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The Seer of Shadows

by Avi

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 2,470 ratings · 547 reviews

Newbery Medalist Avi weaves one of his most suspenseful and scary tales--about a ghost who has to be seen to be believed and must be kept from carrying out a horrifying revenge.

The time is 1872. The place is New York City. Horace Carpetine has been raised to believe in science and rationality. So as apprentice to Enoch Middleditch, a society photographer, he thinks of his...more

Hardcover, 208 pages

Published March 25th 2008 by HarperCollins

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Community Reviews

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Dec 10, 2008 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s

In nineteenth century New York, 14 year old Horace has been raised to think scientifically and logically. So what is he to do when he is apprenticed to a photogapher who fakes "spiritual" pictures of his clients' deceased loved ones and real ghosts start to appear in the photographs that Horace takes?
This was a quick, informative ghost story meant for 8-12 year olds. Although it is filled with historical facts, the story is mysterious and thrilling enough to hold their attention. The vocabulary...more

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Dec 04, 2008 Shelley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, fantasy

3.5, really. Parts of it were really interesting (if you like photography, anyway, which I do) and parts were really creepy, but parts were also kind of annoying. Like ending all the early chapters with those super obnoxious, "But I never guessed what would happen next!" lines, or the ending that created a new story without an ending. Characterization could have been deeper, the ghosts/belief in them could have been delved into a little more and the climax could have been less rushed, but I thou...more

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Feb 10, 2011 Esther Duhigg rated it 5 of 5 stars

The year is 1872 and Horace Carpetine is the appretice of a photographer. Horace was raised to belive in science and reason, NOT ghosts and superstitions like that. But, when a whelthy lady orders a picture of her to be put at her daughters grave, Horace's empolyer decides to sell her more then just a picture... a picture with her daparted daughters ghost. Then when Horace takes the picture of Elenora's portrait, Elenora starts to come back to life. And sometimes when ghosts come back they can b...more

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Nov 11, 2010 Brooke Baker rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 10, 2008 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Children grade 4 and up. Adults who want to read a fun, quick story.

Recommended to Erin by: I found it on the library shelf

I found this book while searching books for my son, who is in Jr. High, to read. The cover was enticing, it looked like a good Halloween book. I brought it home not making a connection that my son hates "scary" things. So, I read it with my daughter, who loves a "scary" story. I really enjoyed the book. No, it was not "scary", for me. The idea behind the story was facinating to me. The thought that a person's spirit could manifest itself is something I totally believe in. The idea that it could...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Kathy added it · review of another edition

Shelves: king-s-korner

Review by Ashley Kelley

The seer of shadows takes place in 1872. It is about a woman named Mrs.Von Match who goes to a photographer named Enoch Middleditch and asks for a painting of herself so she could put it on her daughter Eleonora’s grave to see if she would come back to life.She died of scarlet fever and back in the days of 1872 they did not have any medicine to cure them.Mrs.von Match believes her daughter is restless because she was only 13 when she dies.”I love her very much”.A boy named...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars

3 months ago

Do you believe in ghosts? This book offers up the extremely odd and puzzling experience of young photographer's apprentice Horace Carpetine with unexplainable happenings.

This is a short, fast read, but an extremely enjoyable one! The author does a great job of creating a spooky, creepy and yet fascinating story that thrusts young Horace into a situation he can hardly believe, let alone figure out how to deal with.

As a young man in 1872 New York, Horace is apprenticed to a second-rat...more

3 months ago

Do you believe in ghosts? This book offers up the extremely odd and puzzling experience of young photographer's apprentice Horace Carpetine with unexplainable happenings.

This is a short, fast read, but an extremely enjoyable one! The author does a great job of creating a spooky, creepy and yet fascinating story that thrusts young Horace into a situation he can hardly believe, let alone figure out how to deal with.

As a young man in 1872 New York, Horace is apprenticed to a second-rate photographer and despite his distaste for his employer's morals, is enjoying learning about photography and anxious to take an actual photograph himself.

