This incredibly fast-to-read YA novel is like a smart Scooby Doo crew versus evil time traveling villains. Twins Malcom and Valentine have just moved to a new town--one that is being plagued by regular, vicious lightening storms. Their lives have been fractured by the recent death of their mother. With their father still deep in grief, they now live with their grandmother as they attempt to move on. They soon fall in with a wonderfully geeky group at school--with Valentine quickly finding a crush. But Malcom is having a harder time adjusting, and he fixates on the bizarre old house across the street...

The teen voices sound realistic, and I loved the the camaraderie that developed between them all. There are many Easter eggs hidden in the book that play tribute to previous sci-fi works. The romance doesn't go beyond kissing, and while there is violence and sacrifice, it is nothing particularly graphic. This is a very intense read, though. I zoomed through most of it in a single sitting. ( )