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The Books of Elsewhere #5
Still Life
The fifth and final book in The Books of Elsewhere.
Annabelle McMartin is gone for good, but something worse lurks just out of sight--watching, waiting, preparing to strike. Then a field trip to the local art museum reveals a shock. What Olive discovers will create a chain of events that propel her to discoveries she may not wish to uncover, involving Morton's vanished parents and the very deepest, darkest roots of Aldous McMartin's creepy painted world.
In this fifth and final book, Olive must seek the full, complex story of Elsewhere, its magical origins, and its creator, and in so doing, face her own fears and limitations--and possibly the destruction of Elsewhere itself. How far will Olive go to save the people and home she loves? And what will be the final cost?
Annabelle McMartin is gone for good, but something worse lurks just out of sight--watching, waiting, preparing to strike. Then a field trip to the local art museum reveals a shock. What Olive discovers will create a chain of events that propel her to discoveries she may not wish to uncover, involving Morton's vanished parents and the very deepest, darkest roots of Aldous McMartin's creepy painted world.
In this fifth and final book, Olive must seek the full, complex story of Elsewhere, its magical origins, and its creator, and in so doing, face her own fears and limitations--and possibly the destruction of Elsewhere itself. How far will Olive go to save the people and home she loves? And what will be the final cost?
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 17, 2014
44 people are currently reading
1392 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline West
21 books703 followersJacqueline West on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jacquel...
Jacqueline's blog: http://jacquelinewest.com/blog/
Jacqueline's blog: http://jacquelinewest.com/blog/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews
August 10, 2016
I was sorry to see Olive's Elsewhere adventures come to an end, but West handles this beautifully. Still Life (the fifth and final in the series) contains the same sort of wry humor, surprising twists, and good, spooky fun that readers of these books have come to appreciate.
December 4, 2019
“Tales of Elsewhere: Still Life” by Jacqueline West is a very mysterious and entertaining book that has many important dynamic characters in the story. This book is very fantastic and it was very exciting to read it as the story went on. The plot of this book series is somewhat complicated, a girl named Olive moved into a century old house with her parents. This House, which is actually a mansion is covered in paintings that Olive can see people and life in with her special goggles. In this book Olive finally discovers the purpose of a painting that was made by one of the people that used to live in the house called, “Still Life”, it was a passage to a place called ‘Elsewhere; where no one would age, get sick, or die. Olive’s exploration of ‘Elsewhere’ gets cut short by Aldous McMartin, the artist that used magic in his paintings, as Olives tries to find clues to get rid of him, Aldous follows her and eventually tries to kill her, but his wife stops him with a spell that starts destroying elsewhere, quickly Olive gets all the residents of the paintings to get out of there and then she burns all of the paintings destroying Aldous’ power, the residents decide to just live in the house itself because no one else can see them and the book ends. In this book, I really liked the plot because it had many interesting conflicts and not many plot holes. I also really loved the character development throughout the book series, seeing Olive and her friends grow together was really nice. What I didn’t like in the book was that it had a whole bunch of exposition and only a little amount of action, in most of the books there's just a whole bunch of chapters leading up to the main climax which sometimes gets rid of the excitement of reading the book. I would highly recommend this story to any students in middle school and anyone that likes mystery books because this series has a lot of interesting parts and small details that will make you pay attention to what's happening in the book.
November 1, 2014
The main character is Olive and she is very kind because she is nice to everyone.
Another character is Rutherford and he is very smart because whenever another character is wondering something, he always knows the answer. Another character is Leopold and he is very mature and loyal, because he gives himself up to protect Olive.
First, Olive finds someone spying on her, and realizes that they in fact have been purposely sent to spy on her by a special organization. New neighbors arrive, in her neighborhood, and Olive is convinced that they are out to get her, however Olive’s good friend Rutherford (whom can read peoples minds) is so memorized because one of her neighbors happens to be a world-renown magician.
Olive’s biggest nightmare is out in the real world, released from the magical world that he, himself (the villain) created. The conflict is resolved when Olive mistakenly finds something which leads her to the incorrect path, and she believes that she found something to stop the villain, but in fact she hasn’t. It is then resolved, when she figures out that the information given to her was incorrect. In the book, Still Life, there is no obvious theme or lesson learned, however I can make connections with this novel to other books, movies, and some of my own personal experiences because this book reminds me of my grandparents’ house, because I always wonder about the hundreds of paintings they have, and that the people in them look terrified.
My opinion of the book is that I liked it because the characters are very unpredictable and all have different, interesting traits. The book was not predictable because I was really surprised, because in the first books in the series, the same evil character is hurting the main character over and over again, and it is very predictable. The ending of the book was good because surprising due to the fact that one of the most loyal characters turned on the main character (Olive). My favorite part was when Ms. Teedlebaum (main characters art teacher) paints a mural with Olive. I feel I have a connection to the book because
I would recommend this book to other students because it is a very interesting, book and the ideas are very creative, because the storyline of the book is that this girl moved into a new house, and something seems strange about the paintings that already with her home. When Olive finds a pair of glasses, she figures out that the paintings are magical, leading to another world with painted people, evil and good.
March 5, 2017
3.5 stars
This is a solid conclusion to a solid middle grade series about living paintings and an evil man who seeks to make himself immortal.
As with all these books I'm a fan of Olive and her mistakes, self doubt and eventual bravery. Admittedly, some of her mistakes come from the lack of trust placed in her by others. Each book has some blunder she commits due to info being withheld from her "for her own good" and had she just been told, disaster could be avoided. I understand this happening in the first book but in later books it would have been nice for others to recognize Olive's growth.
The series isn't emotionally moving, but it does have some good creepy moments and it's a lot of fun. Harvey the eccentric cat had me rolling my eyes at his cliche goofiness till the very end and I'm not a fan of the absentminded parents trope.
Overall I enjoyed the series and I'd recommend if the plot grabs you.
This is a solid conclusion to a solid middle grade series about living paintings and an evil man who seeks to make himself immortal.
As with all these books I'm a fan of Olive and her mistakes, self doubt and eventual bravery. Admittedly, some of her mistakes come from the lack of trust placed in her by others. Each book has some blunder she commits due to info being withheld from her "for her own good" and had she just been told, disaster could be avoided. I understand this happening in the first book but in later books it would have been nice for others to recognize Olive's growth.
The series isn't emotionally moving, but it does have some good creepy moments and it's a lot of fun. Harvey the eccentric cat had me rolling my eyes at his cliche goofiness till the very end and I'm not a fan of the absentminded parents trope.
Overall I enjoyed the series and I'd recommend if the plot grabs you.
October 28, 2017
What a delightful and exciting conclusion to this lovely series. I had not known what to expect when we started, but I certainly had not anticipated how much I would enjoy these Books of Elsewhere. An engaging, interesting, story line, with compelling and endearing characters, all five books held our attention, from the beginning to the end. I'll want to keep an eye out for more books by this author.
September 8, 2016
Maybe my favourite of the series ? A pretty cool ending note
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January 29, 2025this one made me sad at the end too
September 7, 2022
We were so sad the series ended because it has been a family favorite. Jacqueline West is a fantastic writer. We loved reading these books aloud and "doing the voices", especially Harvey.
September 23, 2016
I started reading the Books of Elsewhere sometime last year. I wasn't able to get my hands on this until September this year. I personally think that it was worth the wait to be able to read the last book of this series and see everything come together. The cliffhangers of the previous books were always slightly aggravating, since I don't like to be left in suspense like that, but it wasn't too bad.
Olive, the protagonist of these books, had only just been reunited with her parents from the previous book, when she had already begun to go back into paintings again while using the magical spectacles she had found in the first book. She had a good reason, though- to make sure that Aldous McMartin hadn't gotten back into the house to reclaim it as his. As another main quest of hers, Olive was trying to find the parents of a boy who had been trapped in a painting and turned to paint by Aldous named Morton. They thought that maybe Morton's parents had suffered the same fate as him, and they were right! Sooner in the book than when I would have expected, Olive manages to find Morton's father, but not his mother. This is happening all while Aldous slowly becomes more powerful... Though I won't spoil more than I already have! Pick up this book and read it, after you've read the rest of the series first, of course. I think that this was a great conclusion to a great series, with an ending that almost left me in tears.
Olive, the protagonist of these books, had only just been reunited with her parents from the previous book, when she had already begun to go back into paintings again while using the magical spectacles she had found in the first book. She had a good reason, though- to make sure that Aldous McMartin hadn't gotten back into the house to reclaim it as his. As another main quest of hers, Olive was trying to find the parents of a boy who had been trapped in a painting and turned to paint by Aldous named Morton. They thought that maybe Morton's parents had suffered the same fate as him, and they were right! Sooner in the book than when I would have expected, Olive manages to find Morton's father, but not his mother. This is happening all while Aldous slowly becomes more powerful... Though I won't spoil more than I already have! Pick up this book and read it, after you've read the rest of the series first, of course. I think that this was a great conclusion to a great series, with an ending that almost left me in tears.
