The book has been a New York Times best seller.[1][4] It reached the No. 1 spot on the Children's Chapter Books list on April 29, 2012, after being on the list for 45 weeks,[5] remaining there until May 20, when it dropped to the fourth spot on the list.[6][7][8] The book received generally positive reviews for creative use of vintage photographs in the sepia style, surrealist form, characterization and setting. A sequel, Hollow City, was released on January 14, 2014.