The House That Went On Strike (Original Story) iOS App
Book Review

The House That Went On Strike Original Story For The iPad
App Developer: Jumping Pages, Inc
Version Reviewed: 1.0
License: US$2.99

Is your house frustrated?

Are you and your family messy, lazy, and generally disrespectful to your home?

What happens, and what would you do, if your house went on strike and turned on you?

Jumping Pages, developers of interactive books for the iPad, has delivered a spectacular book that deals with these very issues.

The story is delivered in a visually stunning presentation with a rhythmic feel. It is witty and unique in its tale of a house gone mad, thanks to the family living within. 

Patricia Schroeder, best known for her political achievements, narrates Rania Ajami’s story beautifully. You will be whisked away into a fantasy world full of life lessons for the entire family. Each page has a story to tell beyond the text. Children and adults alike will appreciate the interactive backgrounds that bring the characters of the house and its appliances to life.

You will be able to take a peek inside the house with a virtual flashlight, help the posse of electrical items get ready for battle, assist in expelling the family from the house, shoot toast and crockery at the parents, as well as scaring the family in their darkened garden.

Thankfully, you also get to assist with helping the family to regain the trust of the house by cleaning up the deplorable mess. Removing the mould, the clutter, and refrigeration items that are far beyond their use by date, all serve as a form of redemption. The question is can the house that went on strike really forgive and forget?

The ebook’s controls are simple and useful, allowing children to enjoy the book with little to no adult interaction. You have the option to turn off the narration and read the story yourself, along with turning off the sound effects and music independently. With the narration turned on words will be highlighted as spoken to assist young readers. The app also has a very useful quick access page allowing you to select your favorite pages at will.

Navigation through the story is driven by a forward and backward arrow at the bottom of the display. The forward arrow is a little close to the menu button, but unless you have large fingers, this should not cause a problem.

In this type of interactive story book, I am glad to see the developer did not include an automatic page turning option. After testing this with my children, it was immediately apparent that they wished to explore the story further through the interactive pages.

The app, story, narration, and background message combine to deliver a wonderful experience that all families can share. You will laugh, feel fear and despair, and cheer uniquely for the family and the house.

This is the epitome of interactive books and therefore I am awarding this iPad app a rare MyMac.com rating of 10 out of 10.

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Book Review

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