Age: 4th-6th grade
Readalike: Ominous creepability of Goosebumps

First line: "The first time my shadow spoke to me, I was a mere infant in the cradle."

"Emmeline has grown up with a gift. Since the time she was a baby she has been able to control shadows. And her only friend and companion is her own shadow, Dar.

Disaster strikes when a noble family visits their home and offers to take Emmeline away and cure her of magic. Desperate not to lose her shadows, she turns to Dar who proposes a deal: Dar will change the noble’s mind, if Emmeline will help her become flesh as she once was. Emmeline agrees but the next morning the man in charge is in a coma and all that the witness saw was a long shadow with no one nearby to cast it. Scared to face punishment, Emmeline and Dar run away."

A fast-moving adventure that features Emmeline fighting adversaries on all sides: the guards chasing her down, the evil woman hunting her for her superpower, and even her best friend appears to be clouding her mind with doubt and venom. There is an extra element of spookiness since Emmeline manipulates shadows and plays with the dark, in addition to a creepy layer of fear provoked by her shadow friend--perfect for Halloween time and fans of Goosebumps.