Books like 'If I Built a House'
Readers who enjoyed If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary sc-fi action / adventure humor children family
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Beyond Broadhall by Keith A. Pearson
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsThe concluding installment of the acclaimed time-travel novel. To read the first installment, search for 'The '86 Fix' on Amazon. After his miraculous weekend in 1986, Craig Pelling returned to a future he could never have envisaged. Even by his own hapless standards, his plans have spectacularly backfired... -
![Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty]()
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsScientist Ada has a boundless imagination and has always been hopelessly curious. Why are there pointy things stuck to a rose? Why are there hairs growing inside your nose? When her house fills with a horrific, toe-curling smell, Ada knows it’s up to her to find the source... -
![Lost and Found by Lexi Blake]()
Lost and Found by Lexi Blake
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsOwen Shaw and his “brothers” lost everything, their entire existence erased. Science had robbed him and all the Lost Boys of their memories and their past, but not their future. Hunted by every intelligence agency in the world, they are focused on two goals: find a cure for what was done to them and ensure that the technology that ruined their lives doesn’t get out into the world... -
![Fall of Hades by Richard Paul Evans]()
Fall of Hades by Richard Paul Evans
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsMichael and his friends try to recruit Hatch’s Electric Youth to their side as the thrilling action continues in this electrifying sixth installment of the New York Times bestselling series!Michael and the Electroclan are about to embark on their deadliest mission yet. Some of them may not make it back... -
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![How to Defy a Vampire by Alice Winters]()
How to Defy a Vampire by Alice Winters
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFinnStumbling into a crime scene is pretty typical for me. As a human, joining the VRC has done everything but keep me out of trouble. And now I seem to be playing a part that I’d really rather not play… if I want to keep my head, that is.By my side is my partner Marcus, a vampire who has vowed to tear the world apart—and even a mattress—to keep me safe... -
![Survivor In Death by J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts]()
Survivor In Death by J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsNo affairs. No criminal connections. No DNA. No clues. Eve Dallas may be the best cop in the city - not to mention having the lavish resources of her husband Roarke at her disposal - but the Swisher case has her baffled. The family members were murdered in their beds with brutal, military precision... -
![If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen]()
If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIf I built a car, it'd be totally new!Here are a few of the things that I'd do. . . .Young Jack is giving an eye-opening tour of the car he'd like to build. There's a snack bar, a pool, and even a robot named Robert to act as chauffeur... -
![Payback by Gordon Korman]()
Payback by Gordon Korman
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFrom the master of middle grade, Gordon Korman, comes the final book in the bestselling Masterminds series — about a group of kids who discover they were cloned from the DNA of some of the greatest criminal masterminds in history.After a serious betrayal from one of their former friends, the clones of Project Osiris are on the run again... -
![Masterminds: Criminal Destiny by Gordon Korman]()
Masterminds: Criminal Destiny by Gordon Korman
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"A terrific page-turner, full of unexpected twists and revelations. Buckle up!"—James PattersonThe second book in the acclaimed, action-packed series from New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman. Stranger Things fans, don't miss this trilogy!The clones of Project Osiris are free—but they’re being hunted... -
![The Arbitrator by Max Nowaz]()
The Arbitrator by Max Nowaz
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGREAT 5* REVIEWS on GOODREADS WAS THERE A PANG OF REMORSE FOR HIS ACTIONS? POSSIBLY, BUT WHAT CHOICE DID HE HAVE? HE HAD NO ROOM FOR WEAKNESS, IF HE WANTED TO SURVIVE. Jim Brown, formerly a highly successful, but ruthless, troubleshooting Administrator for the EPA, The Earth Policy Administration, was rotting in prison, dying of an incurable drug habit that he had acquired whilst in there... -
![The Boy Who Cried Christmas by Dennis Bailey]()
The Boy Who Cried Christmas by Dennis Bailey
