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    The Figure in the Shadows
    The Figure in the Shadows
    The Figure in the Shadows
    Audiobook3 hours

    The Figure in the Shadows

    Written by John Bellairs

    Narrated by George Guidall

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A classic fantasy/mystery from critically acclaimed novelist John Bellairs Lewis thought the amulet would bring him good luck--instead, it brought nothing but evil. Lewis is sure that Grandpa Barnavelt's 1859 lucky coin is really a magic talisman in disguise. With its power, he could do anything he wante--like get back at bully Woody Mingo. But as soon as he begins wearing the coin around his neck, strange things start to happen. Mysterious letters arrive in the dead of night. A strange, shadowy figure seems to be tracking him. And when Lewis finally gets his revenge on Woody, he feels as if someone else is inside his body, urging him to go even further. Has Lewis awakened a force beyond his control?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateFeb 15, 2018
    ISBN9781501983313
    The Figure in the Shadows
    Author

    John Bellairs

    John Bellairs is beloved as a master of Gothic young adult novels and fantasies. His series about the adventures of Lewis Barnavelt and his uncle Jonathan, which includes The House with a Clock in Its Walls, is a classic. He also wrote a series of novels featuring the character Johnny Dixon. Among the titles in that series are The Curse of the Blue Figurine; The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt; and The Spell of the Sorcerer’s Skull. His stand-alone novel The Face in the Frost is also regarded as a fantasy classic, and among his earlier works are St. Fidgeta and Other Parodies and The Pedant and the Shuffly. Bellairs was a prolific writer, publishing more than a dozen novels before his untimely death in 1991.

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    Reviews for The Figure in the Shadows

    4/5

    161 ratings10 reviews

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    • 3/5
      6/10 or 3 stars. I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one but I do like Roserita a lot. I cant wait to see what other adventures they get up to in the other books.
    • 5/5
      Loved this book as a kid. I related to Lewis a great deal and the book helped me live thru the awkward and fearful middle school days. Great book and great auhor.
    • 3/5
      I gobbled up The Figure in the Shadows in one sitting. This could lead you to believe that I thoroughly enjoyed it but really it was super short coming in at 160 pages with quite a few of Mercer Mayer's illustrations sprinkled throughout adding to that number. The plot of this installment revolves around an amulet which Lewis acquires and which seems to hold a 'spirit' of some kind which he has awakened and which turns out to be rather malevolent. (If you think this sounds similar to the first book you're not alone.) Once again, he keeps this a secret from his uncle and the witchy neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman, next door. Instead he shares his discovery with his new friend, Rose Rita, who is virtually Lewis's opposite in every conceivable way. I will say that Lewis is a unique character in that he's not brave, overly intelligent (although a voracious reader), good looking, talented (described as quite fat), or particularly good-natured (in fact he's rather whiny and prone to childish fits of anger). He doesn't fit the prescribed parameters of a typical protagonist. He's bullied and anxious about the possibility of even being bullied or 'bawled out' by adults. (I was nervous about the latter through my adolescence as well so in that regard I can relate.) Magic + mystery + misadventure = the plot 5/10
    • 3/5
      This one is kind of eerie, but not really scary - the creepiness is so condensed into the latter part of the book. It's more a juvenile moralistic story than anything else.
    • 4/5
      From the series featuring young misfit Lewis, his magician uncle and guardian Jonathan and the witch next door, Mrs. Zimmerman.Lewis finds an old coin on a chain that his great grandfather had worn for years, one that he believed brought him luck. Lewis finds that when he wears the coin, he's suddenly allowed to play ball with the other boys and he can beat up the class bully. Lewis' friend Rita Rose thinks the coin is bad luck, and Lewis eventually agrees, because now he's receiving anonymous threatening letters and a shadowy figure is following him.Fast-moving and with just enough darkness to it that it's on the edge of being a supernatural mystery.
    • 4/5
      This book is about a young kid named Louis that finds an amulet. This amulter raises a spirit of a ghost and the ghost haunts him. He is on the verge of death, will he be saved? Review by: rocky means Is was a little slow in the begginning and not that exiting but in the middle it got great and scary. I would rate it a five if the begginning was not boring. The ending was great and topped it all off.
    • 5/5
      This is the second book in the Lewis Barnavelt series by John Bellairs. I greatly enjoyed the first one and thought I'd give at least a few of the others a try. This one was not illustrated by Edward Gorey, so it has a slightly softer/cartoony feel to it. The plot was incredibly suspenseful and fairly creepy (mostly you find this out at the end), but not too scary for kids probably 6-8+.I definitely want to read more in this series.
    • 3/5
      this book talks about a bot named Lewis, who is scared of fighting and scared of getting beaten up, but he liked to watch the big boys fight. One day Lewis was studying Grandfather's old trunk and he found an old coin which he showed to Uncle Jonhathan. Uncle said that the coin was an amulet which would protect Lewis from the big bullets. Soon Lewis met a new girl named Rosa rita. Lewis told her everything about the amulet. IF he treid to see if the amulet actually worked, might get hurt really badly by the bullies, or the amulet would save him, but which one would it be?
    • 5/5
      This is the first chapter book I ever read when I was a kid. I read it over and over and I STILL pick it up and read it every once in a while. It's a great mystery as are all of Bellairs' books. I recommend to kids and adults both.
    • 5/5
      The second in the Lewis Barnavelt series, this novel finds Lewis in possession of a mysterious old coin that has more powers than Lewis can ever imagine.