The Seer of Shadows [Hardcover]

Avi (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 25, 2008 | Age Range: 8 and up

Newbery Medalist Avi weaves one of his most suspenseful and scary tales—about a ghost who has to be seen to be believed and must be kept from carrying out a horrifying revenge.

The time is 1872. The place is New York City. Horace Carpetine has been raised to believe in science and rationality. So as apprentice to Enoch Middleditch, a society photographer, he thinks of his trade as a scientific art. But when wealthy society matron Mrs. Frederick Von Macht orders a photographic portrait, strange things begin to happen.

Horace's first real photographs reveal a frightful likeness: it's the image of the Von Machts' dead daughter, Eleanora.

Pegg, the Von Machts' black servant girl, then leads him to the truth about who Eleanora really was and how she actually died. Joined in friendship, Pegg and Horace soon realize that his photographs are evoking both Eleanora's image and her ghost. Eleanora returns, a vengeful wraith intent on punishing those who abused her.

Rich in detail, full of the magic of early photography, here is a story about the shadows, visible and invisible, that are always lurking near.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“An intriguing ghost story. Details about photographic processes add authenticity, while the book’s somber ending will leave spines tingling.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

“This tale proves that the time-honored ghost story, capably researched, well-paced and fusing the Gothic elements of mystery, madness and romance, can still thrill in the hands of a skilled craftsman.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“In perhaps his best work yet, Avi has created a truly chilling tale that will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned and the lights are turned out.” (Children's Literature)

About the Author

Avi is the author of more than sixty books, including Crispin: The Cross of Lead, a Newbery Medal winner, and Crispin: At the Edge of the World. His other acclaimed titles include The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Nothing But the Truth, both Newbery Honor Books, and most recently The Seer of Shadows. He lives with his family in Colorado.

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (March 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060000155
• ISBN-13: 978-0060000158
• Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 5.7 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #986,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

More info at avi-writer.com and facebook.com/avi.writer
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Avi is part of a family of writers extending back into the 19th century. Born in 1937 and raised in New York City, Avi was educated in local schools, before going to the Midwest and then back to NYC to complete his education. Starting out as a playwright--while working for many years as a librarian--he began writing books for young people when the first of his kids came along.

His first book was Things That Sometimes Happen, published in 1970, and recently reissued. Since then he has published seventy books. Winner of many awards, including the 2003 Newbery award for Crispin: the Cross of Lead (Hyperion), two Newbery Honors, two Horn Book awards, and an O'Dell award, as well as many children's choice awards, he frequently travels to schools around the country to talk to his readers.

Among his most popular books are Crispin: The Cross of Lead, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing but the Truth, the Poppy books, Midnight Magic, and The Fighting Ground.

In 2008 he published The Seer of Shadows (HarperCollins), A Beginning a Muddle and an End (Harcourt), Hard Gold (Hyperion) and Not Seeing is Believing, a one-act play in the collection, Acting Out (Simon and Schuster). Crispin: the End of Time, the third in the Newbery Award-winning series, was published in 2010. City of Orphans was released in 2011, receiving a number of starred reviews. Learn more at Avi-writer.com. Follow Avi on Facebook, facebook.com/avi.writer, where he shares an inside look at his writing process.

Avi lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife and family.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars seeing the unseen March 25, 2008

By Yumi VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

"photography reveals facts" or at least some form of the truth which is why people began to prefer it to paintings. Horace Carpetine, the main character and apprentice to the photographer Enoch Middleditch, finds himself in a difficult position when his employer looks to profit by deceiving a customer. Mrs. Von Macht has recently lost her only child and comes to Enoch Middleditch for a photograph to place on her daughter's grave. She appears to be a grieving mother but things are not as they seem and Horace soon discovers the horrifying truth. When the deception becomes reality, things quickly begin to unravel and suddenly, everyone is in great danger.