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratings9-year-old Logan Ailshie, the only son of well-to-do parents, was used to getting his way, especially during the holidays. For him, Christmas wasn't just about making a list, but making sure it was long enough. He also had a reputation for embellishing the truth... -
![Storm of Lightning by Richard Paul Evans]()
Storm of Lightning by Richard Paul Evans
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsMichael, Taylor, Ostin, and the rest of the Electroclan go on their most dangerous mission yet as the thrilling action continues in this electrifying fifth installment of the New York Times bestselling series!The Electroclan is on the run. The resistance movement has been compromised. The safe house has been destroyed... -
![Rise of the Elgen by Richard Paul Evans]()
Rise of the Elgen by Richard Paul Evans
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsMichael must save his mother—and protect his powers—in the electric sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling Michael Vey, from Richard Paul Evans.Michael was born with special electrical powers—and he’s not the only one. His friend Taylor has them too, and so do other kids around the world... -
![The '86 Fix by Keith A. Pearson]()
The '86 Fix by Keith A. Pearson
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsImagine if you could travel back in time to when you were sixteen.Imagine if you could spend one weekend reliving your past — would you change anything? Everything wrong with Craig Pelling’s life can be traced back to 1986 and the moment he popped in to a newsagent for a can of Coke... -
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![Battle of the Ampere by Richard Paul Evans]()
Battle of the Ampere by Richard Paul Evans
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsThe hair-raising action continues for Michael Vey in this charged third installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling series.Michael, Taylor, Ostin and the rest of the Electroclan have destroyed the largest of the Elgen Starxource plants, but now they’re scattered across the Amazon jungle... -
![Back To You by Steve Bates]()
Back To You by Steve Bates
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSearching for history’s greatest pastrami on rye, Chris arrives from 1,000 years in the future and hides his time machine in an alley. But Eddie sees through the disguise, takes an unexpected ride, and demonstrates it to his boss at a failing cable TV network... -
![A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga]()
A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsNew York Times bestseller * Best Book of the Year from The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library The One and Only Ivan meets The Wild Robot in this unique and deeply moving middle grade novel about the journey of a fictional Mars rover, from the Newbery Honor–winning author of Other Words for Home...Categorized as:
children family middle-grade sci-fi fiction audiobook children-books action-adventure -
![Into the Real by John Ringo, Lydia Sherrer]()
Into the Real by John Ringo, Lydia Sherrer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsNEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR JOHN RINGO AND USA TODAY BEST-SELLING AUTHOR LYDIA SHERRER JOIN FORCES ON A NEW SF NOVEL OF ALIEN INVASION. ENDER'S GAME MEETS MEAN GIRLS MEETS POK É MON GO... -
![Masterminds by Gordon Korman]()
Masterminds by Gordon Korman
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsThe first book in the action-packed trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Gordon Korman is perfect for fans of Stranger Things and James Patterson. Eli Frieden has never left Serenity, New Mexico...why would he ever want to? Then one day, he bikes to the edge of the city limits and something so crazy and unexpected happens, it changes everything... -
![Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith]()
Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsAfter their parents are lost in an accident, thirteen-year old twins Grace and Marty are whisked away to live with their Uncle Wolfe-an uncle that they didn't even know they had! The intimidating Uncle Wolfe is an anthropologist who has dedicated his life to finding cryptids, mysterious creatures believed to be long extinct...Categorized as:
children family action-adventure animals book children-books coming-of-age contemporary -
![The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune]()
The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIn the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his older brother wants nothing to do with him, and he's been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington DC. With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family's summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It's not... -
![The Bridge to Lucy Dunne by Exurb1a]()
