In the Shadows

Gr 7 Up—In an inspired collaboration, White, author of urban fantasies and all things paranormal, pairs up with artist Di Bartolo to create a dark, moody, and mysterious hybrid novel. The story consists of alternating narratives, one in prose and one in vividly colored, sometimes horrific wordless graphic novel panels. It isn't immediately apparent if or how the two narrative threads are related. That fact alone might keep readers turning pages. White's story is about two sisters, Cora and Minnie, who live with their mother in a boardinghouse in Maine. After spying on the town witch and getting caught, Cora blames herself for the death of her father the next day. When a mysterious stranger, Arthur, comes to board, along with two brothers from New York, Minnie involves them in the folklore of their sleepy Maine resort town, only to discover that they are in an evil place, surrounded by watchers, and in more danger than she could have ever thought possible. What do you do when the web you weave ensnares not only the people you love, but the people and things you should fear the most? Di Bartolo's stunning artwork takes readers across the globe and spans from the turn of the 20th century to the present. While not for strictly linear thinkers, this absorbing tale will reward patient readers with a thrill of an adventure. Upon completion, teens will find themselves thumbing through it all over again, if only to put together the pieces of the puzzle that Di Bartolo keeps in the shadows throughout this eerie volume.—Meg Allison, The Moretown School, VT