The Second Spy

The Books of Elsewhere, Volume 3

By: Jacqueline West

Narrated by: Lexy Fridell

In Olive's third adventure, what lurks below the house could be as dangerous as what's hidden inside....

Some terrifying things have happened to Olive in the old stone house, but none as scary as starting junior high. Or so she thinks. When she plummets through a hole in her backyard, though, she realizes two things that may change her mind: First, the wicked Annabelle McMartin is back. Second, there's a secret underground that unlocks not one but two of Elsewhere's biggest, most powerful, most dangerous forces yet. But with the house's guardian 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 it out in time? Or will she be lured into Elsewhere, and trapped there for good?

©2013 Jacqueline West (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Once again filled with clever talking cats, paintings that come alive, and nefarious goings-on, this light fantasy/mystery will be enjoyed by fans of the Elsewhere series, and...new readers may be lured in as well." (Booklist Online)

Well written and well read

My daughter loves this series.

It’s a sort of kids’ version of Neil Gaiman.

I’m pretty sure we will listen to the entire series.

Easily recommend :-)

Great series.

Completely enjoyed this series. Great to listen to and read. We both loved talking about the characters and the story line.

The Spies are on the loose!!

My daughter and I love these books. Can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

Lexy fridel is perfect, especially for this series

I like there are 5 books. I dislike that there are ONLY 5 books.

Not Sure Why I Keep Reading These

Any additional comments?

I read a book in this series, then decide it wasn't that great. Time passes and the idea of the series appeals to me and I read the next one. And so it goes. One of the main problems for me is Olive herself. She tends to make bad decisions. I know she's only a kid, but it gets on my nerves after a while to see her plan out and execute these bad ideas one after another. She has such a hideously bad idea in this one that I almost stopped reading. Additionally, the fact that the villains in this series are paintings and can therefore get recreated leads to the (to me) rather boring situation of having to defeat the same people over again. I guess the set up of the plot prevents a lot of opportunities for new villains but it feels pointless trying to do the same thing book after book. I did want to say though that the author does a great job in painting the portrait of how horrible junior high can be, and the scene where Olive accidentally wears something inappropriate to school is priceless.