The Bridge to Lucy Dunne by Exurb1a
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA mad astronaut ejects a starship's sleeping crew into deep space. A playwright conjures her perfect lover into existence. Three time travellers appear to a motorbike mechanic, drink a little tea, and ruin his life. Mankind discovers the secrets of travelling to the stars, and promptly forgets them again.Exurb1a has collected 18 of his best received short stories into a book...Categorized as:
humor action-adventure adult anthologies contemporary fiction literary-fiction philosophy -
![Explorer Academy by Trudi Trueit]()
Explorer Academy by Trudi Trueit
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAdventure, danger, and a thrilling global mission await 12-year-old Cruz Coronado as he joins an elite school for explorers.Cruz leaves his tranquil home in Hawaii to join 23 talented kids from around the globe to train at the Explorer Academy with the world's leading scientists to become the next generation of great explorers. But for Cruz, there's more at stake...Categorized as:
children family action-adventure book children-books contemporary fiction friendship -
![The Dinosaur That Pooped a Planet! by Tom Fletcher, Dougie Poynter]()
The Dinosaur That Pooped a Planet! by Tom Fletcher, Dougie Poynter
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter of McFly comes a supersonic space adventure filled with planets, poop, and pandemonium!One boy, one space rocket, one very hungry dinosaur: the ingredients for an explosive space adventure of epic poop-portions! But when Danny realizes he’s forgotten Dino’s lunch box, the very hungry dinosaur eats everything in sight, including their only way home: the... -
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![Doctor Who: Nothing O'Clock by Neil Gaiman]()
Doctor Who: Nothing O'Clock by Neil Gaiman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThousands of years ago, Time Lords built a Prison for the Kin. They made it utterly impregnable and unreachable. As long as Time Lords existed, the Kin would be trapped forever and the universe would be safe. They had planned for everything… everything, that is, other than the Time War and the fall of Gallifrey... -
![Alone by Megan E. Freeman]()
Alone by Megan E. Freeman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She’s alone—left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned.With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own... -
![The Overlord Protocol by Mark Walden]()
The Overlord Protocol by Mark Walden
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsHOW FAR WILL OTTO GO TO PROTECT HIS FRIENDS? Otto Malpense and his friends thought their first year at the Higher Institute of Villainous Education was the most adventurous and exciting that they would ever encounter. They were dead wrong... -
![All In A Name by Honor Raconteur]()
All In A Name by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSomeone left Jamie a prezzie and she would like to return it with a no thank you.It all starts with a dead Robert Martin, the man who killed RM Burtchell. Jamie doesn’t know how, but it’s obvious he was yanked out of high security prison, murdered, and dumped on her front doorsteps.Now the situation is entirely out of control... -
![E. T. - The Extra-Terrestrial by William Kotzwinkle]()
E. T. - The Extra-Terrestrial by William Kotzwinkle
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBased on the screenplay by Melissa Mathison.What do you do when you're lost, millions of miles from home, surrounded by frightening creatures?You do what the Old Botanist did when he was accidentally left behind on Earth. First you find a friend.. -
![Double Cross by Malorie Blackman, Amélie Sarn]()
Double Cross by Malorie Blackman, Amélie Sarn
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsTobey wants a better life - for him and his girlfriend Callie Rose. He wants nothing to do with the gangs that rule the world he lives in. But when he's offered the chance to earn some money just for making a few 'deliveries', just this once, would it hurt to say 'yes'?The captivating conclusion/companion Novel of the Noughts and Crosses series...Categorized as:
children family action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book coming-of-age contemporary -
![Among the Brave by Margaret Peterson Haddix]()
Among the Brave by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA Reluctant HeroTrey may have saved Luke's life, but he still thinks of himself as a coward who can barely stand to be outdoors. Now Trey finds out Luke has been taken prisoner at Population Police headquarters. Trey is terrified, but he knows that if he doesn't rescue his friend, no one will.At police headquarters, Trey impersonates an officer to try getting to Luke...Categorized as:
children family action-adventure book children-books coming-of-age contemporary dark -
![Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass]()
Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsAnd as streams of light fan out behind the darkened sun like the wings of a butterfly, I realize that I never saw real beauty until now.At Moon Shadow, an isolated campground, thousands have gathered to catch a glimpse of a rare and extraordinary total eclipse of the sun...Categorized as:
children family action-adventure audiobook book coming-of-age contemporary female-author -
![Leonard (My Life as a Cat) by Carlie Sorosiak]()
Leonard (My Life as a Cat) by Carlie Sorosiak
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA wise, funny and moving story of what it means to find a family, from the best-selling author of I, Cosmo.Leonard has never had a name. Or a body. Or a best friend. But he is excited to try being a human.On their three-hundredth-birthday, every alien from Leonard’s home galaxy gets to spend a month in the body of an Earth Creature... -
![Daisy on the Outer Line by Ross Sayers]()
Daisy on the Outer Line by Ross Sayers
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLife, Death & Time Travel on the Glasgow Subway.After selfish student Daisy makes a scene at her stepdad’s funeral, she drunkenly falls asleep on the Glasgow subway and wakes to find she has travelled back in time. And to make matters worse, she's in someone else's body.To make amends for her behaviour, she must save a life—but she doesn’t know who, how, or where to begin... -
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![Jurassic World Special Edition Junior Novelization (Jurassic World) by David Lewman]()
Jurassic World Special Edition Junior Novelization (Jurassic World) by David Lewman
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsJurassic World is the long-awaited next installment of the groundbreaking Jurassic Park series. T... -
![Simon Bloom, the Octopus Effect by Michael Reisman]()
Simon Bloom, the Octopus Effect by Michael Reisman
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsEver since Simon Bloom defeated deadly Sirabetta, heas been having fun with the laws of physics. Until Sirabetta sets out for revenge. Now Simon must follow her to the Order of Biologyas realm. Simon will get some wild abilities from the "Book of Biology," but that might not be enough against Sirabetta... -
![Where the World Turns Wild by Nicola Penfold]()
Where the World Turns Wild by Nicola Penfold
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsJuniper Greene lives in a walled city from which nature has been banished, following the outbreak of a deadly man-made disease many years earlier. While most people seem content to live in such a cage, she and her little brother Bear have always known about their resistance to the disease, and dream of escaping into the wild. To the one place humans have survived outside of cities...Categorized as:
children family action-adventure animals apocalyptic book children-books contemporary -
![The Dog Who Saved the World by Ross Welford]()
The Dog Who Saved the World by Ross Welford
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this fast-paced time travel adventure into the future, a girl and her dog set out to save the world from a deadly plague. He smells terrible. He'll eat literally anything. And he's humanity's only hope.... When 12-year-old Georgie makes friends with an eccentric retired scientist, she becomes the test-subject for a thrilling new experiment: a virtual reality 3-D version of the future... -
![Itch Rocks: The Further Adventures of an Element Hunter by Simon Mayo]()
Itch Rocks: The Further Adventures of an Element Hunter by Simon Mayo
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsItchingham Lofte is back—and now he's the most protected boy in the world! After narrowly escaping the thugs from Greencorps and disposing of element 126, Itch and his family live under constant surveillance by England's famed MI5...Categorized as:
children action-adventure book children-books contemporary dystopia fiction middle-grade -
![Elephant Secret by Eric Walters]()
Elephant Secret by Eric Walters
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWe Bought a Zoo meets Jurassic Park in a gripping story set in an elephant sanctuary, featuring the perennial appeal of human-animal friendships.Samantha (Sam) lives at the elephant sanctuary her dad runs and views the elephants there as much a part of her family as her single dad is...Categorized as:
children family action-adventure animals book children-books coming-of-age contemporary -
![Flight 3430 by Jacqueline Druga]()
Flight 3430 by Jacqueline Druga
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn a small Montana town, it takes four minutes for every man, woman and child to die.It isn’t a virus or biological attack, but rather the beginning of a geological event that triggers a chain reaction across the globe with devastating effects.A repeat of an extinction event that occurred millions of years earlier.There is no stopping it. The only way to survive is to stay ahead of it... -
