House of Secrets audiobook

"A Breakneck, Jam-Packed Roller Coaster of an adventure about the Secret Power of books, House of Secrets comes complete with three resourceful sibling heroes, a seriously creepy villainess, and barrel loads of fantasy and fear."That's how J.K.Rowling describe the book in the back cover...and That's how she ruined for me an opportunity to express my feeling about the book...I believe anyone read it will think about the same lines to describe the experience of living with the Walkers family in this Creepy House..with creepy secrets..The Setting***********I love the realistic fantasy type ,or as I've recently learned from a friend the term is "The Urban Fantasy".And from the moment that I reach Sea Cliff road,and the view of San Fransisco's Bridge and I knew I'm in one Good urban fantasy setting.Then comes the Gothic 3 storey house,Victorian decor with big halls and an ancient library room..with shelves of books that some of them written by the original owner of the house...Denver KristoffThen....I'm no longer in the real San Fransisco....I'm in totally different world...Totally fictional and fantasy...into 3 HORRIBLE novels' worlds mixed together.. 3 Books that written by the House owner..very dark and dangerous even bloody ,like those of H.P. Lovecraft.I may be not that big fan of extreme fantasy BUT it was really easy to get along this adventure and this horrible world of the 3 books, specially with .....The Characters**************** It was so funny when in one of the many mentions and spoofs about modern movies and TV shows they mention "Game of Thrones" and how Elanor -the youngest,8 years old- is forbidden to watch it..The funny thing here is that I've imagined the 3 younger of the Stark's Kids as the cast of the book in my Head's movie version :).Well ,8,12 and 15 years old sibling ,each one with a different personality,a talent and interests. that made me feel trapped with them into this fantasy world and ,with them, trying to escape from.I loved them so much, that gives the novel a good variety of characters' age that is impossible to not fall in love with.They're so like everyone of us,or every kid we know in our life...one is a books' nerd, one is a gaming addicted with every teenager way of dealing with his family, and one smart daring dyslexia-fighter who's her love for her family would make her do anything.*******************************Finally******* Seriously if you sum up all what I've said you'll find it perfectly fit the first praise from J. K. Rowling.. may be it was the main reason I've get the book..also it's written by Chris Columbus, who's direct my beloved fantasy of all time "Harry Potter" in the most loyal for the book.He made here a thriller/fantasy movie pack full of action that when you read/watch it you can not just "Pause", hard to let down.And there's also Ned Vizzini who I believe a wonderful teenager and young adult expert ,as I know from his other famous books"SO they together made a wonderful pack of Great thriller and super adorable characters, and mix it with a pit of the real world events "There's The famous San Fransisco's earthquake, and some other mystery real club 'The Bohemian Club' which I guess we'll learn more about later" The illustrations in the book is also AMAZING and get you into the story without being silly or childish, was a real Art.Can't wait for Book Two..which I hope get more revelation for some mysteries that we still dying to know..I believe it'll be amazing series..I hope Part two would be even bigger and same -or more- strong.It was really a wonderful week -the plot main runtime- with The Walkers that I'll never forget. Mohammed ArabeyFrom 10th Nov. 2013To 19th Nov. 2013 ------------------------------------------ 21st April 2013 ---------------- J.K. Rowling have Written a Praise for the book on the top of the front cover...Is there's any thing more to add on "Why I MUST read that book"?جي كي رولينج كاتبه جمله عن الكتاب ده في اعلي غلافه..المؤلف كريس كولومبس مخرج اول فيلمين لهاري بوتر واللي التزم بالروايه بامانه شديده لانه بيعشقهاهو اللي "خلق" عالم هاري بوتر من صفحات لشئ ممكن تشوفه بعينيك في الفيلمولو انت بقي مش معترف بهاري بوتر اساسا..فالمؤلف بيعترف انه كتبها متأثر بطريقه H.P. Lovecraftعرفتوا بقي ليه "لازم"اقرأ الروايه دي؟؟..مفتكرش في اسباب تانيه اهم من كده************************************************--------------21 Dec.2013-----------------------***** To The Memory of Ned Vizzini (1981-2013)***** I;m really so sad and depressed since I heard that sad news on 20th Dec.2013..It shock me that sweet smile,that calm peaceful man, that's you'd feel through his writing in this book and sure all of his other writings, would end it all with subside I just know him a month ago at his blog here at Goodreads I feel so sad,very depressed till now, even regret that I didn't message him with my opinion on his talent and wonderful writing style.. I know he read my small pre-read review since he hit like to it But I wish he know the final one,I wish I said more..while he was still here....It really hurt me and make me even more sad..It's all sad..talented young man with so much to give..just gone..another Candle in the wind ..May God bless his soul and Rest in Peace ... Ned Vizzini: Writers and friends pay tribute 21st December 2013

Enter to win House Of Secrets on my blog! "Sometimes you can't get your life back. Sometimes you have to take it back." I have been a fan of Ned Vizzini ever since I read It's Kind Of A Funny Story a couple years ago (If you haven't read this book yet, what are you waiting for? Stop reading this review immediately and get It's Kind Of A Funny Story. I know you'll thank me later). I have read everything by Vizzini except for Teen Angst? Naaah . . . which I need to read pronto. I even interviewed Mr. Vizzini back in the day when I was a noob blogger. Once I saw The House Of Secrets on Edelweiss, I immediately downloaded it. Imagine if The Goonies had a baby with Inkheart, I think the result would be House Of Secrets. (I really loved The Goonies and Inkheart so this is my way of complimenting it). House of Secrets is one of the most entertaining middle-grade fantasy novels I have ever read. The thing about House Of Secrets is that it's not just for little kids. I'm a grumpy male teen and I just absolutely loved this book. Anyone can enjoy House of Secrets because it's chock full of action, adventure, and humor. House Of Secrets is unlike any fantasy novel I've read recently. There's pirates, witches, magic houses, a WWI soldier, and just so much more. There's a lot going on in House Of Secrets plot-wise but Vizzini and Columbus manage to keep everything interesting. House of Secrets is well-written in a very cinematic way and I just kept imagining this book as a movie. This book actually started off as a movie script and Chris Columbus commented "I completed about 90 pages of the script, and realized that if I continued writing, this film would cost over $500 million dollars. " (from Chris Columbus's comments on House of Secrets). House of Secrets was a nice reprieve from all the generic dystopian books I have read recently. I really loved the way Columbus & Vizzini manage to include a ton of humor into the action-packed plot. One thing that irritated at me at first was the constant product references but I realize that these references gave it a realistic feel. There was one pop culture reference that was absolutely perfect: "I can see him from up here! He looks like thar really skinny British guy on the cover of Dad's old CDs..Yeah he looks like Mick Jagger if Mick Jagger ate a whole truckful of Snickers." Only Vizzini could pull off comparing Mick Jagger to a Snickers-obsessed-giant with dandruff without it becoming ridiculous. Usually when I read a book, the relationships between the siblings is just so fake but that's not the case in House of Secrets. (I kind am questioning how the Pevensie didn't really fight too much in The Chronicles of Narnia, maybe they were C.S. Lewis's ideal children.) The relationships between Cordelia, Brendan, and Eleanor was completely realistic. Their relationship kind of reminded me of my relationship with my two siblings. Besides the fact that the relationships between the characters were spot on, the characters themselves were realistic and extremely developed. Cordelia, Eleanor, and Brendan don't just sit around and mope that they are in the middle of a disaster. "Sometimes you can't get your life back. Sometiems you have to take it back." This is a fantastic quote from House of Secrets because not only does it describe the children's attitudes but it's also very applicable in life. I would highly recommend reading House of Secrets for people of all ages. Fans of Spiderwick Chronicles, Inkheart, and Narnia will love this fun. action-packed novel. I really loved how even though House of Secrets was entertaining, it was still filled with valuable morals. Once you read House of Secrets you'll be begging for the sequel!

I love reading Middle Grade novel. I think these books are the ones that you can enjoy and cherish no matter how old you are. There is a feeling of innocence surrounding a good MG novel that always leaves me giddy. As a result, taking into account my fondness for MG novels, I was looking forward to reading Ned Vizzini and Chris Columbus's "House of Secrets". The description and cover alone were enough to make me curious about the book. I can definitely say I was not disappointed. The book is very interesting and engaging; it will leave you hanging on every word until the end."House of Secrets" is a perfect mash of adventure - it has pirates, witches, WWI soldiers-, action, fantasy and humor - brilliantly inserted in the book by its authors. The protagonists are well developed and able to shine throughout the book. They are also very credible, making you feel like you could meet Cordelia, Brendan, and Eleanor on the street any day and not be surprised. I also loved the authenticity of their sibling relationship; it was very realistic and once again made me think of a family I might meet at the market. All in all, if you're a fan of MG novels or if you are simply looking for an engaging story to read, give "House of Secrets" a try. You will not be disappointed.

This was a very adventurous read. I felt like I was actually there. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

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. More reviews at: www.mybookwormblog.wordpress.com

It's funny how the books that I love the most, I don't really put a lot of thought into before buying. I stumbled upon this book while grocery shopping with my dad at Sam's Club and convinced him (after reading the JK Rowling blurb and the synopsis, I was pretty sure this would be a fun read) I needed another book. And that was it. It was cool-looking, but I didn't exactly do any research on it before tossing it in the shopping cart next to the frozen Barramundi and family-pack of broccoli.Turns out, that was the best random book decision I made this year. This book was EXACTLY what I needed. It's got everything I could ever ask for in an adventure! There's nightmarish pirates, a cute British pilot, and medieval warriors! The only sad thing about this book is that I'll now have to wait a year for the next book! Though hopefully this gets snatched up by a director soon! :)(On a side note, The Goonies is one of my absolute favorite movies ever and I had no idea that Chris Columbus was also behind such a landmark in my childhood until halfway through the book, which definitely sweetened the experience!)

The House of Secrets follows 3 siblings, Cordelia, Brendan and Eleanor Walker as they move into a new house with their parents. The Kristoff House is much more than it first seems. Dark magic is soon unleashed, taking the Walker children on an epic adventure, filled with warriors, giants, pirates and a mad witch. I will admit I brought this book purely because Chris Columbus directed Harry Potter and it was blurbed by J.K Rowling. I am glad I did though. The book was action-packed and fast paced from the word go. For such a big book the pages just flew by. The book and characters were well written. Being a book worm I loved the plot around a book and the world of books coming to life.

Loved loved loved this book! It may be middle grade but it is still one of my favourite books of all time

House of Secrets is going to be the next big thing because it has everything that kids and adults would want in a fantasy series - pirates, evil witches, a giant, a dashing British fighter pilot, knights, precocious children, earthquakes and tons of magic. From the first page Chris Columbus (director of Harry Potter fame) and Ned Vizzini (young adult author) work their magic and introduce us to a special house set just beyond San Francisco. A house with a terrible secret and one that the three Walker siblings must find so they can get their old life back. House of Secrets is due out April 23 and you will want to be in line to be the first to read it before the buzz begins. You can almost see the movie but I loved it in spite of that because the characters are well thought out and intelligent with a fun dose of humor.

Another quick Christmas read! It was good! I feel like this era of writers (2010-2014) have very similar styles and themes. For example, this book reminds me of others, such as The Book for Storybook Beginnings, Peter and the Starcatchers, The Emerald Atlas, and a couple more. The middle grade fantasy scene was all very similar. It had it's unique spin, but it is very uniform. Pretty good though! If the style works, it works!

It was very cool.

