The Shadow Collector's Apprentice (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
3.5 stars. 2014-5 MT Nominee. I really enjoy Amy Gordon's books; they remind me a little bit of Sharon Creech or Ingrid Law. The down-home style is enjoyable to read, and the characters are well developed. This one is not my favorite...mostly because I lost interest in the technical aspects of shadow collecting and reimigrating. I understand the importance of attempting to make the story plausible, but I was lost. I probably would have been okay without all of the explanation. A cute read nonetheless. Cully lives with his three aunts on their apple farm. His dad has been missing/run away for several months now. Cully gets a job at Batty's Antiques and finds out that Batty is doing more than buying old stuff. His hobby is collecting shadows. He has a special machine that can steal your shadow and save it. What does he do with the shadows? He makes invisibility cloaks for spy agencies. It is the height of the Cold War after all and there are spies everywhere. Taking shadows isn't the innocent process it seems at first. People change when they no longer have a shadow; they are no longer themselves. Cully finds out that Batty has taken his father's shadow and will do anything to get it back. With the help of his aunts, his friend Sam and Batty's granddaughter Isabell, Cully sets out to rescue the shadows and put an end to Batty's business.This was a nice change of pace from your average book. I like the concept of shadow collecting and how Amy Gordon really thought out the shadow process. Younger shadows are darker and have more staying ability, shadows can be sewn together to make cloaks, children's shadows can not be separated, and that your shadow contains the darkest part of you and without the shadow that part goes back into you. This is all very intriguing and she does a great job on the mystery of the shadows and Cully's determination to get his father back. I like how unique all the characters are and how they all seem to have their own story to tell. I especially liked Isabell's journey in the book. She goes from being a know-it-all who no one likes to becoming part of the family; I really liked how this affected her shadow. Wonderful, intriguing story.
What do You think about The Shadow Collector's Apprentice (2000)?
Made you want to keep reading it, but children could easily get confused.
—Eric
Mark Twain Preliminary Nominee 2015 Mark Twain Nominee 2014-15
—lvhg17