![Boy In The Tower by Polly Ho-Yen]()
Boy In The Tower by Polly Ho-Yen
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSHORTLISTED FOR THE BLUE PETER BOOK AWARD 2015LONGLISTED FOR THE BRANFORD BOASE AWARD 2015SHORTLISTED FOR THE REDBRIDGE AWARD 2015RUNNER UP TEACH PRIMARY NEW CHILDREN'S FICTION AWARD 2015BOOKTRUST PICKWhen they first arrived, they came quietly and stealthily as if they tip-toed into the world when we were all looking the other way. Ade loves living at the top of a tower block...Categorized as:
children family action-adventure apocalyptic book children-books contemporary dystopia -
![Time Traveling with a Hamster by Ross Welford]()
Time Traveling with a Hamster by Ross Welford
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBack to the Future meets The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in this original, poignant, race-against-time story about a boy who travels back to 1984 to save his father’s life. My dad died twice. Once when he was thirty-nine and again four years later, when he was twelve. On his twelfth birthday, Al Chaudhury receives a letter from his dead father... -
![Despicable Me: The Junior Novel by Annie Auerbach, Annie Auerbacj]()
Despicable Me: The Junior Novel by Annie Auerbach, Annie Auerbacj
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA smart, funny junior novelization of Despicable Me, an animated movie about "world's greatest villain" Gru, coming from Universal Studios in Summer 2010! Includes a color insert of stills from the... -
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![Unbelievably Boring Bart by James Patterson, Duane Swierczynski]()
Unbelievably Boring Bart by James Patterson, Duane Swierczynski
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThere's more than meets the eye in James Patterson's newest middle grade novel-a book so fun kids will actually put down their games to listen to it!Invisible creatures are attacking the school, and 12-year-old Bartholomew Bean is the only one who can stop them!Okay, so maybe Bart is only a hero in the video game app he created... -
![Double Cross by Beth McMullen, Kelsey Navarro]()
Double Cross by Beth McMullen, Kelsey Navarro
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsShannon Hale’s Princess Academy meets Stu Gibbs’s Spy School series in the third book in the Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls series.Abby and her classmates have all been invited to Briar Academy to participate in The Challenge, a prep school competition where teams compete for prizes and the glory of being the best of the best... -
![Hatch by Kenneth Oppel]()
Hatch by Kenneth Oppel
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsBook Two in the Bestselling Bloom TrilogyFirst the rain brought seeds. Seeds that grew into alien plants that burrowed and strangled and fed.Seth, Anaya, and Petra are strangely immune to the plants’ toxins and found a way to combat them. But just as they have their first success, the rain begins again. This rain brings eggs. That hatch into insects. Not small insects... -
![Crater Lake by Jennifer Killick]()
Crater Lake by Jennifer Killick
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt could be the mysterious bloodstained man who tries to stop their coach, or the fact no one seems to be around at the brand-new activity centre when Lance and the rest of his class arrive for the Year 6 school trip, but something is definitely not right at Crater Lake! What follows is a fight for survival that sees five pupils band together to save their classmates from an alien fate far worse... -
![Alien in the House by Gini Koch]()
Alien in the House by Gini Koch
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsJeff and Kitty Katt-Martini have learned the ins and outs of Washington politics, not to mention how to prevail in intergalactic war and foil dangerous plots. But, in the aftermath of Operation Destruction, the Gower girls’ powers are burned out, the entire A-C population has been “outed” as the aliens living on Earth that they are, and, worst of all, ACE is nowhere to be found... -
![The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge]()
The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFun science meets humor and heart in this adventure about a boy who is searching for his mother . . . in a parallel universe.Stephen Albie Bright leads a happy, normal life. Well, as normal as it gets with two astrophysicist parents who named their son after their favorite scientists, Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein. But then Albie's mother dies of cancer, and his world is shattered...
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