Read full review on Secretele SimoneiThis middle-graders book is a really interesting one, full of events and adventures!The Walker family must move since an incident happens. One of the new places they check out is the Kristoff House which turns out to be not only amazing and cheap but also full of secrets and future adventures.The three children of the family, Cordelia, Eleanor and Brendan, are not that happy about the move but they get captured in the crazy adventure that takes over their lives.After they decide to move at the Kristoff House, the family has an encounter with a strange angel statue which dissapears like magic and also with a strange woman which is related to the Kristoff House.The parents of the three children dissapear and this is when the series of adventures begins for the young ones.The two authors created an exciting book in which the protagonists get to travel in places that leaves the reader with open mouth.The secret that Cordelia discovers in one of the books from the library(yes, the K. House had a really wonderful library) somehow guides the three children in the spinning adventures in which they meet characters like pirates!I really liked the conception of the Kristoff House which was located somewhere hanging on a cliff and had at the bottom some "earthquake barrels" that would save the house in case of an... earthquake! I also liked the interior of the house; the luxorious and elegant furniture, the amazing library..!I found the book a little too long, making me to want to finish it faster but I guess that the series of adventures needed some space. "A breakneck, jam-packed, roller-coaster of an adventure about the secret power of books, House of Secrets comes complete with three resourceful sibling heroes, a seriously creepy villainess, and barrel loads of fantasy and fear."J.K.ROWLING I found the book interesting and I am sure that most middle graders will love it! The quote on the book written by J.K. Rowling made me think much more of this book but it was not entirely like that. It was a nice book which would be mostly suited for those

FUN..FUN...FUN....LOVE....LOVE...LOVE THIS!!!!How do you feel sent into a world of fantasies books? This so happens spinning adventure crazy world of books and the creatures that had never found. bahkan lebih menarik dari INKHEART.This story is compelling, enjoyable to read, great fun, and sure to be popular.Pada suatu hari, Ayah dari Walker Dr. Jacob Walker telah kehilangan pekerjaan dan memutuskan pindah kota baru, membeli rumah dengan harga murah. Cordelia (15 th), Brendan (12 th), dan Eleanor (8 th) Walker tidak begitu senang ketika orang tua mereka membeli Rumah bergaya victoria tua, terutama setelah seorang wanita misterius muncul dan menghancurkan rumah itu. Dia mengklaim sebagai "Penyihir Angin" dan putri pemilik rumah asli, Denver Kristoff. Anak2 Walker pingsan setelah rumahnya dihancurkan oleh Penyihir angin, Ketiga anak Walker terbangun dan menyadari bahwa orang tuanya telah hilang, mencarinya namun tidak ketemu, mereka kembali ke rumah Victoria tua, tiba2 anak2 Walker berjumpa Prajurit Barbar yang senang menyiksa manusia hidup, ditangkap oleh mereka namun untungnys anak2 Walker ditolong oleh Will Draper,anggota dari National Terbang Corp dari Perang Dunia Pertama. Anak2 Walker dan Will Drapper segera menemukan hal-hal aneh dan mengetahui bahwa mereka tidak hanya ditangkap di satu buku, tapi di dalam ada tiga dari buku itu. penyihir angin tiba-tiba muncul lagi di depan mereka, mengatakan bahwa misi mereka adalah untuk menemukan sebuah buku rahasia yang dia tidak bisa menyentuh. Dia juga berjanji untuk melepaskan orang tuanyayg ditangkap jika mereka melakukan keinginan penyihir Angin. Mereka pun pergi perjalanan petualangan untuk menemukan buku itu.

This book had lots and lots and lots of action and adventure to keep the reader's interest.However, I thought some of the adventure was a bit far fetched and unbelievable. As well, parts seemed overly repetitive - kill the bad guys already... Don't have them keep reappearing. This continual reappearance of the bad guys made the book overly long. The story line could have been concluded as effectively in probably 3-4 fewer chapters.That said, if the reader is after just action, this is the book, for it dispenses that in ample measure.