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Summary
Summary
Horace Carpetine does not believe in ghosts. Raised to believe in science and reason, Horace Carpetine passes off spirits as superstition. Then he becomes an apprentice photographer and discovers an eerie--and even dangerous--supernatural power in his very own photographs. When a wealthy lady orders a portrait to place by her daughter's gravesite, Horace's employer, Enoch Middleditch, schemes to sell her more pictures--by convincing her that her daughter's ghost has appeared in the ones he's already taken. It's Horace's job to create images of the girl. Yet Horace somehow captures the girl's spirit along with her likeness. And when the spirit escapes the photographs, Horace discovers he's released a ghost bent on a deadly revenge. . . .
Author Notes
Avi was born in 1937, in the city of New York and raised in Brooklyn. He began his writing career as a playwright, and didn't start writing childrens books until he had kids of his own.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Newbery Medalist Avi (Crispin: The Cross of Lead) sets this intriguing ghost story in 19th-century New York City, where a photographer's apprentice has a horrifying run-in with a spirit bent on revenge. In the fall of 1872, 14-year-old narrator Horace Carpetine reluctantly becomes involved in his employer's scheme to dupe a superstitious client, wealthy Mrs. Von Macht. The plan is to make a tidy profit by producing a double exposure and offering her an unusual portrait, one incorporating a superimposed image of her dead daughter, Eleanora. Events depart from the expected when the ghost of Eleanora literally enters the picture, and Horace discovers his ability to capture departed souls on film. Suspense builds as the Von Machts' servant, Pegg, reveals secrets about the Von Macht family and explains that Eleanor's angry spirit, brought back into the world through the camera lens, may want revenge on both Mrs. Von Macht and her husband. Mirroring both the style and themes of gothic novels of the period, the story takes ghastly and ghostly turns that challenge Horace's belief in reason. Details about photographic processes add authenticity, while the book's somber ending will leave spines tingling. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Middle School) When fourteen-year-old Horace becomes an apprentice to Enoch Middleditch, society photographer, he joins the growing ranks of juvenile protagonists (Annie Grey from How It Happened in Peach Hill, rev. 3/07; Maud Flynn from A Drowned Maiden's Hair, rev. 11/06) engaged against their will in spiritual fleecing. When the wealthy Mrs. Von Macht asks Mr. Middleditch to take her picture so that she can place the portrait at her deceased daughter's gravesite, he decides to try some photographic sleight of hand. Mr. Middleditch plans to superimpose an image of Eleanor in the mother's portrait and instructs Horace to use a miniature camera to photograph any likenesses of the dead girl in the Von Macht home. Short chapters with tantalizing cliffhangers heighten the suspense as Horace begins to doubt the authenticity of Mrs. Von Macht's grief (as Eleanor's devoted companion Pegg suggests), and that suspense comes to a head when Horace's photographs not only capture images of Eleanor but also unleash her vengeful ghost. Set after the Civil War in New York, this dandy mystery re-creates and stays within its historical period while also introducing characters confronting timeless questions of personal honor. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Horace, apprenticed to a shady photographer in New York City in 1872, is placed in an awkward position when his employer decides to take advantage of a wealthy lady who tells them that her daughter has recently died. Sent to photograph pictures of the child so that her ghostly image can be superimposed on the mother's commissioned portrait, Horace befriends a black girl who works in the lady's household. From her he learns that his employer is not the only one trying to hoodwink others. In an intriguing twist, the lad learns that he has a supernatural power that draws ghosts into his world, a power he cannot control. Avi's latest is a fast-paced, yet haunting portrayal of an upright boy trying to make his way in a world that has suddenly gone strange and dangerous. Written from the point of view of Horace as an adult, this engaging novel has great immediacy and strong narrative drive.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2008 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-7-Avi's gothic tale (HarperCollins, 2008) about a young man, raised by abolitionist parents in New York City in 1872, who becomes apprenticed to an unscrupulous and prejudiced photographer is ably realized by narrator Stephen Boyer who captures the initial innocence of Horace Carpetine and then his growing awareness and skepticism about his boss who is trying to convince a wealthy patron that he has captured the image of her deceased daughter, Eleanora, in a photograph. To Harrison's amazement, he learns through the wrongly treated servant, Pegg, that Eleanora was not the VonMacht's daughter and was never loved, except for her money. Boyer captures the moods of all the characters and the tension of the tale. Pegg and Horace's hushed conversations reflect the humanity of the story as they realize that the once sweet Eleanora is now a twisted spirit bent on revenge against those who wronged her. Their growing desperation to save the VonMacht's, who don't deserve their kindness, is also well captured. The afterward nicely pulls all of the loose ends together. This suspenseful, frightening tale will haunt listeners long after it is over.-Edith Ching, Washington Latin Public Charter School, DC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In 1870s New York, at the intersection of scientific advances in photography and post-Civil War superstition, sentimentality and mourning, Horace's father apprentices him to a spirit photographer. He discovers that, while his employer is a swindler, Horace himself is a "seer" on whose photographs genuine ghostly images appear. In this way, he discovers the ghost of a young heiress whose ill treatment at the hands of her adoptive parents has led to her death. When her angry spirit returns seeking revenge, Horace tries to put her ghost to rest and save lives. Avi portrays a complex main character who is torn between his impulse toward honesty and rational thought, his love of the new technology of photography and his need for employment. This tale proves that the time-honored ghost story, capably researched, well-paced and fusing the Gothic elements of mystery, madness and romance, can still thrill in the hands of a skilled craftsman. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
The Seer of Shadows Chapter One It was an October morning in the year 1872, and New York City's air was so befogged with white mist and dark smoke that I could barely see across the street. All the same I was attending to my daily chore of sweeping our small front court with its painted sign: Enoch Middleditch Society Photographer Chancing to look up, I was startled to see a black girl standing just beyond our low iron gate. It was as if she had just stepped out of the haze, dressed in her somber cotton servant's garb. A tiny wisp of curly black hair poked out from beneath her white cap. Though clearly she was a servant, her posture was upright, quite proud, and not at all deferential. I judged her to be about the same age as I, fourteen; but her smooth face, round and dark, seemed devoid of emotion until I noticed her eyes: They were full of a deep and brooding intensity. My first thought was that she was looking at me, but then I realized it was our sign that held her attention. "May I help you?" I asked. She turned her gaze upon me. "Who are you?" The question, asked so bluntly, was unexpected. "I'm Mr. Middleditch's apprentice." "Does he make portraits?" "Portraits, cartes de visite , and studies." "My mistress, Mrs. Frederick Von Macht, requires a portrait." "Then you've come to the right place." "Good," said the girl. "She will be at your door tomorrow, at two." Though surprised by her presumption, I said, "I'll tell my employer," perfectly aware that Mr. Middleditch had no pressing matters to attend to. Business was anything but lively. With a curt nod the girl turned and walked away, vanishing into the mist as eerily as she had appeared. Not only did I wonder where she'd come from and gone to, I was uncertain whether to believe her or not. But knowing it would be a good thing if her mistress did come for a sitting, I put aside such questions and hurried into our rooms to inform Mr. Middleditch that he actually had a customer. Still, there was something very unsettling about the girl, so much so that I could not get her out of my mind. Was it the way she'd suddenly appeared and disappeared into the mist? Was it the tone of her voice? Was it the brooding look in her eyes? That said, I shall be the first to admit there was nothing about her appearance to foretell the extraordinary events that were to follow. The Seer of Shadows . Copyright © by Avi . Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from The Seer of Shadows by Avi All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.