March 20, 2024
This is the 5th & last book of the series. The author has a great knack for vivid imaginative detailed writing, building suspense, & overall writes unique amazing characters-some a little more quirky than others (looking at you sweet Harvey lol). The 1 thing lacking is any sort of character growth/development for our MC Olive(& Morton stays pretty much Morton as well, although he did happily surprise me starting towards the end of this book-However, that's towards the end of the 5th book, & he's in all 5..so not great growth lol). Also, going along with that lack of character development for Olive is just the repetition of her doing the same frustrating things each & every book-in different ways yes, but the same choices, mistakes, actions, consequences, etc. Having said all that, everything that the author does so well is why even with not liking Olive after book 1, I still loved this series so much. Great storytelling, so atmospheric & full of imagination. The characters I loved were so incredibly done. I love the cats, Rutherford, & another character we meet in book 4 so much. So happy I finally read these. Of course, ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL cover by Poly Bernatene & STUNNING illustrations sprinkled throughout as well. 💜
April 9, 2021
5/5 or maybe 4.75/5
This was an AMAZING conclusion to the series and honestly I couldn’t have asked for anything better. It wrapped up every plot line, left everyone happy, and the last painting is just ☺️. Honestly this series does this in every book, but in this one in particular, every reveal or solved mystery is so good because of how it’s set up. Like there’s little details and foreshadowing and then when the reveal comes I’m like “how did I not notice that? It makes so much sense?” and that’s always fun. It really nicely wraps up every plot line and defeats every villain. We also got to learn more about Elsewhere in this book and that’s cool too. I also cried a lot near the end about one specific almost-death and then cried more when it wasn’t an actual death. Most of all, I’m just sad that this series is over for me because I feel like it’s always been in the back of my head waiting to be finished since I first started it in elementary school and now it’s over. I think that everyone should read this because the series is so unique and cool and fun and it’s just amazing please read it, thanks. :)
This was an AMAZING conclusion to the series and honestly I couldn’t have asked for anything better. It wrapped up every plot line, left everyone happy, and the last painting is just ☺️. Honestly this series does this in every book, but in this one in particular, every reveal or solved mystery is so good because of how it’s set up. Like there’s little details and foreshadowing and then when the reveal comes I’m like “how did I not notice that? It makes so much sense?” and that’s always fun. It really nicely wraps up every plot line and defeats every villain. We also got to learn more about Elsewhere in this book and that’s cool too. I also cried a lot near the end about one specific almost-death and then cried more when it wasn’t an actual death. Most of all, I’m just sad that this series is over for me because I feel like it’s always been in the back of my head waiting to be finished since I first started it in elementary school and now it’s over. I think that everyone should read this because the series is so unique and cool and fun and it’s just amazing please read it, thanks. :)
March 9, 2017
Still Life was probably one of the best books that I have ever read. I loved all of the plot twists and the new characters added. The ending to the series was so beautiful and satisfying, but also unique in many ways. Usually, when I finish a series with a satisfying ending, I never think about the books or the characters again. But Jacqueline West, on the other hand, has done such an amazing job with every aspect of this series, that I keep thinking about the characters and the plot. I would recommend this series to anyone who likes reading because this series is pretty much the definition of good books. Like I said, it is really hard to stop thinking about these books once you’ve finished reading them, so this is definitely a series that I will remember for years to come.
November 26, 2016
I read this book to our 10-year-old son and we cannot believe the Books of Elsewhere are over. We have read all five of them this year, and what an adventure. The idea behind the stories is definitely captivating and enchanting, and the animals and main characters and Elsewhere characters are so funny and dramatic. We loved Olive and her family and friends and it has a perfect little ending. Now we can't wait to find another set of books to read aloud together while he plays with LEGOs or in the sand or just sits beside me or on my lap. He really likes the characters the cats play too, and they have such great names. And they have great imaginations, just like our little son!
