The Second Spy - Paperback

by Jacqueline West (Author)

The third installment in the must-read horror fantasy series for fans of Small Spaces, Nightbooks, and Wednesday

This house is keeping secrets . . .

Can what lurks below the house be as frightening as what's hidden inside?

Terrifying things have happened to Olive in the old stone house, but none as scary as starting middle school--or so she thinks. When she plummets through a hole in her backyard, Olive discovers two things that may change her mind: First, the deadly Annabelle McMartin is back. Second, there's a secret below-ground that unlocks not one but two of Elsewhere's scariest, most cunning, most dangerous forces yet. But with the house's uncanny cats acting suspicious, her best friend threatening to move away, and her ally Morton starting to rebel, Olive isn't sure where to turn. Will she figure things out in time? Or will she be lured into Elsewhere . . . and trapped there for good?

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.

Author Biography

A two-time Pushcart nominee for poetry, Jacqueline West (www.jacquelinewest.com) 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 were 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).