I loved the book because it is suspenseful and I have an interest in photography. I have developed film and watched an image appear in the developer so I could relate to Horace's love of the art. But while it is noted that this book is for ages 9-12, I would hesitate to give this book to a 4th or 5th grader. The nature of the daughter's death is disturbing and for children who are easily frightened, this book could discourage them from ever posing for another photograph. Also, because this book is set in the 1800's and photography was new, some of the terminology and equipment will be completely foreign to a child, especially in our digital age. But for more advanced readers who like a little horror, it's a great read!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars ghost story April 5, 2008

By Reader

Format:Hardcover

Enjoyed the book and the main characters. Subject matter may be too dark for a sensitive reader. I would not recommend for a younger reader.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite a Creepy Little Book May 25, 2009

By Tamela Mccann TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Avi's Seer of Shadows is a delightfully creepy tale designed to take its young adult readers into the darker side of ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Heck, even this *slightly* older than young adult reader found herself able to vividly imagine a sinister young ghost set on terrorizing those who wronged her in life, and the idea that a ghost can materialize through photographs is one often put forth in the paranormal community. No wonder I looked cautiously over my shoulder as I read alone late at night!

Young Horace Carpetine finds himself apprenticed to a rather lazy photographer in 1872; business isn't all that good, so when an odd appointment is made, Horace doesn't think twice about accepting on behalf of his master to photograph the seemingly bereft Mrs. Von Macht. Mrs. Von Macht wants to bring reassurance to her recently deceased daughter's spirit by placing a photo of herself on her tomb, but Horace's master sees the opportunity to set himself up as a "spiritual" photographer by manipulating the photo to look as though the ghost of Eleanora has returned. It doesn't take long for Horace and the servant Peggy to realize that Eleanora has indeed returned, and she's bent on revenge toward her adopted parents. Things rapidly spin out of control as the two race to protect the Von Machts and help Eleanora return to the spectral realm.

Rich in atmosphere, Seer of Shadows is a fast read that envelops you quickly. With more scrutiny, the ideas don't hold up as well, but that's all right since the book more than accomplishes its goal of scariness. More bothersome to me is the "romance" between Horace and Peggy, which definitely doesn't fit the time period (even if it does make for a nice element).... I liked how the story was tied up in the end, however, and could imagine someone telling this tale late at night at a slumber party. Good writing with just the right touch of the macabre. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A top-notch ghost story...and a first-rate historical novel. August 11, 2008

By KidsReads

Format:Hardcover

These days, when even my four-year-old niece has a functioning digital camera, it's hard to imagine a time when photography was still more mysterious than commonplace. Back in 1872, when Avi's THE SEER OF SHADOWS is set, photography was a brand new art form, a complicated set of processes understood by few and believed by many to be a sort of magic.

No wonder, then, that some unscrupulous photographers in the late 19th century took advantage of the public's ignorance of photographic methods and the simultaneous public interest in spiritualism, mysticism and ghosts of all kinds to launch a business in "spirit photography," in which images of a client's dead loved ones are superimposed onto a standard portrait or landscape photograph.

One of these shifty photographers, in Avi's novel, is Enoch Middleditch, a society photographer of little or no reputation. His apprentice, Horace Carpetine, tells the story of how Mr. Middleditch plotted an elaborate plan to dupe a grieving mother, Mrs. Frederick Von Macht, who desperately wants to put her late daughter's spirit to rest by placing a photograph on her gravesite. Mr. Middleditch has the idea to superimpose an actual image of Eleanora, the dead girl, onto a portrait of Mrs. Von Macht.

When Mr. Middleditch enlists Horace's unwilling help, however, little does he know that Horace actually has the supernatural ability to bring latent spirits to life with the photographs he takes. Horace, who was raised in a supremely rational household and with whom ghost sightings and spiritual phenomena hold little sway, at is highly skeptical about the ghostly images that appear in his photographs, and, later, about the mysterious figure that lurks in the corners of the Von Macht house.... But as the ghost becomes more real --- and more dangerous --- Horace finds himself believing despite himself. What secrets are the Von Machts hiding? And how can he help put Eleanora to rest before this vengeful spirit does real harm?

THE SEER OF SHADOWS is a top-notch ghost story, filled with mysterious sightings, angry spirits, unexplained phenomena and plenty of creepy atmosphere. It's also, however, a first-rate historical novel, as Horace is a believable, genuine inhabitant of a specific time and place --- New York City in the 1870s. Avi introduces readers to post-Civil War race relations, 19th-century educational practices, the Victorian fascination with spiritualism, and the elements of the photographic process --- all in the context of a thrilling, suspenseful ghost story.

Steeped in historical fact, grounded in elements of fact and science, the truthfulness of THE SEER OF SHADOWS in all things makes its supernatural elements that much scarier --- because if the history is true, might not the ghosts be also?

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl Read more ›