Book One: The Shadow Door (The ElseWhere Chronicles)

My daughter didn't like it. It wasn't engaging, she didn't like the characters. She finished the book in one day.. The style of the book caught me by surprise as well.

Bought this for my school’s library, kids weren’t really interested in it.

10 year old niece loves it

I picked up this graphic novel out of curiosity -- it was sitting on the shelf in our public library, and the cover looked intriguing. The tentacle featured prominently in the foreground and the mention of a "shadow door" made me think it might be a bit of "Lovecraft Lite," something darker and creepier than standard kid fare but still entertaining. There's nothing too Lovecraftian about the book itself, though... but for a first entry in a longer series, it's quite good, introducing us to an entertaining cast of characters and drawing us into their lives, as well as an alternate world that's fascinating, if barely introduced in this volume."The Shadow Door" opens with three neighborhood kids -- Theo, Max, and Noah -- watching a funeral from the wall of the cemetery. Said funeral is for Gabe, the town's resident "crazy old man," and one of the attendees at the funeral -- Rebecca, a feisty girl at odds with her stern parents and uncaring older siblings -- decides to ditch the graveside service in favor of exploring Grandpa Gabe's old house with the three boys. His house is chock-full of fascinating books, strange artifacts... and a device like a film projector that turns out to be the key to opening a portal to another world. And when Rebecca and Max are sucked into said alternate world, Theo and Noah must find a way to repair the projector and bring them back... before fearsome beasts and a mysterious entity on the other side can finish Max and Rebecca off.The art style in this book is quite good, stylized and cartoony but detailed enough to be pleasing to the eye. The colors run to the darker side of the palette, but that helps add to the general mood of the book and gives everything the appropriate creepy and menacing atmosphere. The lines are sketchy, but in a way that adds to the charm of the book rather than making it look sloppy. The world beyond the portal isn't terribly fleshed out yet, but what we see of it is imaginatively designed and fascinating.The characters aren't totally fleshed out yet, but we get enough glimpses into their characters to fill in many of the blanks ourselves. We can already tell, for example, that Max comes from a troubled home life, that Rebecca is adopted and feels like an outcast in her own family, and Noah and Theo are sort of the dorks and losers in their various social circles. We do meet a couple of characters from the other side of the portal, but we know almost nothing about them at this point -- perhaps that comes later in the series.For me, that's the biggest flaw of this book -- that for all this book tantalizes us with glimpses beyond the portal, it actually tells us very little about this Elsewhere world and its inhabitants. We get mention of an evil Shadow King, and apparently Rebecca's grandfather had traveled to said world, but all we get are mere fragments that don't add up to a satisfactory whole. I suppose the author was trying to lay out the groundwork for this series in this first novel, and get us to know the characters before kicking off their adventure. That's understandable, I suppose.While it's a bit frustrating not getting to see more than a few glimpses of Elsewhere in this book, it's a fine start to what looks to be an entertaining fantasy graphic novel. If your kids like the "Amulet" series, they'll probably enjoy "Elsewhere" as well.

my grandson loved this book

In the fictional realm of `other worlds', there are many entries of note. Narnia, the Earths Centre, Mars (ERB novels), Venus, and The Looking Glass world have given us adventure. In "The Elsewhere Chronicles", we go behind the Shadow door to discover the secrets of the Master of Shadows.Bannister and Nykko have created a remarkable thrilogy guided by the adventurous children Max, Rebecca, Noah and Theo. The funeral of old `Gabe' introduces the children to a house packed with mystery . A treasure trove of old books initially attracts the children, but it is the projector, and a phantom touch that leads them to the light and another world. Volume One introduces us to Norgavol, who resembles Grandpa Gabe, and a first excursion into the other world. "Shadow Spies" and "Master of Shadows" move us through the world as they help the inhabitants in their struggles.For a graphic novel, this original work (done in French and translated), the Elsewhere Chronicles is amazing. The characters are the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and the Fellowship of the Ring wrapped into one. They are fearful, brash, bold, and yet still so young. As a young man growing up in a small town, we often explored and imagined adventures like this in the landscapes around my home. I think this series will soon capture the imagination of readers around the world.The art is terrific, but make sure you have enough light. The dark panels fade into obscurity in low light, but the brilliant colours jump out. "Bright" is not only a descriptor for color but for the smart kids who go through this three book series.Check it out for your kids aged 6-12. Narnia may be too much, but Elsewhere will capture their imagination![...]Tim Lasiuta

My grandson read this book over and over, so I checked it out. I found it to be a cut above the usual graphic novels for this age range. The art alone is amazing. It is very well drawn and detailed, not some rush-job quicky. The story and vocabulary were pretty good, also. I liked the diversity of the characters and the way the main three clicked. All in all, job well done and the fact that my grandson read each book several times makes them worth it. Personally, I thought the storyline a little dark, but again, it was age appropriate and maybe I under estimated the interest value. Recommend for 6 up.