Book Two: The Shadow Spies

by Nykko, Bannister (Illustrator)

Overview

With the Shadow Door shattered and the passageway closed, Rebecca and Max set out across the dangerous lands of ElseWhere to find a way home. Wherever there is darkness, the Shadow Spies - servants of the Master of Shadows - lie in wait to stop them. Back on the other side of the door, Noah and Theo are working on a rescue. With the clues left behind by Grandpa Gabe and the help of new allies, can they find another passageway and keep the Shadows from destroying our world?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761339649
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2009
Series:	The ElseWhere Chronicles , #2
Pages:	56
Sales rank:	221,628
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	GN510L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 10 Years

About the Author

Nykko is the author of several graphic novel series, including The ElseWhere Chronicles (Les Enfants d'ailleurs), originally published in French by Dupuis, which won the 2007 Lyon Festival Youth Prize. Nykko lives in Perros-Guirec, France.


Bannister was born in 1973 and has been creating graphic novels since the age of 17. He is the illustrator of the popular Tib & Tumtum series andThe ElseWhere Chronicles series. His work has also appeared in Flight Explorer (Villard Books/Random House) and several editions of the Flight anthology. 

Editorial Reviews

Gr 4-8

Upon the death of a neighborhood recluse, Max, Theo, and Noah meet the man's adopted granddaughter, Bec. In her grandfather's effects, they find the means to travel to another world that's filled with strange plants and peoples and deadly shadow creatures. Unable to return the way they came, they must fight their way to other gateways. The three volumes comprise one story arc, introducing the characters and the world, and ending with the dangling promise of future adventures. And while there are fun and beautiful moments, the primary story objective is survival, and there is a continual sense of peril. The action sequences are clear and suspenseful, providing an interesting contrast to the charming figure work. There are frequent cute touches, which occasionally prevent the young heroes from expressing some of the tension and depth required in the more intense sequences, but overall the books effectively grab readers and create a compelling emotional landscape to complement the alien one. It's therefore a pity that the third volume feels rushed as it arrives at its conclusion. Due to the open-ended final panel, it makes sense to retain some dangling threads, but the key antagonist is never fully realized, and the sacrifice of a major character happens without sufficient explanation.-Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH

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