Jacqueline West, Writer
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Reviews
For The Books of Elsewhere
The house is as much a character as are Olive, Morton, and her family, and a wicked sense of humor tempers the book's creepiness. A suspenseful plot and insight into childhood loneliness - handily amplified by Bernatene's moody and dramtically lit b&w illustrations - will have readers anxiously awaiting the next book.
- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"Middle-grade writing as it should be."
- Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Beautifully written, deliciously scary..."
- Buffalo News
West creates a delightful concoction of quirky humor blended with a rumbling ominous undertone...
- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred Review
Ms. West's deliberate choice of words and lyrical phrasing reveal her background as a poet. Her understated storytelling style, fast pacing and realistic heroine Olive are sure to please reluctant and experienced readers alike.
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 5, 2010
THE SHADOWS is creative, exciting, hilarious, spooky, mysterious, adventurous, and heaps of fun, all wrapped between two covers.
- KidsReads.com
The fast moving plot aided by talking cats and excellent black and white drawings will grab the attention of even the most reluctant middle school reader. Laced with just the right amount of spookies and mystery, watching Olive put all the pieces together and overcome her fears is a delight.
- Monsters and Critics
A fantastic story full of magic and mysteries that starts when a young girl climbs into an old painting.
- San Francisco Chronicle
"I found The Shadows mesmerizing, partly due to the story itself; partly due to Jacqueline West’s remarkable writing."
- San Francisco Book Review
Jacqueline West builds an eerie and mysterious world. A steady stream of details ensures that readers will continue turning the pages as they try to solve the mystery of Olive's house along with her.
- Junior Library Guild, Summer Selection
[West] has a knack for description and excellent prose. There’s a sense of the weird and creepy throughout the book, like in roald dahl’s best stories... I couldn’t wait to see what it said next.
- Forever Young Adult
This is an absolutely lovely read for the connoisseur of fantasy for the young…West's writing carries things along just swimmingly, with enough description to make things come alive in vivid detail without hindering the build-up of tension. I enjoyed it tremendously, and recommend it highly, and eagerly anticipate the next book.
- Charlotte ’s Library
West's writing is something special...She has woven the tension of a good mystery with magical touches that make this book sparkle. This is a book to be raced through and then read again...
- Kids Lit
Golly, this is a good read even if you’re seven times as old as you’re supposed to be.
- Dave Wood’s Book Report
[Olive is] an intrepid adventurer, the more charming for her determination to overcome her fears. West brings this launch title to a roundly satisfying close but leaves room for plenty more excursions to Elsewhere.
- Jennifer M. Brown, Shelf Awareness
With illustrations from Poly Bernatene enhancing the strong haunted house mystery, Jacqueline West provides an exhilarating middle school age tale.
- The Merry Genre Go Round Reviews, May 22, 2010
For Cherma
West uses pictorial language, helping us into the settlers' experiences: "waiting roots shriveled like finger bones" "the silent curve of her spine / rolling down toward the floor like a broken hill." She never intrudes herself into the stories, making sure not to break the illusions of this world she has created. Anyone who enjoys novels, history and/or the intersection of these two in historical fiction would enjoy these lovely poems. I was reminded especially of Louise Erdrich.
- Sarah Busse, Madison.com
By weaving fragile imagery into the stark tones of these narrative poems, West reveals a multitude of vulnerabilities hidden below her characters’ steely resolves. Her careful attention to nuanced detail elevates specific events to universal experience and underscores the gains and losses of a people who have sacrificed much for their admission into American society.
- Rose & Thorn Journal
An engrossing speculation into the ordinary lives of rural Americans, highly recommended to anyone who loves fine poetry.
- Midwest Book Review
Interviews
Minnesota Reads: "Six Questions We Always Ask", March 2011
Cynsations: New Voice Interview, October 2010
Guide to Literary Agents Blog: "Seven Things I've Learned So Far", September 2010
Daily Pie, June 2010
BookPage, June 2010
MBWCreates, May 19th, 2010
The Tuesday Visitor (Susan Colebank), May 25th, 2010
Coming soon: The Book Addict