Book 1

Dream house . . . or bad dream?

When the Kings move from L.A. to a secluded small town, fifteen-year-old Xander is beyond disappointed. He and his friends loved to create amateur films . . . but the tiny town of Pinedale is the last place a movie buff and future filmmaker wants to land.

But he, David, and Toria are captivated by the many rooms in the old Victorian fixer-upper they moved into--as well as the heavy woods surrounding the house.

They soon discover there's something odd about the house. Sounds come from the wrong directions. Prints of giant, bare feet appear in the dust. And when David tries to hide in the linen closet, he winds up in locker 119 at his new school.

Then the really weird stuff kicks in: they find a hidden hallway with portals leading off to far-off places--in long-ago times. Xander is starting to wonder if this kind of travel is a teen's dream come true . . . or his worst nightmare.

Book 2

Watcher in the Woods

by Robert Liparulo

Published 6 May 2008
Twelve-year-old David and his family search for their kidnapped mother in the many different time period portals of their home, but when a stranger appears and tries to force them to sell the house, their desperation reaches new heights.

Book 3

Gatekeepers

by Robert Liparulo

Published 6 January 2009

The house talks. It breathes. And it's hungry.

The Kings have been in the creepy old place, their new home, for only a few days, but they've experienced enough terror to last a lifetime. And the mystery is growing even more baffling. Shadowy and shifting, the big house conceals doors into other worlds that blur the line between memories and dreams-and the slightest misstep can change history forever.

At least, that's if they believe the trembling old man who shows up claiming to know them. "There's a reason you're in the house," he tells them. "As gatekeepers, we must make sure only those events that are supposed to happen get through to the future."

The problem is that horrors beyond description wait on the other side of those gates. As if that weren't enough, the Kings are also menaced by sinister forces on this side-like the dark, ancient stranger Taksidian, who wants them out now.

Xander, David, and Toria must venture beyond the gates to save their missing mother-and discover how truly high the stakes have become.


Book 4

Timescape

by Robert Liparulo

Published 14 July 2009
David, Xander, Dad, and Keal discover that Taksidian wants their house for himself in order to use the time portals to build an empire, and unless they can find his weakness in time, the future of the world itself may be in danger.

Book 5

Whirlwind

by Robert Liparulo

Published 1 December 2009

Time isn’t just running out . . . it’s running wild.

David King is reeling from his travels through history—and the evil he’s found there. The last thing he needs is his great-great-uncle Jesse’s hospital-bed instructions: You can’t simply do nothing. You must fix things.

David and his brother Xander’s search for their abducted mother has repeatedly led them on strange and terrifying journeys as they’ve stepped through the portals of the creepy old house into some of history’s most turbulent moments—and confronted an unimaginably bleak vision of the future.

Now Jesse’s words saddle them with an obligation not only to visit the past, but to rewrite it.

Fulfilling their purpose will take everything they have, both mentally and physically. And they have no choice . . . because everything in the past—and the future—is on the line.

“If you like creepy and mysterious, this is the house for you! Every room opens a door to magic, true horror, and amazing surprises. I loved wandering around in these books. With a house of so many great, haunting stories, why would you ever want to go outside?” —R.L. Stine, bestselling author of the Fear Street and Goosebumps series

  • Book 5 in the Dreamhouse Kings series
    • Book 1: House of Dark Shadows
    • Book 2: Watcher in the Woods
    • Book 3: Gatekeepers
    • Book 4: Timescape
    • Book 5: Whirlwind
    • Book 6: Frenzy
  • Fast-paced, time travel YA
  • Book length: appr. 60,000 words
  • Includes reading group guide

Book 6

Frenzy

by Robert Liparulo

Published 18 May 2010

Their destiny is to fix history. Their dream is to get home.

When you live in a house that's really a gateway between past and present, you have to be ready for anything. It's a painful fact the Kings have faced since moving to Pinedale eight days ago. Desperately trying to rescue their mother from an unknown time and place, brothers Xander and David have lunged headlong into the chaos of history's greatest--and most volatile--events. But their goal has continually escaped their grasp.

And worse: Finding Mom is only a small part of what they must do, thanks to the barbaric Taksidian. His ruthless quest to sieze their house and its power from them has put not only the family, but all of mankind, in grave danger.

Somehow, the key to it all hinges on Uncle Jesse's words to the boys: "Fixing time is what our family was made to do." But how can they fix a world that has been turned updisde down--much less ever find their way home?

At long last, the secrets of the house and the King family are revealed in the stunning conclusion to this epic series.