Author: Robert Liparulo
Year of Publication: 2008
Official Website
Synopsis: When the Kings move to a new home in a new town, the house
seems odd at first; but things get really strange when they realize that some
rooms are portals to other worlds. The Kings face terrifying dangers within the
rooms of their home, but it still seems like an adventure until people start
coming out of the rooms and into the house. When one of the intruders kidnaps
their mother, they must find a way to rescue her-but who would believe such a
fantastical story?
STEPH SAID
Rating: 
Review:
If I had to describe this book in one word it’ll be:
predictable. After reading the epilogue, only the epilogue, I knew what was
going to happen through the whole book.
The epilogue tells the story of a family that lived in a
house (the Dreamhouse, the setting of this story) 30 years ago and whose mother
was kidnapped by a huge man. I guessed the boy in that family was Xander’s
father, Ed, and that history was going to repeat itself. I was right. When the
family first saw the house, there where huge footprints on the kitchen. At that
point my suspicions were confirmed.
The whole book is about Xander and his brother looking
through the house, finding the portals in the attic and going to different
worlds. It culminates with a big man (probably the same one as 30 years before)
kidnapping Xander’s mother. So what happens in the book is what’s written on
the synopsis. It’s not like they discover the portals, their mother is kidnapped
and then the adventure begins. They discover the portals, then, that their mother is kidnapped. The have a small discussion about what they are going to do and how, and then the book ends.
After Xander’s mother was kidnapped, Xander found out his
father had gone trough the same ordeal. I didn’t like how Xander treated Ed
afterwards. Yes, his mother was gone but so was Ed’s mother. Xander kept
reproaching his dad for taking them to the house to look for his, Ed’s, mom and
kept saying Ed shouldn’t have done that. But then he, Xander, said that they
weren’t going to leave the house until they find their mother. Xander is
criticizing his father for wanting to do exactly what he is doing; which I find
hypocritical. Ed may have put the King family in danger by taking them to the
house, but Xander is putting them in danger by not wanting them to leave.
On the plus side, the tone and pace are excellent; even
though you know what’s going to happen, you feel anxious and nervous in certain
parts. Also, the worlds are diverse, unexpected and interesting. What I’m
guessing is that every world has a danger in it. You see beach attire, don’t
think you’ll go to the Caribbean and enjoy the Sun; you will probably end up
fighting sharks. But, most importantly, the worlds are constantly changing; which
will make it hard for them to track their mother. To make matters even worse, the big man knows
how to jump from world to world without having to stop at the Dreamhouse, the
Kings don’t.
The book might be predictable but it is easy and enjoyable
to read. Maybe the sequels are less predictable and have more plot twists.
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