When he is finally given the opportunity by his boss, it is as part of a hoax the man is attempting to perpetrate on a wealthy client, in hopes of making money. The client requests a photo of the supposedly grieving mother of a deceased daughter. It is to be placed on the girl's grave to comfort her.

The unscrupulous photographer decides to create a double exposure of the mother's photo, and superimposed the daughter's likeness on it in hopes the family will ask for more photos, believeing their daughter's ghost to be near. As an unwilling accomplice, Horace is ordered to secretly photograph the portrait of the daughter will his boss is capturing the mother's likeness.

Although Horace is thrilled to finally be taking a photograph himself, he is dismayed at being caught up in what he believes to be an immoral scheme. Still, with no option he takes several photos of the portrait as well as one other photo he finds in the "coloured" servant girl's room.

When they return to the photographer's offices to finalize the doctored photo, Horace is perplexed to discover other photos of the same girl on the photo plate - photos he didn't take. And these photos show an angry vengeful looking girl which frightens Horace greatly.

Soon after, he begins seeing what appears to be the dead girl, but ALIVE and walking around! Horace is at a loss of what this means or what to do about it.

As he investigates, becoming friends with the client's young servant girl Pegg, he realizes that there is more to the situation than meets the eye, and he soon becomes convinced that not only are HIS photographs somehow the cause of what is going on, but that it seems a vengeful ghost is on the loose.

The story is clever with a good sense of place, and as we follow Horace and Pegg's attempts to determine what is going on, and what to do about it we also get a flavour of this time-period in New York. I really enjoyed this and would recommend it.
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May 21, 2012 Elaina Wiltshire rated it 5 of 5 stars

I this historical fiction novel, Avi perfectly shows the myth and mystery of the 19th century photography trade. His writing is both suspensful and thrilling, with each scene flowing masterfully into the next. Readers young and old will not want to put down this book!

Horace Carpentine is a young apperentice in 1872 New York City, At a young age, Horace was raised by his father to be intellectual in the fields of science and reasoning. This love for scientific truth inspires him t become the appr...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Jazmine Shoup rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

The Seer of Shadow, written by Avi, is an intriguing and page turning historical fiction novel aimed at more mature elementary aged readers, specifically grades 4 and 5. The novel is set in New York City in 1872, and follows the story of a 14 year old named Horace. As I read the novel, I was continuously intrigued and astonished by the plot line and character development throughout. I felt as though Avi did a remarkable job tailoring the story to a more mature audience, while still keeping the s...more The Seer of Shadow, written by Avi, is an intriguing and page turning historical fiction novel aimed at more mature elementary aged readers, specifically grades 4 and 5. The novel is set in New York City in 1872, and follows the story of a 14 year old named Horace. As I read the novel, I was continuously intrigued and astonished by the plot line and character development throughout. I felt as though Avi did a remarkable job tailoring the story to a more mature audience, while still keeping the story historically relevant and entertaining. Each of the characters throughout the novel served as vital parts of the puzzle that weaved together the plot and development of the story of Horace and his photographic journey with the Ghost of Eleanora.
The plot follows the character Horace Carpentine and his journey discovering the truth about the ghost of Eleanora. Horace begins an apprenticeship with Enoch Middleditch, society photographer. One of the wealthy clients of Middleditch is the character Mrs. Von Macht. Mrs. Von Macht recently lost the life of her daughter Eleanora, unknown to many what actually occurred to cause her unnatural death. A scheme is created to scam Mrs. Von Macht into purchasing more photographs from Middledith, but as a result the ghost of Eleanora is resurrected, and she returns to haunt and seek revenge on those that wronged her in her life on earth. As the memory of Eleanora is revelead through her arrival, Horace seeks out answers to her life and death. He discovers the haunting truth of Eleanora’s life primarily through the discussions he has with the servant girl Pegg. The plot of the story continues to hauntingly develop as truths are revealed about the true connection Mrs. Von Macht has to Eleanora, and the historical truth of her life comes to apparition.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the story for me was the language that was developed throughout. As a historical fiction set in the 20th century, Avi developed well the language and context throughout. The descriptions that were provided throughout were some of the most interesting and attention grabbing aspects for me as a reader. I felt truly connected to the story line, the time and setting, and the characters developed. A specific quote that exemplifies the great use of description in the novel can be found on page 60. “First, I prepared the hyposulfite of soda fixing solution, which would set the images. Next, I put out sheets of blotting paper. Third, I lay the round glass in the porcelain tray and gently moved in about for some three minutes. It took that long for the silver nitrate bits to stick to the collodion.” This is just one example of the detailed descriptions that were provided throughout the entirety of the novel to provide accurate and clear depictions of the setting, characters, and plot.
Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and think that it would be a wonderful choice of novel for older elementary aged readers. The book provides clear details and historical descriptions that young readers could learn from and connect with. Not only was the novel educational in purpose, but it was interesting and attention grabbing for young readers.
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Mar 29, 2012 Dustin Roberts rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: group-discussion-books

