The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows (audio)

The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows (book 1) by Jacqueline West. Penguin Audio, 2010. Read by Lexie Friedel.
Audience: 3rd-5th grade

My Rating: 2.5* of 5
Summary: When eleven-year-old Olive moves into the crumbling old mansion on Linden Street, she's right to think there's something weird about the place, especially the walls covered in creepy antique paintings. But when she finds a pair of old-fashioned glasses in a dusty drawer, she discovers she can travel inside these paintings to Elsewhere, a world that's eerily sinister.
Comments: Well voiced by pip-squeakish Friedel. Sluggish and uneven for me, but with some original fantasy concepts that worked well. The painting element allows for wonderful imagery that is easily visualized by the listener. I didn't connect with the protagonist, Olive, nor her relationship with Morton, the foil character. However, the guardians of the house--three outlandish cats--provided much needed levity. The ending is handled in exciting fashion, though we were not left on much of a cliff to propel listeners into a second book.

Read-Alikes: Blubonnet list, 2011-2012
Read-Alikes: Coraline by Gaiman

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. 2008.

Audience: 4-8 Grade; Ages 8-12 (seriously, SLJ and Booklist?! hard to believe.)

My Rating: 4*s of 5

Summary: An old hound that has been chained up at his hateful owner's run-down shack, and two kittens born underneath the house, endure separation, danger, and many other tribulations in their quest to be reunited and free.

Comments: Well, now that it got a Newbery Honor maybe kids will read this one, but otherwise I can't imagine many 4th-8th graders would have picked it up. Beautifully written in a mystical, folkloric tone, the story constantly doubles back on itself as if being told out loud over a period of time. This was hard for me to adjust to for the first 1/3 of the book. Once I caught the rhythm (and the rhythm itself picked up) I enjoyed the experience much more. Ranger, Puck, and Sabine are absolutely as lovable as Gar Face is deplorable. I skipped the main abuse passage which was thankfully quick and soon atoned for. I wish the big decision twist at the end had been more foreshadowed or written into the character because I felt it was a bit convenient as is (but hey, this is a "children's" book, right?). Overall, a wonderful reading experience that I will be curious to see how many kids choose to enjoy.

Awards: Newbery Honor Book 2009

Read-alikes: