{My thoughts} – Dash, Dylan, Poppy, Marcus, and Azumi are about to take part in a massive life changing event. They need to keep their wits about them, they need to be smarter then the situation around them and they need to try not to be too scared.

Dash and Dylan are twin actors that have been invited to the Shadow House to do a movie production. Poppy was invited be her long lost relative. Marcus was invited to attend as a music prodigy. Azumi was invited for academics. When each of the children arrive they question where everyone is and why they seem to be the only ones around. They wonder around and look from room to room in search of other individuals but they don’t find anyone right away.

They do find other things that are questioning. They also discover things about the house that catches most of them off guard to the point where they don’t want to believe some of the things that they are seeing. Can they trust their eyes or should they continue to question their own sanity levels?

This book is very nicely written and was really hard to put down. I enjoyed reading it and I hope that my kids will one day enjoy it as well. If you’d like to know what happens please don’t hesitate and read this book. It’s really mild horror even for a childrens book and a well written piece of work.

{The APP} – I also downloaded the APP that goes along with the book. It is well thought out and I like the way that it is put together. I like how you need the book to advance in the APP. I also like how it is made like a pick your own ending kind of thing. Very enjoyable! ( )

FROM AMAZON: Come play with us....

Buildings have memories. Places bear scars. We've all had those moments - a chill in the air, a sense that something terrible once happened where we stand. But some houses are more than scary. They're hungry.

Larkspur House has lured five kids inside, and they're trapped. The five will have to look carefully - there are clues to the house's secrets scattered all over the grounds, and if they can figure out the past, it might show them a way out of their terrifying present. Will they stay strong enough to discover the house's weakness and escape? Or will the horrors of Larkspur House scare the five right out of their minds?

This was pretty spooky, definitely fulfilling if you're looking for a campfire ghost story type feel. If I would have read it at night, I would have had that prickly back feeling. ( )

I'm usually not a big fan of middle grade books but this one was definitely creepy. There are some pictures in this one that really freaked me out and the story was way creepier than I was expecting. It reminded me a lot of the movie House on Haunted Hill but with young kids. It even had a little twist at the end that I wasn't expecting. It does end in a pretty good cliffhanger so I'll continue with the series at some point. ( )

Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Good
Recommended: Maybe
Reading Level-Middle school

This book had a different ending. It seemed to just end without finalizing things. Which does leave it open for the sequel. I did like the characters and could relate to them. I wanted them to succeed and come out okay. And they were getting things worked out at the end, but the book just ended, without accomplishing everything. The characters did come to self realization, but it was left without completion. ( )