Ten year old Amelia is forced to move to a new home with her parents.  She was an only child until now. Now she has to share her life and her parents with her two orphaned cousins, Owen and Matthew. The boys lost their parents as a result of a car crash and now they are part of Amelia’s immediate family. To save Owen and Matthew from further upheaval, Amelia’s parents decide it is best to move into the boys’ home to start their new life together.

From the moment Amelia sets foot on the property, she feels as if she is being watched. Actually, she feels as if it is the house watching her.  As fitful sleep and many days of adjustment drone on Amelia begins to discover secrets about and in her new home. She discovers that this house is a rare architectural design known as a calendar house. It is designed on the principal and numbers associated with time. Four floors represent the four seasons. Fifty-two windows represent the fifty-two weeks in a year. Most design items in the house represent some aspect of time.

Amelia soon discovers that her dreams are being stolen by a mysterious old man who can change into a shadow and simply disappear. He promises her magic, immortality and a chance to escape the life that she no longer wants. She longs for the change but feels reluctant. When she realizes that the change will come at a huge price to her family and herself she knows that she must figure out a way to stop the old man. To do this she will need help from her cousins. The same cousins that she can’t even stand to be with in the same room. If they don’t find a way to work together, life as they know it will be forever changed.

Many students will enjoy reading this book.  It is just a bit spooky and tense but not too much. I feel Amelia was a bit too defiant given her circumstances; however, much of the dialog was very real. I would recommend this book for high third grade and up.