I really want to read this book! My friends say it's good and I read the summery.Do you think it's okay? Or good. Or awesome. Or really, really bad.
House of Secrets
By Chris Columbus, Ned Vizzini
Book 1 of 3 in the
House of Secrets Series
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grades 3 - 5 | n/a | 4.6 | 88600 |
Hailed as “a breakneck, jam-packed roller coaster of an adventure” by J. K. Rowling, this New York Times bestseller is the first installment in the explosive tween fantasy series by famed Hollywood director Chris Columbus (of Harry Potter fame) and bestselling author Ned Vizzini (It’s Kind of a Funny Story).
Siblings Brendan, Eleanor, and Cordelia Walker once had everything they could ever want. But everything changed when Dr. Walker lost his job. Now the family must relocate to an old Victorian house, formerly the home of occult novelist Denver Kristoff—a house that simultaneously feels creepy and too good to be true. By the time the Walkers realize that one of their neighbors has sinister plans for them, they’re banished to a primeval forest way off the grid.
Bloodthirsty medieval warriors patrol the woods around them, supernatural pirates roam the neighboring seas, and a power-hungry queen rules the land. To survive, the siblings will have to be braver than they ever thought possible—and to fight against their darkest impulses. The key may lie in their own connection to the secret Kristoff legacy. But as they unravel that legacy, they’ll discover that it’s not just their family that’s in danger . . . it’s the entire world.
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
ISBN-13: 9780062192462
ISBN-10: 0062192469
Published on 4/23/2013
Binding: Hardcover
Number of pages: 496
Book Reviews (35)
I really liked the plot and the setting of the book. But it was confusing at some parts of the book
This book is really good, just because the evil person, the Wind Witch is awesome. I really liked the fact that it was 2 authors working on it.
awesome book. read it 15 billion times
This book was amazing. I loved it! It almost reminded me of the Emerald Atlas with the characters all being siblings and all. The book had me had the beginning, it was full of suspense and amazing characters. I definitely recommend this book.
I family moves into a new house, but automatically sense that something is off when a strange visitor comes by. The three kids get transported into a different world without their parents. They have to battle many obstacles to stay alive. Many things are out to get them in this weird world. They make some friends, but more enemies.
The Walker family is in a situation. Dr. Walker, the dad lost his job after cutting an eye shape into a patient’s chest with a knife at his hospital. Now they live in a small apartment, and are looking for a house. They find the huge Kristoff House, over-looking the Golden Gate Bridge, built after the San Francisco earthquake by Denver Kristoff, a well-known author. They move in, and they are in the middle of dinner when a woman knocks on the door that claims she is their neighbor. She then turns into a creature known as the Wind Witch, and tears the home apart. The three kids; Brendan, Eleanor and Cordelia wake up after the hurricane-like disaster with their parents gone; and so is San Francisco. In a fast-paced adventure story, the Walker kids are trapped in three of Denver Kristoff’s books. With pirates, a pilot from World War I and a colossus, the Walkers need to figure out how to defeat the Wind Witch and get back home before it is too late and they are the ones destroyed. Will the Walkers make it home safely, or will that be the end of them? What I thought about it: Wow. Two master storytellers coming together really does make an epic adventure. I really enjoyed House of Secrets; it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. You are pretty much drooling for more, thinking, What is going to happen next?!?! I loved the idea of being able to live in a book. I mean, who wouldn’t want to do that? Well, you would be able to be killed by, say, Voldemort, or in this case a very evil gang of pirates; that would not be good. I also love the cover illustration by Greg Call; it totally lives up to the book. The action was spectacular in this book, as was the suspense. I look forward to reading more adventures with the Walkers, and I want to give a shout-out to Ned Vizzini who generously sent me an ARC of this book to me in very cool promotional packaging that looks like The Book of Doom And Desire and is a gem on my bookshelf. Ned and Chris, your writing is fabulous together and I hope you write many more books as a team. RIP Ned Vizzini! :-(
House of Secrets is one of my favourites. I couldn't put it down, and I can't wait to read more by Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini!
I was a little confused by this book. I understand that their dad loses his job and they have to move into the Kristoff house, but I don't understand the magical world. I know the witch takes them there to find a magical book, but the story felt very confusing. But there were some funny moments in the book and I did like those.
As soon as they saw it, they knew it was different. What a rollicking adventure, I loved the sarcasm and the similar dynamic to the Series of Unfortunate Events (Older sister, middle brother, younger sister. This is an ambitious read guaranteed to please.