Search for the Shadowman

by Joan Lowery Nixon

For fans of Gillian Flynn, Caroline Cooney, and R.L. Stine comes Search for the Shadowman from four-time Edgar Allen Poe Young Adult Mystery Award winner Joan Lowery Nixon.
 
        Twelve-year-old Andy Thomas isn’t thrilled with his teacher’s assignment to explore family history. But when he starts asking questions about his ancestors, he is surprised to discover a black sheep named Coley Joe Bonner. No one wants to discuss what happened in the family’s past. Everyone, including Andy’s own relatives, advises him to stop his investigation. But Andy continues and searches everywhere, from the Internet to the local cemetery, to discover the truth. Will Andy’s search hurt those he loves or make them realize that it’s never too late to seek social justice?
 
“A riveting tale of suspense set against a background of fascinating historical context.” – School Library Journal
 
“Hints of disgrace and treachery…children will read the story for the fun of guessing who is warning Andy off the case.” – Booklist

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Juvenile

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Author of more than one hundred books, Joan Lowery Nixon is the only writer to have won four Edgar Allan Poe Awards for Juvenile Mysteries (and been nominated several other times) from the Mystery Writers of America. Creating contemporary teenage characters who have both a personal problem and a mystery to solve, Nixon captured the attention of legions of teenage readers since the publication of her first YA novel more than twenty years ago. In addition to mystery/suspense novels, she wrote nonfiction and fiction for children and middle graders, as well as several short stories. Nixon was the first person to write novels for teens about the orphan trains of the nineteenth century. She followed those with historical novels about Ellis Island and, more recently for younger readers, Colonial Williamsburg. Joan Lowery Nixon died on June 28, 2003—a great loss for all of us.

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story; well written. Age-appropriate characterizations and behavior (if a bit dated by 1996 standards, let alone 2011). Enough twists to keep the reader engaged.

Don't read too many YA books, so rating this was tough. Four may be too high.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for the young YA/older MG crowd, which is largely neglected. It’s a genealogy story with a big mystery in it. I was surprised at how suspenseful the mystery was. I’ve read a lot (all I could find) of Nixon’s YA mysteries, and she really is a master of suspenseful. Her books are always hard to put down. I was just surprised that this genealogy-based story was equally suspenseful and hard to put down.

A very fun, quick read!

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andy is researching his family tree for a history assignment. He discovers a family "black sheep" that no one wants him to ask about. Intrigued he continues his search; what he finds may ruin his best friend's family. Does he tell what he has learned? A great mystery and a fun read. A good lesson in choices and consequences. Do we always have to tell everything we know regardless of who it hurts?

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a very good and interesting read

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A school assignment to work on a family tree leads young Andy Bonner to discover a family mystery that no one wants to talk about. But he is determined to solve it, despite the obstacles in his path. Excellent introduction to genealogy for young people. Highly recommended.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Texas historical fiction for kids. Not my favorite of Nixons books, but not bad

[Angela Kinnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good mystery for boys. I loved the ending. I love genealogy so it was exciting to follow the character’s search for the truth about Coley Joe.

[Sandy Carmichael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good read for young people to learn how to use genealogy to learn of long ago family happenings.

[Rachel Zucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my favorite book in elementary school. I got the plot-twist much faster as an adult, but it was so fun to read a blast from the past.

[Kaitlyn *I Will Never Let Go* · Rating 5 out of 5]

In all honesty, I remember very little about this book. I read it when I was very young, and for a while all recollection of it was lost among the hundreds of other books I positively devoured around that time. However, there was something about it that just wouldn't go away. It's been lingering at the edges of my mind for years, like a shadow. Only on occasion would it surface, and even then, it was only for a moment. But tonight, it hit me like a tidal wave.
You see, my mother collects old daguerreotype photographs, black and white photos of people from the past, faces long-forgotten by history. They are on display in the house, set up for all to see, and many a confused relative has asked "Why on earth do you collect photos of dead people?" Which is met with an exasperated sigh on my mother's part. Personally, I find their presence to be quite haunting, but in for a very different reason.
This evening, as we were admiring a new photo my mother had acquired as a birthday gift, we began talking about the story behind the picture. It was an off-center photo of a young girl, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old, in a dress far too large for her slender frame. We decided that the dress was a hand-me-down, perhaps from her mother or an older sister. But that didn't explain why the photo wasn't centered. Was there more to it at one point? Other people in the picture? Perhaps the photographer was just inexperienced? If you were so poor as to be unable to afford a new dress, how could you afford a photo? What's more, a photo of just one person? And most importantly, why was the picture in an antique mall, instead of being treasured by the girl's great-great-grandchildren? This simple photo of a seemingly unimportant person has such a story, and unfortunately, it is a story I shall never know.
And that is what triggered the memory of this book. If I recall correctly, the story is about a boy who finds an old photo of his family. And, in the corner, is a hand, all that remains of an old image of a forgotten family member. He sets out to find who this man was, and why he was so forcibly removed from the family's history.
Now, I don't remember what the man's story was. I just know that he had quite a story indeed, and this was a book that held me absolutely riveted, even at such a young age. Looking back on it now, I think it was because I recognized something so very human about this book, something in common with those fading photos of people long ago departed, none of whom I know or am related to. That is, every photo has a story, just like every personin those photos have stories. But not all of us will get to tell our stories, and our family might choose to let it go, whether by selling our photo or violently cutting us out of every picture that is marred by our image. Also, it reminded me of the inevitable fact that every photo would eventually became a photo of a "dead person." But really, what does that matter? Doesn't that just make their stories that much more important? For in this age of Twitter and Facebook, where everybody is vomiting their stories all over everyone, it is the silent faces, staring from crumbling images and dusty frames, found in the long-forgotten back rooms and musty attics or cellars of America, that really have a tale to tell. Sadly, it is often these tales that become little more than shadows, and these people that can be searched for, but never found.
So, in the end, Search for the Shadowman was really less about one boy's history project, and more about the inevitability of human expiration, and the duty it is of our ancestors to keep us from becoming shadow people as well.