December 6, 2019
I’m writing a review about the books of else where: still life Written by: Jacqueline West. It has 330 pages. Copyright year: 2014. I bought this book on amazon for about 8.00 $. This was my first time reading this book and i thought it was great. This book explained olives endings coming to an end in a great way. Though it was sad to see her go, it was a great book. This book described Olive still trying to find Morton’s parents and trying to find Aldous finding new secrets about elsewhere. But will elsewhere always be here? I rated this five stars it was thrilling,funny, and mysterious as always. I 10/10 recommend this book!
September 14, 2018
I audiobooked this series.
If you like a character who does what she told not to, and loves her family and friends to a fault then this is a series for you.
I love the house. I love Annabelle and her quirky parents. Annabelle’s friends are random but alway fun. The talking cats are creative (I especially like the different voices on the audiobook). Loved Captain Black Paw. I love the variety of places in Elsewhere.
Each book does have an ending.
This book has:
Magic but no actual spells
If you like a character who does what she told not to, and loves her family and friends to a fault then this is a series for you.
I love the house. I love Annabelle and her quirky parents. Annabelle’s friends are random but alway fun. The talking cats are creative (I especially like the different voices on the audiobook). Loved Captain Black Paw. I love the variety of places in Elsewhere.
Each book does have an ending.
This book has:
Magic but no actual spells
December 20, 2018
I bought this series for my 10-year old niece and ended up really enjoying it myself. Overall, it's a pretty standard fantasy series. However, the thing that stood out for me was the trio of cats. Horatio, Leopold, and Harvey were well-developed, highly entertaining characters. Harvey is especially funny when he adopts his various personas (Lancelot, Captain Blackpaw, Agent 1-800). I'm sorry the series ended. I would love to see more stories involving the cats!
February 27, 2017
Wow, just wow! The series is done. It's really a good one. I'm definitely going to miss Olive and her talking cats. I love how the story arch was built from the very first book until the last one. Highly recommended for those who need to escape into a magical world with the young, curious, and brave Olive Dunwoody.
January 23, 2022
I find myself genuinely sad knowing this is the last new adventure I get to have with Olive and her friends. This series held my attention in a way I hadn't expected being that I'm far from the intended audience. That being said Still Life is a captivating and touching farewell that's left me smiling hours after having finished it.
February 1, 2022
I just love how this series concluded, although I’m really going to miss these characters! And Olive is still one of my all time favorite middle grade heroines! She’s just written with such realness, and doesn’t act beyond her age. She’s a total dorky 6th grader….. only she’s living a rather unconventional life! ;) This is a series I recommend to anyone who enjoys middle grade spooky mysteries!
February 15, 2016
Omg
This book was absolutely amazing I loved every bit of it. There were lots of twists and turns to the plot. I would love another series by this author possibly with talking cats would be even better!
This book was absolutely amazing I loved every bit of it. There were lots of twists and turns to the plot. I would love another series by this author possibly with talking cats would be even better!
March 19, 2016
Still Life is an exceptional finale to an exceptional series.
The writing is just superb and the ending feels true and right in a way that few authors ever manage.
A rare, but well deserved 5 stars from me.
The writing is just superb and the ending feels true and right in a way that few authors ever manage.
A rare, but well deserved 5 stars from me.
October 28, 2016
Discover the life inside of paintings (elsewhere) and join Olive in finding out all of the McMartins secrets. The books of elsewhere are a great series full of mysteries and adventures!
I rate this series a 10/10 - as I absolutely loved it - please read it!
I rate this series a 10/10 - as I absolutely loved it - please read it!
January 30, 2017
The climax in the last installment has readers shocked and reading till the very last page. A great mystery has been solved and now Olive must save all her friends. A wonderful end to a page-turning series.
February 10, 2019
A satisfying ending to this fun series. All the plot points were nicely wrapped up. The characters were still delightful. Olive's parents were still amazingly clueless, but in a charming way. I really like the friendship between Olive and Rutherford, and I'm glad Morton got this parents back.
June 7, 2019
Not as dark as I remember some of the other books being, but probably all in all the series is a bit dark for younger kids in general. The writing is good, the story is creative and for the age group, a decent series.
February 14, 2016
3.5 stars.
February 15, 2016
love it
sad it came to a end. but I'll reread it one day
sad it came to a end. but I'll reread it one day
January 22, 2016
Don't want to give away any spoilers, so all I will say is that I really enjoyed the way this series was concluded. :)
July 20, 2016
Great ending to the series.
September 18, 2016
This series is so wonderful and satisfying! I loved the ending, and recommend this to fans of N. D. Wilson and all things creepy, fantastic and magical.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews