9781595547279
House of Dark Shadows (Dreamhouse Kings Series #1) share button
Robert Liparulo
Format Paperback
Dimensions 5.30 (w) x 8.30 (h) x 0.90 (d)
Pages 296
Publisher Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication Date September 2009
ISBN 9781595547279
Book ISBN 10 1595547274
About Book

Dream house . . . or bad dream?

When the Kings move from L.A. to a secluded small town, fifteen-year-old Xander is beyond disappointed. He and his friends loved to create amateur films . . . but the tiny town of Pinedale is the last place a movie buff and future filmmaker wants to land.

But he, David, and Toria are captivated by the many rooms in the old Victorian fixer-upper they moved into—as well as the heavy woods surrounding the house.

They soon discover there's something odd about the house. Sounds come from the wrong directions. Prints of giant, bare feet appear in the dust. And when David tries to hide in the linen closet, he winds up in locker 119 at his new school.

Then the really weird stuff kicks in: they find a hidden hallway with portals leading off to far-off places—in long-ago times. Xander is starting to wonder if this kind of travel is a teen's dream come true . . . or his worst nightmare.

Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

When the King family relocates from their comfortable suburban home to a spooky house in a remote area, brothers Xander and David quickly discover that the house contains portals into other worlds; upon choosing a door at random, Xander finds himself in ancient Roman times, facetoface with a gladiator out for blood. If the strange portals weren't jarring enough, the King family's consternation mounts when they realize that not only can they venture into the portals, but other creatures can come out. Fastpaced action and thrills abound in this expository offering of a slated sixvolume series. Peppered with moralistic anecdotes that toe the line of didacticism, the narrative emphasizes the ways the family must work together if they are to survive. Typical to most series fiction, Liparulo's work is heavy on action and setup, though otherwise less developmentally substantive. The wholesome family dynamic mixed with a smattering of light horror should fare well with younger readers. Number two, Watcher in the Woods (9781595544964), is due out in June. (Christian horror. 10 & up)