The Seer of Shadows

by Avi

Book Overview

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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060000155
• ISBN13: 9780060000158
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

A 4th Grade Student Review

The Seer of Shadows draws you into 1872 where instead of taxis they had horse-cabs. And when you became 14 you were expected to get a job and sometimes move out of the house just like Horace Carpentine does. Horace is a seer of shadows and can make ghosts come back. AVI really draws you in with mystery, the old days, and a great choice of words. It can be a little scary so I would reccomend it to 4th grade and up. If you liked the Goosebumps series I gaurentee you'll love this book! So give it a try, it might just scare your socks off! ~ Aeromellow

Very Dark and Well-Written

Horace Carpentine is a photographer's apprentice in the suburbs of New York City at around 1800 when they get a job for the Von Macht family who are very wealthy. Mrs. Von Macht wants some photos of herself so her "beloved" daughter Elenora can be "peaceful" in her grave. Mr. Middleditch, the photographer, wants to get a lot of money, so he puts in Elenora the "ghost" in the background to please Mrs. Von Macht, or so he thinks. But when Horace befriends the servant girl, Pegg, he learns the real reason why Mrs. Von Macht wants the photo. From then on, Horace needs to put Elanora's soul to rest, and stop the revenge the Von Machts may deserve. I think that the "Seer of Shadows" was an extremely well-written mystery. It was very dark so you have to think about the plot. The author used a lot of descriptive language to help you understand the story. If you like mysteries or dark stories you should definitely read the "Seer of Shadows." Chase P. Grade 6 Ms. Kawatachi

A Ghostly Tale

The Seer of Shadows by Avi took place in the late eighteen hundreds in New York City's during the Civil War. The setting adds to the suspense of the book. The main idea of the book revolves around the art of photography; the idea includes not just taking the picture but also the developing process, as well. If it happened during modern times the issue with the photography would not happen. The importance of bringing it from darkness to light (by the negatives) is a key factor of the book. Avi finds a way to make the reader feel as if he or she is not an observer of the action but a key character themselves. Since the time frame is all about fighting for freedom from oppression for the African Americans, Avi allows us to see how the oppressed were treated even in a northern town. The young slave girl, Pegg, was a key character and was broken to the point of complete submission. Since she was not white, Pegg did not have the same rights as everyone else. Without these rights, she could not live without being a slave to the Von Macht family. The main character, Horace, finished school at fourteen. This was common during that era for children at a young age to apprentice to learn a trade. A photographer apprenticed Horace. Most apprentices lived under the roof of their employer and left their families and friends so they can learn a trade for the future. The introduction of paranormal activity was a substantial element to the Seer of Shadow, hence the title of the book. Avi shows the fine line between dark and light through not only the paranormal factor but through the photography and the racial barriers. The paranormal activity was brought about not only through deception but through photographs too. The main characters, as mentioned before, are Horace and Pegg. One was a photographer's apprentice and the other a slave. The two became great friends through a circle of secrets only they knew about. They both shared a commonality of not being taken seriously due to his age and her race. Horace and Pegg found solace in each other even in a world of complete chaos. Another main character was Eleanora Von Macht. At the beginning she was introduced as the daughter of the Von Machts but later was revealed as the tortured niece. She was a ghostly figure in the story. Since she was not treated well, her past influenced the character she became but also the other characters in the story. The secondary characters were Mr. Middleditch and Mr. and Mrs. Von Macht. Mr. Middleditch was a lazy swindler. He owned the photography shop where Horace apprenticed. He made Horace do all the work. The Von Machts were cruel and greedy people. They had no conscience until the late Eleanora threatened them. Pegg was their slave that they treated poorly. Avi made the characters seem as if they were real, even in a book of fiction. The way we felt about the character affected our view of them. If they were good characters t

A top-notch ghost story...and a first-rate historical novel.

These days, when even my four-year-old niece has a functioning digital camera, it's hard to imagine a time when photography was still more mysterious than commonplace. Back in 1872, when Avi's THE SEER OF SHADOWS is set, photography was a brand new art form, a complicated set of processes understood by few and believed by many to be a sort of magic. No wonder, then, that some unscrupulous photographers in the late 19th century took advantage of the public's ignorance of photographic methods and the simultaneous public interest in spiritualism, mysticism and ghosts of all kinds to launch a business in "spirit photography," in which images of a client's dead loved ones are superimposed onto a standard portrait or landscape photograph. One of these shifty photographers, in Avi's novel, is Enoch Middleditch, a society photographer of little or no reputation. His apprentice, Horace Carpetine, tells the story of how Mr. Middleditch plotted an elaborate plan to dupe a grieving mother, Mrs. Frederick Von Macht, who desperately wants to put her late daughter's spirit to rest by placing a photograph on her gravesite. Mr. Middleditch has the idea to superimpose an actual image of Eleanora, the dead girl, onto a portrait of Mrs. Von Macht. When Mr. Middleditch enlists Horace's unwilling help, however, little does he know that Horace actually has the supernatural ability to bring latent spirits to life with the photographs he takes. Horace, who was raised in a supremely rational household and with whom ghost sightings and spiritual phenomena hold little sway, at is highly skeptical about the ghostly images that appear in his photographs, and, later, about the mysterious figure that lurks in the corners of the Von Macht house. But as the ghost becomes more real --- and more dangerous --- Horace finds himself believing despite himself. What secrets are the Von Machts hiding? And how can he help put Eleanora to rest before this vengeful spirit does real harm? THE SEER OF SHADOWS is a top-notch ghost story, filled with mysterious sightings, angry spirits, unexplained phenomena and plenty of creepy atmosphere. It's also, however, a first-rate historical novel, as Horace is a believable, genuine inhabitant of a specific time and place --- New York City in the 1870s. Avi introduces readers to post-Civil War race relations, 19th-century educational practices, the Victorian fascination with spiritualism, and the elements of the photographic process --- all in the context of a thrilling, suspenseful ghost story. Steeped in historical fact, grounded in elements of fact and science, the truthfulness of THE SEER OF SHADOWS in all things makes its supernatural elements that much scarier --- because if the history is true, might not the ghosts be also? --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

seeing the unseen

"photography reveals facts" or at least some form of the truth which is why people began to prefer it to paintings. Horace Carpetine, the main character and apprentice to the photographer Enoch Middleditch, finds himself in a difficult position when his employer looks to profit by deceiving a customer. Mrs. Von Macht has recently lost her only child and comes to Enoch Middleditch for a photograph to place on her daughter's grave. She appears to be a grieving mother but things are not as they seem and Horace soon discovers the horrifying truth. When the deception becomes reality, things quickly begin to unravel and suddenly, everyone is in great danger. I loved the book because it is suspenseful and I have an interest in photography. I have developed film and watched an image appear in the developer so I could relate to Horace's love of the art. But while it is noted that this book is for ages 9-12, I would hesitate to give this book to a 4th or 5th grader. The nature of the daughter's death is disturbing and for children who are easily frightened, this book could discourage them from ever posing for another photograph. Also, because this book is set in the 1800's and photography was new, some of the terminology and equipment will be completely foreign to a child, especially in our digital age. But for more advanced readers who like a little horror, it's a great read!