HISTORICAL FICTION

A fantastical historical fiction/mystery/ghost story. Set only a few short years after the civil war, we follow the apprenticeship of a 14 year old boy, Horace, under the teaching of Enoch Middleditch, a small time photographer always looking to get rich quick. When Mr. Middleditch is approached by a wealthy woman, Mrs. Von Mach, who wants to be photographed and claims to be grieving over the loss of her recent daughter, the photographer thinks he's found his opportunity at fo...more HISTORICAL FICTION

A fantastical historical fiction/mystery/ghost story. Set only a few short years after the civil war, we follow the apprenticeship of a 14 year old boy, Horace, under the teaching of Enoch Middleditch, a small time photographer always looking to get rich quick. When Mr. Middleditch is approached by a wealthy woman, Mrs. Von Mach, who wants to be photographed and claims to be grieving over the loss of her recent daughter, the photographer thinks he's found his opportunity at fortune. Middleditch concocts a tricky scheme to create a double exposed photo that will make it appear as though the ghost of the late daughter is lurking behind Mrs. Von Mach. But, Mr. Middleditch doesn't know the entire story. To complete his scheme, he depends on young Horace and a newly developed spy camera to be strapped to the young boy's chest and underneath his coat. Horace's job is to sneakily take photos of the portrait of the dead girl that are hanging in the Von Mach's mansion. Though Horace is struggling with whether or not to play a role in deceiving the family, this is his first opportunity to actually operate a camera, so he abides. Through a relationship beginning to build with the Von Mach's servant, Pegg, Horace is beginning to understand that Mrs. Von Mach may not be the grieving mother she claims to be, but in fact may be somewhat of a murderer. Young Horace does not yet realize the power his photography has and what it may mean for the Von Mach family. Being raised to believe in Science and ration explanation, Horace is the last person we'd expect to believe in Ghosts or Spirits. But, when he realizes he has no option or chance at rational explanation for the phenomena that takes place, he comes to one conclusion- he is a "Seer". He has no choice but to deal with his gift and he and Pegg must find a way to stop the ghost from returning for reparations.

Avi does an amazing job in bringing this Historical fiction to life. The language is an echo of the time period and all pages do an amazing job describing the setting with accurate depictions of the dress and customs of the late nineteenth century. Avi also does a spectacular job inspiring an appreciation for photography amongst his audience. We follow his detailed step-by-step instructions of the early development process of photographs in aw, as we learn of the painstaking time, attention, and caution it took to be a photographer.

The book's value for young readers cannot be understood in full if we don't take into account the clever way the author pulls in the main character's internal conflicts. We read of a young boy struggling between what is right and wrong in so many different situations. We see his mental anguish over deceiving others, over following advice from his parents, and the development of his relationship with Pegg, despite her skin color and what others may say. These attribute to the text make it even more valuable to young reader and the truth of life they may be experiencing.

