New York, 1872 — Horace Carpentine is apprenticed to Mr. Enoch Middleditch, Society Photographer. Horace’s father felt photography would be a good field for Horace as Horace had been raised on science and rationality. Photography was of proven science and could be logically explained.

Horace finds Mr. Middleditch to be lazy, leaving the bulk of the work to be done to Horace. Middleditch prefers the schmoozing of clients and pushing the camera button more to his preference, rather than set ups and developing negatives.

When a servant girl named Pegg shows up at the front gate, looking for a photographer for her mistress’s portrait, things change.

Mrs. Von Mach is into “hearing from the grave” and feels that her stepdaughter is trying to contact her. When Middleditch presents a photo that shows the deceased, it opens the door for spirits to re-inter the human/living world. The spirit that returns is not happy with their past life and has a score to settle. And not everyone can see or know that this spirit is there.

Written by Avi, a prolific author, the book has a strong plot with action, mystery and good character development. ( )

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This is an odd little ghost story, that feels like one of Avi's historical novels. It is set in 18th century New York City. Horace, our narrator, is an apprentice photographer in the early days of the art. His master is commissioned to do a portrait of a wealthy woman for the benefit of the woman's deceased daughter. But her maid, Pegg, a black girl Horace's age, tells him as they leave that the girl in question wasn't the woman's daughter, and the woman didn't love her. When the photographs begin to be taken, they seem to release the ghost of Eleanora, the dead girl, back into the world, where she is determined to seek vengeance on her erstwhile guardians.
The story is interesting, and Horace and Pegg's unexpected friendship, which grows stronger as the book goes along, is a high point.
It would be a good Halloween read for a child who scares easily. It's a little spooky and eerie, but there's nothing profoundly frightening in it. ( )

this book was alright. I kind of expected more from it because i was very drawn to it's cover, but i guess i expected a little too much from it's beauty. Like the saying, never judge a book by it's cover. by the time i realized it was going to be quite boring and uninteresting to me, i had already reached close to the ending, so i ended up reading the whole thing. I wouldn't really say i regretted it, but i just didn't enjoy it much. Nonetheless, i am still giving it three stars because i don't think 2 stars would be really enough. 2 and 1/2 stars, but there is mo option for that. ( )

The Seer of Shadows by Avi is set in New York just as the city is beginning to modernize. It's 1872. Horace Carpetine has been apprenticed to a photographer who specializes in ghost photography.

Well before the modern day Photoshop, photographers with access to a darkroom could use superimpositions and collage and hand retouching to augment their photographs. Some used their skills to make apparitions "appear" in their work.

Horace's first big job is to take the reference photographs that will help the photographer make his ghostly portraits for the wealthy family that's hired them. Except in doing so, Horace unearths an actual ghost and a dark family secret.

For fans of Goosebumps and similar books looking to sink their teeth into something a little scarier, The Seer of Shadows is perfect. For older readers who also enjoy Stephen King's shorter works, like "Sun Dog" will also like this one. ( )