Book cover
Ages:
10
+
Engagement:
Author:
Jacqueline West
Genre:
Horror
Published:
2010
Page Count:
241
Where to Buy:
Ages:
10
+

The Shadows

The Books of Elsewhere
#
1

When eleven-year-old Olive moves into an old Victorian house, she discovers three paintings that serve as portals to a shadowy, magical world, and befriends a boy trapped inside—but the house and its former owner have dark secrets. The first in the Books of Elsewhere series, atmospheric and genuinely creepy.

Content Ratings

No Romance
There is no romantic content; Olive's relationship with Morton is based on her desire to help him escape.
Moderate Themes
Olive is lonely and desperate for friends; Morton has been trapped for decades and is slowly fading; the house itself is malevolent; themes of isolation, the danger of magic, and the courage to face darkness are emotionally significant and genuinely spooky.
Moderate Violence
Characters are trapped in paintings and threatened by dark magic; the house's former owner was a sinister magician; Olive faces supernatural danger; violence is magical and frightening but not graphic.