Still Life

June 15, 2014
In the final installment of the Books of Elsewhere series, Olive goes head to head with Aldous McMartin one last time, with the highest stakes yet.Two loose ends plague Olive and company-Aldous is running free somewhere and will inevitably return for revenge, and her good friend Morton has yet to reunite with his parents. After Walter officially moves into Morton's family home, Morton takes over to restore it to exactly as it was when his family lived there, in preparation for finding his parents. His suspicious, secretive way of going about this leaves Olive struggling to determine which secrets need to be uncovered and which should be left alone. One secret she uncovers is where Aldous has imprisoned Morton's parents. But adjusting to life outside Elsewhere isn't always easy for Morton and family. While the devious Aldous closes in on Olive, she discovers one last McMartin family secret. The illustrations solidify mood and heighten tension, and the cast of characters is rather large but colorful. The humor ranges from wry to silly, effectively balanced by the competent, threatening villain. In the end, Olive's concern is less about defeating Aldous and more about setting everyone else to right.A thoroughly satisfying reward for loyal fans of the series. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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August 1, 2014

Gr 4-7-In this fifth and final book of the series, Olive discovers something unusual on a trip to an art museum. Her journey leads her to uncover how Elsewhere was created, and along the way, she struggles to know whom to trust. The suspenseful and well-realized world that West has created comes to a satisfying conclusion. Now that the series has ended, libraries may wish to purchase it in its entirety. Hand these books to fans of Lemony Snicket, Pseudonymous Bosch, and Angie Sage.

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
In this series-ending fifth installment, Olive learns further secrets behind the paintings-as-portals magic of Elsewhere, its origins, and the world's creator. The magic's ability to preserve life indefinitely gets creepy, but characters with silly quirks keep the tone from becoming too dark. Illustrations are shadowy but still manage to make the heroes appear friendly.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)