U.S./Canada: Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin Group)
- Large Print: Thorndike
- School Book Club Edition: Scholastic Germany: Rowohlt France: La Martiniere Groupe Italy: Edizioni Piemme Greece: Patakis Spain: Ediciones Siruela Sweden: B. Wahlstroms Norway: Cappelen Damm Forlag Indonesia: UFUK Press Turkey: Artemis Yayinlari
Some terrifying things have happened to Olive in the old stone house, but none as scary as starting junior high. When she plummets through a hole in her backyard, however, she discovers two things that may change her mind: First, the wicked Annabelle McMartin is back. Second, there's a secret in an underground room that unlocks not one but two of Elsewhere's biggest, most powerful, most dangerous forces yet. With the house's guardian cats acting suspicious, her best friend threatening to move away, and her ally Morton starting to rebel, Olive isn't sure where to turn. Will she figure it out in time? Or will she be lured into Elsewhere, and trapped there for good?
West brings her poet's touch, along with a generous serving of whimsy, to these pages. Olive's everyday problems make her relatable and sympathetic, while her superhuman problems tickle the imagination. - Minneapolis Star Tribune
Every once in a while a book or a series of books come along that really grab your attention. The most recent book to stand out for me: "The Second Spy," Volume 3 in The Books of Elsewhere series… And boy, does it live up to its predecessors. - Cracking the Cover
With no way into the old McMartin house's enchanted paintings, Olive is getting desperate. Her friend Morton is still trapped inside Elsewhere, and the house's three guardian cats are reluctant to help. So when Rutherford, the oddball kid next door, mentions a grimoire - a spellbook - Olive feels a breathless tug of excitement. If she can find the McMartins' spellbook, maybe she can help Morton excape Elsewhere for good. Unless, that is, the book finds Olive first.
5 out of 5 stars… The Books of Elsewhere are great for boys or girls, with plenty of action, just enough thrills and scares, and lots of humor. - Atlanta Examiner
I loved The Shadows…and Spellbound might be even better, in that there is more of everything to love and some new things besides. - Books Together
[A] delightful tale filled with magic, adventure, danger and all the usual challenges of growing up. Written for young readers and featuring charmingly simple illustrations, this will capture the interest of adults as well and leave fans looking for the next installment… - Monsters and Critics
This is a charmer of a series filled with witches, magic, cats, and danger. Fans of the first novel in the series will be clamoring for this second one. - Waking Brain Cells
West's writing takes you on a spin through the world of Elsewhere, and it is impossible to guess what will happen next, right up to the superb finale.
- Red Wing Republican Eagle
Released in June 2010 by Dial Books for Young Readers.
Old Ms. McMartin is definitely, dead, and her crumbling Victorian mansion lies vacant. When eleven-year-old Olive and her dippy mathematician parents move in, Olive is right to think there's something odd about the place--not least the strange antique paintings hanging on its walls. But when she finds a pair of old glasses in a dusty drawer, Olive discovers the most peculiar thing yet: she can travel inside these paintings to Elsewhere, a place that's strangely quiet...and eerily familiar. Olive soon finds herself ensnared in a plan darker and more dangerous than she could have imagined, confronting a power that wants to be rid of her by any means necessary. It's up to her to save the house from the shadows, before the lights go out for good.
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 by Bernatene's moody and dramtically lit b&w illustrations - will have readers anxiously awaiting the next book. - Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
