The Figure in the Shadows is OK, but I think I'm too old for this...
Published Wednesday, December 3, 2008 by T-Man | E-mail this post
A little while after summertime, my parents went to a bookstore. It was there that they found John Bellairs' books. Now, I've been looking for a good scare, certainly, but it was only since this Halloween that my parents let me start watching scary movies. For most of this semester of school so far, I was caught up in Halo: The Fall of Reach (I still haven't posted my review for that). I resolved that, when I finished that book, I would get started on one of my John Bellairs. Unfortunately, that wasn't such a good idea after watching The Ring and The Grudge (two of the scariest movies ever created by man, I might add). If I were two years younger, I would have probably enjoyed it more (I doubt I would have been scared, to tell the truth), but now that I've seen what TRUE horror is…well, let's just say I'm unimpressed…and that's a problem, considering that I have a crapload of them. Maybe my sister will read them...
The one that I chose to read was The Figure in the Shadows. This kiddie tale stars Lewis Barnavelt, an 11-year-old boy living with his magician uncle in the 1950's. His best friend is Rose Rita, a much tougher young girl that he envies. There's also another important character, Lewis's next door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermman, who practices magic like his uncle.
While not scary *at all*, The Figure in the Shadows has an admittedly interesting plot. It revolves around a magical three-cent piece from the 1800's that is SUPPOSED to bring good luck to Lewis. While it does help him beat up the school bully, Woody Mingo, he starts receiving weird letters that say, in Latin, "I come," and this weird shadowy figure (literally, a figure in the shadows) starts stalking Lewis. While the plot is interesting, the plot DEVELOPMENT really isn't very good. No action happens until the last few chapters. The plot isn't resolved until the last few pages, rather than the mystery gradually being solved…which would have been much cooler.
Of course, this is coming from a person who is not only literally a month and 25 days away from being a teenager, but has watched some of the scariest movies ever made. If you're in the 8-10 range and have never seen a scary movie (at that age, I doubt you'll have), then I certainly recommend this book to you. I don't really think you'll be scared, but you'll like it.
The Figure in the Shadows gets a 3 out of 5.
The one that I chose to read was The Figure in the Shadows. This kiddie tale stars Lewis Barnavelt, an 11-year-old boy living with his magician uncle in the 1950's. His best friend is Rose Rita, a much tougher young girl that he envies. There's also another important character, Lewis's next door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermman, who practices magic like his uncle.
While not scary *at all*, The Figure in the Shadows has an admittedly interesting plot. It revolves around a magical three-cent piece from the 1800's that is SUPPOSED to bring good luck to Lewis. While it does help him beat up the school bully, Woody Mingo, he starts receiving weird letters that say, in Latin, "I come," and this weird shadowy figure (literally, a figure in the shadows) starts stalking Lewis. While the plot is interesting, the plot DEVELOPMENT really isn't very good. No action happens until the last few chapters. The plot isn't resolved until the last few pages, rather than the mystery gradually being solved…which would have been much cooler.
Of course, this is coming from a person who is not only literally a month and 25 days away from being a teenager, but has watched some of the scariest movies ever made. If you're in the 8-10 range and have never seen a scary movie (at that age, I doubt you'll have), then I certainly recommend this book to you. I don't really think you'll be scared, but you'll like it.
The Figure in the Shadows gets a 3 out of 5.
0 Responses to “The Figure in the Shadows is OK, but I think I'm too old for this...”
Leave a Reply