The Strangers The Books of Elsewhere: Volume 4

The stakes are higher than ever in this kid-favorite horror series that's perfect for fans of Small Spaces, Nightbooks, and Wednesday

This house is keeping secrets . . .

On Halloween night, not all is what it seems.

When Olive swallows her fear of the McMartins to sneak Morton out and go trick-or-treating, they're in for a shock—and being followed by an ominous creature is only the beginning. Strangers have come to Linden Street, and though they claim to be her allies, Olive has a bad feeling. After she's forced into an uneven bargain with Annabelle McMartin, Olive sacrifices something that could mean doom for the house—and for Elsewhere itself. Can she trust the strangers? Or will she put her faith in her own worst enemies to save the people and home she loves?

Welcome to Elsewhere . . .

First, a pair of enchanted spectacles. Next, a deadly book. Then, magical paints from which a world called Elsewhere spills like a dream turned nightmare. And lastly, strangers, come to take it all for themselves—if even darker forces don’t prevail. At the center: the flawed and tenacious Olive, three talking cats, two remarkable friends, and a hard-won trust that binds them all. This is the scary, must-read series widely praised and adored by kids, adults, and critics alike.

A two-time Pushcart nominee for poetry, Jacqueline West came to writing by way of opera (she studied vocal performance) and acting (she worked as an actress at a dinner theatre while earning her degree). Looking back on it, it's hard for Jacqueline to believe she ever wanted to be an opera singer, but singing, acting, and writing have one thing in common, she says: "They're all about telling a story, about getting inside the mind of someone other than yourself." The Books of Elsewhere series was inspired by a strange old house in Jacqueline's home town--three floors, cracking paint, sagging porches--that was owned by a professor who created all sorts of odd contraptions. Like lots of kids who live mostly in their imaginations, Jacqueline was obsessed with all things mysterious, creepy, and darkly funny, and with stories where magic intersects with everyday life. She was enthralled by Roald Dahl, Lewis Carroll, John Bellairs, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Calvin and Hobbes, Bunnicula, etc. Jacqueline lives with her husband and their dog, Brom Bones (of Sleepy Hollow fame) in Red Wing, MN. Her first YA novel, tentatively titled All Our Yesterdays, is on our winter 2014 list.