excursions to Elsewhere.”--Shelf Awareness

“This is an absolutely lovely readfor the connoisseur of fantasy for the young…West's writing carries things along just swimmingly, with enough description to make things come alive in vivid detail without hindering the build-up of tension. I enjoyed it tremendously, and recommend it highly, and eagerly anticipate the next book.”--Charlotte’s Library

“With illustrations from Poly Bernatene enhancing the strong haunted house mystery, Jacqueline West providesan exhilarating middle school age tale. Fast-paced, young readers will want to join courageous Olive as she investigates the goings-on inside the painting world and the house, but is unsure who to trust with her growing concerns especially in light of her parents thinking logically that she is playing make believe.” --Alternative Worlds