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Seer of Shadows

(2008, Fiction - Horror)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 10, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 12.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Thrilling historical mystery blends ghosts and photography.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 12 and Up

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    The main adult characters are deceitful: Middleditch purposefully deceives a customer for his own profit, and Mr. and Mrs. Von Macht neglect, abuse, and ultimately kill their adopted daughter, Eleanora. As a backdrop, readers are exposed to the lifestyles and attitudes of the time, including post-Civil War race relations, class relations, the employer/apprentice relationship, the fascination with "spiritualism," as well as terms such as "Radical Republican" and "abolitionist."

  • Violence:

    A character is abused by her adoptive parents and ultimately killed; a ghost seeks revenge with the intent to kill, sets fires, and bludgeons a major character. A main character is killed, and it's insinuated that another main character did the killing.

  • Sex:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Language is formal with sophisticated vocabulary, but not offensive in any way.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Descriptions involving alcohol and smoking are brief and part of the historical backdrop: "saloons and rum houses overflowing," and men holding "a tankard in one hand and a shot glass in another." The smell of cigar smoke wafts out of a bar.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Seer of Shadows

Parents need to know that this book is best for older tweens, rather than the publisher's suggested target ages of 8-12. The language is beautiful, yet formal and sophisticated, as it reflects the historical time period. Younger kids may have difficulty reading it on their own, and parents may find that they are often stopping to explain meanings. Also, this story is creepy: The ghost of Eleanora is frightful in appearance and in action. The story ends with a raging fire and two people dead. While there is resolution in the end, uncertainty remains.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the challenge of untrustworthy adults. Both Horace and Pegg lived in the shadows of deceitful adults -- how would you have handled being in their shoes? What would you do today if you knew an adult was lying? Families can also talk about the idea of ghosts and spirits. Do you believe in unsettled souls? They can also talk about discrimination at that time, and what challenges Pegg and Horace may have faced as a biracial couple. Lastly, families can talk about the art and science of photography and how it has changed through time.
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Curley
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 4.0

    A good mystery.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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