[Jim Sibigtroth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was recommended by a fifth grade teacher who was reading it to her class. I liked the story very much. The main character's ancestor from about 100 years ago, was accused of running off with the family's money which was intended to buy cattle to start a ranch. As a result of his disappearance, this family became poor and continues to struggle even after a few generations. His close friend is from a wealthy family who helped found the town and is well respected. While doing research for a class assignment, the main character discovers what really happened to his ancestor. His research uses relatively modern online genealogy techniques and communications with a historian. What he discovers could clear his family name, but it could also hurt others who are still living. This makes the reader consider ambiguities between what is factually true and what is morally the right thing to do.

[Keri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only book I have read by this author but I knew she had a good reputation for mysteries for kids. My kids read some of them. When this came out I bought it right away. I like reading mysteries but love the real life mysteries over the crime/detective ones and figured my daughter would like it. However kids resist their parents suggestions so this book joined the favored group of books I read with my daughter and we both really enjoyed it. It definitely deserved being in that select group of those books that were great but the only way I could prove it to my kids was by reading it with to them.

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my 5th grade challenge novel reading group, they are enjoying it! The main character needs to make an ethical decision. My experience is that students can understand, discuss, agree that something is wise, but not act on those types of situations themselves. Last week I asked my group what the benefits of appropriate behavior were, an example would be, raising your hand. They came up with numerous benefits and even elaborated on them. However, when the discussion was over and we moved on to science, the shouting out took over immediately. The book had dated content about computers and the internet, but what won't be 5 minutes from now!

[Dan Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I became interested in reading this book because it deals with genealogical research, a pasttime I have been dabbling in for the past 30 years. Andy Thomas is given an assignment to research his family. As he does he becomes enamored with trying to prove that one of his ancestors did not steal the family's fortune and run away. Although I figured it out long before getting to the end, the author wrote the story so well that I just had to see how eveything worked in the end. So glad I spent the time reading this book. This is definitely one that I will recommend to my students.

[Debbie Tanner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good mystery about a boy who gets a homework assignment about researching his family history. In his search, he finds a mystery that's over 100 years old. The ending of the book is really great because he struggles with how much of his research to share. The characters are interesting and it gives a good description of research strategies and internet safety without coming off too much like a textbook.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the collection of books in my library at home, this is one I would not have readily picked out myself. I am letting Morgan pick out every other book for me to read and I am so glad she picked out this one. I was extremely connected with the story because I have done genealogy on my family and have found interesting events that our family members may not have wanted us to know!

[Lachie jeffries · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good mystory book about Andy who got a history project to research a family member he chose Coley Joe Bonner who was said to have stolen the family money when they trusted him with the family money. It was hard but in the end Andy finds out Coley Joe didnt take the money but someone took it and murderd him but I cant say who read the book to find out.

[Joy Chichester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written from a boy's 13-year-old viewpoint. Excellent introduction to genealogical searching methods to solve a family mystery. Would like my grandson to read this and share my curiosity about the missing 50 years of my grandfather's life. Grandpa is my own "Shadowman", and after 14 years of research, all I know is where he was in the US Census years, and died in Houston, TX in 1953.

[Huma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book a lot. It was very mysterious and kept me in suspense until the end of the book I really loved this book. If your a person who likes mystery books then this is a Must-Read. The book is not that long only 14 chapters.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun mystery involving a 100 year old disappearance. All the kids in the 4th grade literature circle I was reading it with liked it a lot. This is a good way to get interested in your family history.

[Mo]

I liked the book because it deals with a genealogy search, but it might have limited appeal for my students. A nice mystery, and it builds nicely, if not predictably. It is didactic in places, almost preachy. Yet I did enjoy it.

[Janie R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

For over a hundred years, a family secret has been kept. A mysterious man causes an uproar in the present family,when the secret is revealed and the truth is unveiled.
An enjoyable mystery/suspense read!

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is about a boy searching for someone. The question is does this someone exist or not?
Read to find out.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its kind of messed up

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

just good

[Chance K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is Search for the Shadowman by Joan Lowery Nixon. Its an intrsting book about mistery. Andy tryed to find his old relitive for a report. At the end he found out ho his relitive is.

[Angelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my kids and we all liked it. It's about how a boy becomes interested in family history from a class assignment and solves a mystery about one if his ancestors.

[Franklin Chrisco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will add later

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good book by Joan Lowery Nixon

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story of a young boy filling in the gap in a old family picture. Who was the Shadowman and why didn't anyone seem to know anout him?