Yet, I can't help but pay tribute to one more aspect of the book's uniqueness and value from scene in particular. It's not only found in Avi's beautiful descriptions of this scene, but in the way this particular scene ties the story of photography and the story of the book together. It's a beautiful cirlce. The scene is as follows:

Horace has begun to develop a photograph (page 69)- " Gently you slide the exposed but blank glass plate into this chemical bath. You wait for something to appear as if waiting on the shore of a mist-shrouded lake. Slowly, a shadowy image begins to reveal itself. It's as if the shadow were coming from some mystic depth, emerging from another world, little by little, taking bodily shape and form until that shadow becomes…real. Just what one would expect- would want- from a ghost." He continues, " I snatched it from the developer and plunged the plate into fixing solution. By doing so, I locked each image in time- caught it in visible life." A powerful foreshadow for what is to come in the book, and a description of the power of Horace, the "seer" of shadows.
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Mar 20, 2012 Tami rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, juvenile-fantasy-scifi

For all you fans of creepy, supernatural suspense stories–The Seer of Shadows is a great book for you! The story is told from the point of view of Horace Carpentine, who was fourteen in 1872, when the story takes place. He is apprenticed to the photographer, Enoch Middleditch at a time when photography was new and becoming fashionable.

Horace has been raised to believe in equality for all people and to find logical explanations for everything that happens in life. His father’s adage “let the dead...more

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Dec 05, 2011 Allyson Sparks rated it 3 of 5 stars

Seer of Shadows is a mystery novel that captures the readers attention because it is very suspenseful. The book starts off pretty slow, most of it discussing the detail of the setting and lays down the foundation which the story is based off of. The story takes place in New York City in 1872, a time when photography was still new and very few were skilled photographers. Once you get past that part of the book, things get more interesting. Strange things begin to happen when photographer apprenti...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Mara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-to-buy, historical-fiction, supernatural

I am not a great fan of supernatural stories simply because I like things to make sense, but I am a great fan of Avi, and I am a great fan of the Victorian era. Seer of Shadows was definitely one of the best ghost stories I have read in a long time. Avi presents his Readers with brilliant, complex characters that have very distinguishable traits, and while he works with a very small cast, he pulls it off extremely well without making the Reader wish that there were a few more new people.

The stor...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Brenda rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those who love a good old fashion ghost story

Recommended to Brenda by: Author Jacqueline West

In the spirit of All Hallows Read, author Jacqueline West (of The Books of Elsewhere), offered a giveaway of Avi’s The Seer of Shadows and a signed hardcover copy of her book The Books of Elsewhere, Volume Two: Spellbound on her blog. I've read both of her books and just love them. Thank you for the signed book Mrs. West and the copy of Avi's book as well.

Ok, so to the current review. I've never read many ghost stories and certainly not many books that are written in the time period of 1872 but...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Paula rated it 3 of 5 stars

A fun, quick read. This young reader is set in 1872 New York City. Horace is a 14 year old apprentice to a not so upstanding photographer, Enoch Middleditch. As the story opens, Pegg, a servant of wealthy Mrs. F. Von Macht appears in the photography studio to ask that a sitting time be scheduled for her mistress. Upon meeting Mrs. Von Macht, who is in grieving for her recently departed daughter, Eleanor, Mr. Middleditch devises a plan to put a likeness of the dead daughter in the photograph, pla...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I loved the first and middle sections of this novel. The unique narrator really placed this novel in its historical significance. It was suspenseful. The characters, with the exception of Pegg, were perfectly developed. It had great potential.

The problem came in the end, like most issues do. The ending was increasingly disappointing. The climax was too quick and easy, and it made this evil ghost look like a weakling. I'm still confused as to what happened to Mrs. Von Macht. I reread the one sect...more

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Nov 18, 2010 Lacey Librarian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, horror, ghost-stories

It had been a long time since I'd read a good old-fashioned ghost story, so I decided to give this one a whirl. It's about an apprentice photographer who, with his boss, plan to create fraudulent photos of ghosts to increase their sell. But the boy finds out that ghosts really ARE appearing in his photos, and that by photographing them, he has the power to "bring them back" from the Other Side.

The main ghost story centers around a niece who was neglected to the point of death by her aunt, becaus...more

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Aug 05, 2009 Elizabeth K. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008-new-reads

This is one of those times where what I thought this book was going to be about would have been a better book than what it is actually about. It's set in New York City in the late 19th century, and a young boy is serving as a photographer's apprentice. Then the photographer decides to start a little scam making fake spiritualist photographs. I was really liking it at this point. It's Avi, so the story is nicely layered and everyone's motivations feel both complex and appropriate. The parts about...more

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Jul 27, 2009 Suebee rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Set in Victorian NYC (1872), Horace is a smart 14-year-old apprentice to a lazy photographer. A rich woman in mourning (Mrs. Von Macht) arrives at the studio to request a portrait of herself to place on her dead 13-year-old-daughter's grave. While she spins a tale of motherly love and death due to scarlet fever, Horace finds out from Pegg, the young black servant girl, that Eleanora, the dead girl, died due to neglect. Eleanora was the woman's niece, and she was heir to a huge fortune when her p...more Set in Victorian NYC (1872), Horace is a smart 14-year-old apprentice to a lazy photographer. A rich woman in mourning (Mrs. Von Macht) arrives at the studio to request a portrait of herself to place on her dead 13-year-old-daughter's grave. While she spins a tale of motherly love and death due to scarlet fever, Horace finds out from Pegg, the young black servant girl, that Eleanora, the dead girl, died due to neglect. Eleanora was the woman's niece, and she was heir to a huge fortune when her parents died at age 11, which was why her adoptive parents neglected her - to inherit her money. Pegg came to the Von Macht home with Eleanora as a servant, even though Pegg was educated as a sister along with Eleanora in Eleanora's home.

Horace's photographer Enoch Middleditch. sets to make himself rich by creating a "spirit portrait" and slyly devises a way to print a double negative so that the portrait appears to have the rich lady's dead daughter's image in it. Mrs. Von Macht and Mr. Von Macht are incensed by the portrait and accuse Middleditch of fraud, so he leaves town by simply leaving a cryptic note for Horace and taking all his cameras with him.

Horace, however, discovers that he is a "seer" and that any image he takes seems to bring out the spirit world. He sees the ghost of Eleanor throughout the Von Macht home. When he accidentally presses the shutter button on a spy camera in the Von Macht home, Eleanora's face mysteriously appears in the print. When he is asked to take a portrait of Eleanora's grave in secret, Eleanora, full-bodied, appears in the pictures. Eleanora's ghost is awakened by his picture-taking, and she even appears in the "fraud" photo shown to the Von Machts, as an evil and menacing face.

Eleanora's ghost haunts the Von Macht home and she uses the candlestick (purchased after her death with her inheritance money) to light the Von Macht factory on fire and to light the Von Macht home on fire and kill Mrs. Von Macht (Mr. Von Macht is already dead, presumably at the hand of crazy Mrs. Von Macht).

Pegg and Horace live with Horace's family, telling them that the Von Machts died in a horrible accident and that the apprenticeship was terminated.

At age 18, we learn that Pegg and Horace marry and that they move to Vermont, where Horace sets up a studio for photography. Spirits still appear in his pictures, but he never shows them to his clients.

A neat portrait of early picture making and of Victorian America.
Also a great portrayal of an educated black girl at this time.

