When sixteen-year-old New York City native Neo O'Reilly is dropped off with his extended family in Hawaii for the summer, he's terribly out of his element. And with his militaristic aunt, over-excited older cousin, and a small town swimming with total strangers, he's not sure he'll ever get used to it. This plain, happy-go-lucky town just isn't for him. After all, Neo has a secret: He's taken something he shouldn't have. Yet, Neo realizes the town is not so simple as he thought when he meets Kit Kawamoto: a mute boy living in the abandoned house at the top of the hill. What follows is a whirlwind of secrets revealed, destinies questioned, and love realized. Two boys, a stolen item, and a curse: this is The House Above the Sea.

Misunderstood and overmedicated, twelve-year-old Lilith Bloom finds the prospect of a grand family reunion decidedly dull... That is, until she discovers that the rose garden surrounding her grandfather's Berlin mansion is, well, completely and utterly carnivorous. Armed with Panther, her talking pet whippet, and the help of the mute boy next door, Lilith must unravel the secrets behind the mysterious estate, all while her family remains gloriously unaware that they are about to be devoured.