The Books of Elsewhere, Volume Two: Spellbound

With no way into the old McMartin house's enchanted paintings, Olive is getting desperate. Her friend Morton is still trapped inside Elsewhere, and the house's three guardian cats are reluctant to help. So when Rutherford, the oddball kid next door, mentions a grimoire - a spellbook - Olive feels a breathless tug of excitement. If she can find the McMartins' spellbook, maybe she can help Morton escape Elsewhere for good. Unless, that is, the book finds Olive first.

Recognition for Spellbound

  • 2012 Minnesota Book Award Finalist

  • 2012 Midwest Booksellers Choice Awards Finalist

  • 2011 Midwest Connections Pick

“5 out of 5 stars… The Books of Elsewhere are great for boys or girls, with plenty of action, just enough thrills and scares, and lots of humor.”
- Atlanta Examiner

“I loved The Shadows... and Spellbound might be even better, in that there is more of everything to love and some new things besides.”
- Books Together

“Readers might be too caught up in the adventure leading up to a tense final faceoff to notice the lyrical language, but author West is a an award-winning poet, and her writing is often quite beautiful. ("She floated like milkweed. Dewy breezes played with the ends of her hair.") Hopefully, readers will spend more time appreciating her prose when they re-read this one. This is a volume they surely will want to read again and again.”
- Common Sense Media

“[A] delightful tale filled with magic, adventure, danger and all the usual challenges of growing up. Written for young readers and featuring charmingly simple illustrations, this will capture the interest of adults as well and leave fans looking for the next installment…”
- Monsters and Critics

“This is a charmer of a series filled with witches, magic, cats, and danger. Fans of the first novel in the series will be clamoring for this second one.”
- Waking Brain Cells

“West's writing takes you on a spin through the world of Elsewhere, and it is impossible to guess what will happen next, right up to the superb finale.”
- Red Wing Republican Eagle