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Mar 28, 2012 Alisha Slone rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

The story takes place in New York City in 1872. It is the story of a young boy Horace Carpetine about 14 years old, who with his father’s help became an apprentice to a local photographer. Horace is a very smart young boy who has won school prizes for mathematics and practical science. His father talks with him often about logic and scientific proof of things and doesn’t believe in anything superstitious.
One day a young black servant girl comes to Mr. Middleditch’s shop to see about getting a p...more The story takes place in New York City in 1872. It is the story of a young boy Horace Carpetine about 14 years old, who with his father’s help became an apprentice to a local photographer. Horace is a very smart young boy who has won school prizes for mathematics and practical science. His father talks with him often about logic and scientific proof of things and doesn’t believe in anything superstitious.
One day a young black servant girl comes to Mr. Middleditch’s shop to see about getting a picture taken of her mistress Mrs. Von Macht. She speaks to Horace and he sets up an appointment for the next day. The young girl’s name is Pegg. Mrs. Von Macht comes the next day to speak to Mr. Middleditch about the photo. She wants it to set by her deceased daughter’s final resting place in the family tomb. She also wants the photo taken at her house. While Mrs. Von Macht is describing how her daughter Eleanora passed away Horace notices Pegg shaking her head in disagreement. When she sees him looking at her she lowers her head.
Mr. Middleditch tells Mrs. Von Macht it will take two days if it is to be done at her home since they will need one day to get everything ready and must have water to process the pictures. Mrs. Von Macht agrees and says money is of no concern. Mr. Middleditch has an idea to create an allusion of a picture with a ghostly image in the background, by doing a double negative and creating the image in the picture. He instructs Horace to take his spy camera and get as many pictures’ of Eleanora as he can since Mrs. Von Macht told them there were pictures of her all over the house.
On the day the photo is to be taken Horace and Mr. Middleditch are picked up by the Macht’s coach. When they arrive Pegg takes Horace to the scullery where there is water and he begins to prepare the plates and chemicals to process the pictures. Horace asks Pegg why she was shaking her head and Pegg tells him how the Macht’s weren’t Eleanora’s real parents they had adopted her and abused her until she died only to get control of her money her mom had left her. Eleanora was Mrs. Von Macht’s niece. Horace tells Mr. Middleditch about this but he isn’t interested, he only wants to make money from the fake picture. The next day while everyone is busy Horace sneaks around the house looking for pictures of Eleanora but can only find one in the stairwell. Horace decides to look on the second and third floor of the house for more pictures because he isn’t sure Pegg is telling the truth. On the third floor in a room he believes to be Pegg’s he finds one more picture and takes it. He took two of the one in the stairwell and one in Peggs’ room. He hears a noise behind him and as he turns around he accidently takes a fourth picture. It is Pegg who has come in the room, and she tells him a little more about how Eleanora died. She became very ill but the Von Macht’s refuse to call a doctor unless she signs the papers giving them control of her money. Eleanora dies and they get their money.
When Horace develops the pictures he sees not three pictures of Eleanora but four. The fourth is a ghostly image of Eleanora that should have been Pegg since she is the only other person in the room. Mr. Middleditch makes his fake but doesn’t realize he is using a picture of a real ghost. Horace is asked to go to the family plot to take some more pictures so Mr. Middleditch can make some more ghostly pictures…While there Horace sees a young girl in a black dress flash by but can’t find her anywhere. As he is developing the pictures he sees another image of Eleanora and it is becoming clearer. Eleanora is becoming more real as each picture is taken. Horace and Pegg discuss this again at a secret meeting since they are becoming friends and trusting each other more.
Mr. Middleditch presents the first picture to Mrs. Von Macht and pretends not to see the ghostly image for a while. She is scared of the picture but tells him to send her the bill. Mr. Von Macht is very upset and calls the local police to meet Mr. Middleditch at their house. They request that he return all the negatives but he decides to leave town and leaves Horace a note not saying when he will be back. Mrs. Von Macht wants another picture taken to be sure even though her husband is against it. She tells Horace she is sorry for what she helped to do to Eleanora.
Horace has to decide whether to let Eleanora kill the Von Machts or help them. He decides to help the living and goes back to the house. While there he sees Eleanora with a candle stick trying to set the house on fire and yells at her. She disappears but sets one of the Von Machts fish warehouses on fire. The building is destroyed, and Horace sees Eleanora there at the fire. Horace talks with Pegg and she tells him Eleanora was a loving and very friendly person and she treated her as her sister when she was alive. The person she has become as a ghost is the tormented and abused child the Von Machts created. She was 13 when she died. Pegg doesn’t want anything to happen to the Von Machts either.
Horace comes up with a plan to try and get rid of her. It has to do with the chemicals used to create pictures. If you leave to paper in the chemicals too long or expose them to a bright light the picture turns dark and there is no image. He mixes up a large bottle of chemicals and together they decide to go to the Von Machts house and try to sneak in. The Von Macht’s have fired all the servants and Pegg and Horace have to sneak in thru the coal chute. As they look around the house they hear Mrs. Von Macht looking for Eleanora begging for forgiveness. Mrs. Von Macht has killed her husband. Pegg and Horace follow Mrs. Von Macht upstairs to Eleanor’s room and hear her talking to her. As Eleanora is about to hit Mrs. Von Macht Pegg tries to reason with her and for a moment Eleanora is fill with love and affection for her sister. But she shoves Pegg aside and strikes Mrs. Von Macht with the candle holder. Horace throws the developing solution on her. The candles catch the room on fire and the bright light causes Eleanora to darken all over and she disappears. The children can’t get Mrs. Von Macht out of the house and have to save themselves. The house is destroyed.
Horace takes Pegg home with him to meet his parents since she has nowhere else to go. They live with his parents until Horace turns 18 and get married. They have one child together a little girl and they name her Eleanora. Horace continues to take photographs of landscapes and tries not to take pictures of people because he still sees ghosts of the family members of the people in his pictures. He never lets them see these images. His daughter becomes very ill and begs him to take her picture in case she dies they will have a picture of her to remember her by. But Horace is afraid of what he will see and doesn’t.

