Shadow-Catcher [Hardcover]

Betty Levin (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

It is 1892, and Jonathan Capewell, a farm boy who dreams of becoming a big-city detective, is sent from home to look after his mysterious grandfather. Grandpa is a traveling photographer, and his independent ways have never included family members -- certainly not his youngest grandchild.

After a grueling journey, Jonathan and Grandpa shoot an image of a puzzling struggle on a raging river in the Maine woods. At first they don't suspect it's anything more than a logging accident. But later the scene comes back to haunt them when a stranger shows an uncommon interest in the undeveloped negatives.

Who is this over-friendly stranger? Why does he seem so determined to have those pictures? The clues point to something that Jonathan has already begun to suspect: what happened on the rapids that day was no accident....

Books for the Teen Age 2001 (NYPL)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this somewhat belabored whodunit set in the late 1800s, Levin (The Banished) introduces amateur sleuth Jonathan Capewell, who'd rather be on the "mean streets" of the city snagging "sly criminals" than do his chores on his family's remote farm in Maine. Jonathan's parents, however, have other plans for their son; they are anxious for him to spend time with his grandfather learning the photography trade. Trailing his grandfather on shooting sessions, then later working in Grandfather Capewell's studio in the nearby town of Masham, Jonathan learns to see with a photographer's eye. His heightened perception proves beneficial when he begins piecing together a puzzle involving a river accident he witnessed, the vandalism of his grandfather's cart and a mysterious stranger anxious to get his hands on some of Grandfather Capewell's pictures. Moving at a sluggish pace, the novel seems disjointed at the beginning and strained in the end as loose ends are forced together to form a neat resolution. The minor charactersDmost of whom play a vital role in the denouementDare sketchily drawn; Jonathan also lacks depth. Shutter-bugs may appreciate the book's details about 19th-century picture-taking, but readers craving action and suspense may do better elsewhere. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Jonathan's parents decide that he should leave the family farm and accompany his grandfather, an itinerant photographer, on his travels and learn his trade. Rather than teaching him anything, the man assigns the boy the boring tasks and hard work entailed in journeying by wagon in the late 1800s in rural Maine. At the logging camp, one of Grandpa's annual stops, Jonathan finally begins to understand his grandfather's profession, and the excitement of the log run down the river is a great introduction to the mystery that slowly unravels through the rest of the story. Levin is a solid writer and her style is well suited to this story that explores family dynamics and social mores as well as the vast difficulties in daily life. Unfortunately, her plot pace takes a while to pick up and it is only the last third of the story that moves with briskness and has child appeal. Many readers will grow impatient, rather than savor the slow unraveling of a mystery. However, for those willing to wait, there are strong female characters, realistic aftereffects of the Civil War for its veterans, family jealousies, and some racial tension and bigotry to accompany the slow accumulation of clues, and Grandpa and Jonathan's growth develops naturally and believably.
Carol A. Edwards, Sonoma County Library, Santa Rosa, CA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition (May 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688178626
• ISBN-13: 978-0688178628
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,785,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars History Mystery, May 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadow-Catcher (Hardcover)

Jonathan's Grandpa is under suspicion with the arrival of alady friend for Sunday dinner in this historical mystery which takesplace in the late 1800's in rural Maine. Grandpa is by profession a traveling photographer and when Jonathan is assigned to keep an eye on him as he travels to logging camps and the town of Masham unusual events begin to unfold. It's a tough task, not at all like the detecting done in the dime novels that are Jonathan's favorite reading material. Ostensibly training Jonathan to handle the camera and assist in the photography Grandpa is unhelpful, taciturn and unwilling to include him in anything but mundane tasks. Gradually the two develop some rapport, but as mysterious events dog their trail the clues multiply that a serious crime, maybe even murder has been committed and someone is after the photographic evidence. And they don't care who they harm to get it. A question of who to trust is at the core of solving the mystery and Jonathan discovers the answer when he questions his assumptions about friends and foes. Better than the usual plot and some engaging characters make this an attractive offering for kids in 4th-5th grade.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not that great, but good, May 17, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Shadow-Catcher (Hardcover)

Read my title, that's all you really need to know. It was okay, good, and bad in parts. It's a mystery, but I don't like (most) mysteries, and I liked this. It's an interesting book. Buy it, check it out, read it.