House of Secrets

March 18, 2013
In a rousing adventure reminiscent of The Emerald Atlas, director Columbus (The Help) and author Vizzini (The Other Normals) catapult a trio of siblings across time and space, as they square off against a forgotten writer’s literary legacy. When eight-year-old Eleanor, 12-year-old Brendan, and 15-year-old Cordelia Walker move with their parents into the ancient, eerie Kristoff House, they instantly suspect something’s not right. Then they’re attacked by the Wind Witch, their parents go missing, and the entire house is thrust into a bizarre conglomeration of settings taken from the works of Denver Kristoff, a prolific early 20th-century author. Seeking a missing book of immense power, the siblings battle warriors, giants, pirates, and skeletons to get home again. The nonstop action comes with increasingly high stakes, various scenarios paying homage to the likes of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. The kitchen sink aspect of the plot gives the story a somewhat crowded, frenetic feel, but the deft characterizations and wildly imaginative concept more than make up for it. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 9–up. Agent: Dorian Karchmar, William Morris Endeavor.

xxpish - Here’s my review for House of Secrets. Enjoy! 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.