I enjoyed the story a lot. It kept me interested and wanting to read more.
Horace was truly a Seer of Shadows.
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Mar 10, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

I must admit this one surprised me. It was spooky!

I liked the original idea that Horace's taking pictures was allowing the spirits of the departed to return to this existence, and, upon their return they were the opposite (as in a film negative) of what they were in life. The ghost of Eleanor was chilling, the spirit of a mistreated child bent on revenge.

I liked Horace's acceptance of Pegg, and the fact that of all the characters in the book he was the only one not to really notice her skin. I w...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, ya

I am an Avi fan and I love a good ghost story so I was intrigued to read this story. The ideas were solid and the writing was there and for the age group it was a geared for, I think it did an okay job for being a scarey book. It gave the reader something to think about and it wasn't too creepy but for other books in this genre in this age group it definitely is not at the top. Avi is a great writer and I have found that he can write excellent drama and he leaves the reader wrapped up inside the...more

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Jan 19, 2011 Tamra rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I like Avi in general, and I liked this particular book alright, but I also had some issues with it.

What I liked:
- Leading up to the climax was suspenseful and intense. At least, appropriately so for a children's book.

- It was a fun, easy read. I always enjoy Avi's style.

What I disliked:
- The main character/narrator has a late-1800's voice that comes and goes. I know it's a children's book, but the voice didn't seem very authentic to me, nor did Avi keep it up throughout the book. (I don't think...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Nicole Prescott rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was a wonderful, creepy, and captivating book. The story is about a young photographer who has a job photographing an older lady, who claims that she wants these photos to place at her daughters grave. Once the photographing begins, he begins to notice transparent images of a young girl in the photos. As time progresses she becomes more and more realistic and angry. He discovers, by talking with the house maid, that the girl is the ladies "daughter". This is not the case however,...more

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Aug 06, 2010 Sandra Stiles rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grades, horror

Product Description
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...more

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May 17, 2011 Margaret rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: level-elementary

5/15/11 ** I found this book to be incredibly well crafted, with some marvelous examples of metaphoric imagery. Apprentice-photographer, Horace Carpetine, is drawn into the swindle about to be attempted by his employer, a Mr. Middleditch. Middleditch is engaged by an apparently grieving mother to make a photographic portrait to hang on her young daughter's grave; seeing an opportunity to make a larger fee, Middleditch decides to create a double image - one with both the mother and daughter in it...more

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May 11, 2010 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, rll-595

This book was GREAT, I could not put it down. A simple read of only 202 pages, the book flies and any minute you are not reading it- you want to be. The characterization is fantastic, as is the plot. What begins as a mystery turns into a horror story that is both young adult appropriate and engaging for more mature readers.

