will made the whole book tbf (except when he was acting all “men-are-better-than-women”, i hated him when he did that). the kids were spoiled and bratty as hell.

I'd rate it a 2. But, I know Kevin would think it's much cooler than a 2. So, I'm splitting the difference!

With shorter chapters and plenty of twists, this lengthy middle-grade novel would be perfect for evening story-time or for young readers who have graduated from early chapter books. There was plenty of action and adventure with a satisfying ending leading into the next installment. However, I found the numerous cultural references cliche, the character names (and nicknames) confusing, and the patchwork plot disjointed. Although a solid 3.5 stars for originality, I would hesitate to recommend this book to just anyone; there are some pretty gruesome and scary events and lots of characters to keep track of. Not terrible, not great.

Fun read for young people seeking excitement and some despair for the characters. Some of the descriptions of the torture by the pirate were a bit too gruesome for smaller children. But, I love the way that characters from books in the library become part of the experience of the kids.
I would recommend this book, but with some "skipped" parts of the more violent parts.

Read my review at Gator Book Chomp.

Great fun read recommended by my 11yr old, we will both read the next one too!

I loved it!!!!!!!

I gave this one a few better than 50 pages. Amateurish and frenetic, the plot points zoom out of nowhere and crash spectacularly. I don't know what JK Rowling saw in this, but I'm not reading anymore to find out.

This book hadn’t been checked out for a few years in my inherited library so I thought I’d read it before I weeded it out. In searching for fantasy books that middle school boys may be interested in, I was intrigued by the cover showing a boy, sharks, and pirates on a floating house. The story is fast paced and interesting- it is about ten years old so some references are definitely dated, but it could be a good read for kids who need a lot of action- but they may be daunted by the length- it’s a huge book. I’ll keep it and try to encourage kids to read it- we will see if it takes!

(I listened to the audiobook, I'm an adult.) If you compare House of Secrets to Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, you will walk away from this book disappointed. The three main characters, Cordelia, Brendan, and Eleanor Walker, are very difficult to love or root for, which, is completely unlike HP or PJ.

For me, I was most attached to Brendan. Cordelia was so stereotypically girl-like at times, I didn't mind when she was in harm's way. Just once I'd like to read a YA female that doesn't fall for a cute guy then get jealous that he likes someone else. Eleanor was either too young or too old, for me to like. I wanted her to be more or better or something.

The story itself wasn't bad, but it really felt like a movie. Probably because of the author. I believe a good novel should make you feel immersed in the world as it is told. With HOS I just felt like an observer. Also, so much happened throughout the book that one chapter and one epilogue wasn't enough denouement. That said, I loved the audiobook narrator, Daniel Vincent Gordh. He had so many different voices, it was great.

Oh, and one last thing that bothered me was a result of it being written by a movie director, I think. It felt like I was constantly being pulled out of the book for product placement. Things like a Nintendo DS, X-celerator Hand Dryer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc. In a movie script, it's important to be specific about those things. In a book, you should let the reader fill in the blanks, ie. "handheld game system" or high-powered hand dryer.