Books "HOUSE OF SECRETS"

Books “HOUSE OF SECRETS”

[ book 1 of HOUSE OF SECRETS Series ]

by Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini

Text copyright © 2013 by Novel Approach LLC  

Cover art & inside illustrations copyright © 2013 by Greg Call

Typography by Amy Ryan

Published by Balzer + Bray ( an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers )

First edition ; paperback ; 490 p ; ISBN 978-0-06-225964-6 (international ed.)

Rate : 4 of 5

When I first saw this book at bookstore, something caught in my eyes, special endorsment by J.K. Rowling, praising this book as ‘a breakneck, jam-packed roller coaster of an adventure about the secret power of books’ ... that’s makes me so curious and furious to know about this book. And knowing this book written by collaboration of Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini, that’s adds some highly notice at my mind. But the price at premire is so high ... so after a while I’m (trying) to forget about this book, this month my cousin come for a holiday and guess what, he bring-over pile of books, and some of them is this book !! Yippee !! Know, time’s for me to enter the break-taking adventure (at least I’m hoping Rowling endorsment are really true).

From the very start, along, middle until ending, I just can put down this book. Not only full of adventure, but it’s like reading (or watching) Jumanji meet Night at The Museum and Jurrasic Park ... wheeeew, so intense, and you’ll never guess what come next in the world of House of Secrets. The storyline are focusing in Walker family. After Dr. Walker lost his job as a surgeon, and struggling through lawsuit made by the patient, they lost everything. Beautiful and big house in San Fransisco, luxurious cars, private school, and they must moving in at lower price house, different neighbourhood. After several times checking the offer of houses that they colud affor, they finally meet an old Victorian house that so big, full with furniture with very low price.

It’s like winning first jackpot, The Walker agree and moving in. Mr. & Mrs. Walker are glad, finally they have home to stay, but the children having different feeling about the house. Cordelia (15 year) – named after Buffy’s friends (you know, Buffy the Vampire Slayer series), really love books, and when she found that the house was owned by Denver Kristoff – occult and mysterious also famous novelist, and still there is huge library with books inside the house to explore, she just went crazy about this. Eleanor (8 year), the youngest of Walkers, just love the old house, full with secret passage, dumbwaiter and unique things to play with.

~ House of Kristoff rolling down the hill into the sea ~

Only Brendan (11 year) who first love the attic room (he declare that as his room), just having spilt-feelings between curious, happy and scare at the same time, specially when he the one having ‘weird’ experience meeting scary ‘unexplainable’ creature at the yard, twice !! And he just thinking, why the house so good and wonderful, offer just half-price than usual market ? The answers of that, come by the first day the Walkers officially moving-in at Kristoff House. While they preparing the family celebration, coming uninvited guess – woman who first intruduce her self as Dahlia Kristoff – daughter of Denver Kristoff who also living in the neighbourhood, but Brendan know her as ‘crazy-creature’ he meet at the yard.

“For the honor of my father! For all the evil done upon him by the Walkers ! For disturbance of the great book ! For the craven consultation with Dr. Hayes ! For Denver Kristoff, who lives again as he lives always ! A Life for a life, the Wind Witch has spoken, let a page torn be a page reborn !”

~ Fat-Jagger carrying House of Kristoff & capture a giant dragonfly ~

After this episode, the plot moving so fast and intese. Dahlia Kristoff indeed daughter of Denver Kristoff, but she would be hundred years old by now ... and the creature standing in front of the Walkers, just happen to be bald-ugly-old-lady with dark-wings and one full arm and half-cutted arm on other side. She also happen to posseses dark-magic, that knock-down Mr. & Mrs. Walker, destroy the house and its content, but sending the three siblings into other world. The world that later knowned as world created by Kristoff, because all the weird and fantastic world are written inside his works for over the years : the books in the library. Soon Cordelia, Brendan and Eleanor, realize that trapped inside the world of story-books are not quite fun or even enjoyable like just reading it.

Be prepare of hillarious, scary, intense adventure, when this three siblings meet giant wolf, a big dragonfly’s that appearantly not hebivorous-insect, scary savages (from  Savage Warriors books) and Fighter Pilot WW I, Will Draper from Royal Flying Corps (from The Fighting Ace book). From ancient to medieval, from myths into legend, all combined with excited story, when the pursue of The Book of Doom and Desire will lead them to the key, back into Walker’s world. Just like when reading The BFG bu Roald Dahl, don’t judge ‘creature’ by their first looks, it could be otherwise, like a giant who named Jagger (Eleanor thinks he looks like Mick Jagger, only bigger, taller, and also grllll intead talking) that become Eleanor BFF, or a bunch of pirate who looks danger and scary, and they trully scary and love to slaying anybody else (including among them).

About the authors :

Chris Columbus, has written, directed, and produced some of the most successful box-office hits in Hollywood history. He first made his name by writing several original scripts produced by Steven Spielberg, including the back-to-back hits Gremlins and The Goonies. As a director, Columbus has been at the helm of such iconic project as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Home Alone, Stepmom, and Mrs. Doubtfire. As a producer, Columbus was also behind the hit films Night at the Museum and The Help.

[ more about Chris Columbus works , check at here : Goodreads ]

Ned Vizzini, (1981-2013) began writing for the New York Press at the age of fifteen. At nineteen, he published Teen Angst? Naaah ..., his autobiography of his years at Stuyvesant High School. His debut teen novel, Be More Chill, was named a Best Book of the Year by Entertainment Weekly and selected for the Today Show Book Club by Judy Blume. It’s Kind of a Funny Story, a cult classic, was adapted into a feature film and was named one of the 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels by National Public Radio. The Other Normals, his third novel, was a Junior Library Guild selection. He also wrote for television, including MTV’s hit show Teen Wolf. His MTV’s Teen Wolf books have been translated into twenty-five languages.

[ more about Ned Vizzini works, check at here : Goodreads ]

~ This Post are include in 2014 Reading Challenge ~

5^th Book in Reading English Challenge

94^th Book in TBRR Pile

Best Regards,

Hobby Buku