Set in New York in 1872, this book not only is an entertaining fictional read- but one that gives the reader a glimpse of the times. The Von Machts and the photographers come...more

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Oct 11, 2009 Josiah rated it 2 of 5 stars

"There is a limit to how much a seer wishes to see."

—The Seer of Shadows, P. 202

I thought that this was a good ghost story of the 1800s. Avi does a nice job of setting the scene for how it was back then, allowing the color and full flavor of the story to make itself clear in much the way that a developing photograph of that time period would slowly easy its way into focus.
Anyone who likes stories of haunted places or people, or enjoys being regaled with tales of vengeful haints who are broug...more

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Dec 05, 2008 Michal Kaplunovsky rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a scary but good book... i meen really good!!!

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Jul 12, 2012 Auggie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, middlegrade, spooky

Set during the time when Abraham Lincoln was president, slavery just abolished, the civil war ended, and photography a new and mysterious technology AVI presents us with Horace, a young boy apprenticing with Mr. Middleditch the local photographer. As a logical, practical, and ethical boy he is unnerved by Mr. Middleditch's scheme to swindle the local grieving with double exposed pictures featuring images of their deceased loved ones.

But, something's very strange. There's an image that shouldn't...more Set during the time when Abraham Lincoln was president, slavery just abolished, the civil war ended, and photography a new and mysterious technology AVI presents us with Horace, a young boy apprenticing with Mr. Middleditch the local photographer. As a logical, practical, and ethical boy he is unnerved by Mr. Middleditch's scheme to swindle the local grieving with double exposed pictures featuring images of their deceased loved ones.

But, something's very strange. There's an image that shouldn't be there. A true ghostly figure that only Horace can see. An angry ghost. A ghost out for revenge. A shadow of the person it had been in life. How does he come to terms with this ability, put the tormented ghost to peace, and maintain his sanity all at the same time?

Of course, this is a middlegrade book so you go in not expecting too much from it, but hoping that there's at least a good story there. Well, my hope paid off and this was a most charming book to read. As a child I would have been shivering as I read, thrill creeping up my spine at the ghosts, the shadows, and the intrigue. As an adult I am not nearly as moved by the creepiness of the book, but I appreciate it just as much.

AVI is a spectacular children's author and his books are perfectly constructed to appeal to the adventurous side of young people. "The Seer of Shadows" was a fantastic ghost story with an even more fantastic ending, because it was not necessarily a happy one.

AVI was sure to place in his story an underlining theme of respecting human dignity, human rights, which cornered on the concept of human equality despite race or class differences. AVI makes sure to point out that it is not the color of your skin that determines who you are as a person using Pegg and Horace as prime examples of two people who are incredible for who they are not how they look.

I will definitely be keeping this one for my future kiddos to read.

I certainly recommend this book to all of you readers out there who like a good, quick, paranormal mystery to perhaps read on a rainy afternoon. (less)

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About Avi

Avi is a pen name for Edward Irving Wortis, but he says, "The fact is, Avi is the only name I use."
Born in 1937, Avi has created many fictional favorites such as The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing but the Truth, and The Crispin series. His work is very much desired by readers young and old.

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Crispin: The Cross of Lead (Crispin, #1)

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“All I can think is that when you torment a person...the soul dies. When the soul dies, I suppose mercy dies, too.” — 14 people liked it

“There is a limit to how much a seer wishes to see.” — 6 people liked it

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