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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
4.5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, adventure story.
Milford, Kate. Greenglass House. Clarion Books, 2014.
Milo and his parents live and work at the Greenglass House, an inn located at the top of a mountain in a remote area well-known to smugglers. Milo is looking forward to spending his winter vacation with his parents when suddenly the inn is full to bursting with very unusual and suspicious characters. Milo's parents are rushing around trying to meet everyone's needs while Milo befriends a girl named Meddy and the two of them try to solve a mystery together.
This synopsis doesn't do the story justice, but there was no way to write about the ending without using numerous spoilers. This is a great middle grade mystery with lyrical writing reminiscent of [b:Far Far Away|16030663|Far Far Away|Tom McNeal|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366106300s/16030663.jpg|21800322]. Milford did a fantastic job creating the wintry atmosphere with the guests trapped together in the inn. Milo's explorations throughout the house only add to the mysterious air of the story. For the first time in a very long time, I did not guess at the ending before I reached it, and I was pleasantly surprised to be surprised. Free of red flags, this story would make an excellent upper elementary classroom read-aloud and would be an easy book to book talk, especially around the winter holidays.
Recommended for: 4-6th grade
Red Flags: Movie raters would call it "mild peril" - Milo is chased by the bad guys and thrown into a room with his parents. One of the criminals has a gun, but no one is shot.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
Read-Alikes: [b:Far Far Away|16030663|Far Far Away|Tom McNeal|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366106300s/16030663.jpg|21800322], [b:Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library|16054808|Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library|Chris Grabenstein|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1379335670s/16054808.jpg|21839952], [b:Below|15841904|Below|Meg McKinlay|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351213476s/15841904.jpg|18137236], [b:The Aviary|9972821|The Aviary|Kathleen O'Dell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320391742s/9972821.jpg|14867099]
Milo and his parents live and work at the Greenglass House, an inn located at the top of a mountain in a remote area well-known to smugglers. Milo is looking forward to spending his winter vacation with his parents when suddenly the inn is full to bursting with very unusual and suspicious characters. Milo's parents are rushing around trying to meet everyone's needs while Milo befriends a girl named Meddy and the two of them try to solve a mystery together.
This synopsis doesn't do the story justice, but there was no way to write about the ending without using numerous spoilers. This is a great middle grade mystery with lyrical writing reminiscent of [b:Far Far Away|16030663|Far Far Away|Tom McNeal|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366106300s/16030663.jpg|21800322]. Milford did a fantastic job creating the wintry atmosphere with the guests trapped together in the inn. Milo's explorations throughout the house only add to the mysterious air of the story. For the first time in a very long time, I did not guess at the ending before I reached it, and I was pleasantly surprised to be surprised. Free of red flags, this story would make an excellent upper elementary classroom read-aloud and would be an easy book to book talk, especially around the winter holidays.
Recommended for: 4-6th grade
Red Flags: Movie raters would call it "mild peril" - Milo is chased by the bad guys and thrown into a room with his parents. One of the criminals has a gun, but no one is shot.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars
Read-Alikes: [b:Far Far Away|16030663|Far Far Away|Tom McNeal|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366106300s/16030663.jpg|21800322], [b:Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library|16054808|Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library|Chris Grabenstein|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1379335670s/16054808.jpg|21839952], [b:Below|15841904|Below|Meg McKinlay|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1351213476s/15841904.jpg|18137236], [b:The Aviary|9972821|The Aviary|Kathleen O'Dell|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320391742s/9972821.jpg|14867099]
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What a beautiful and suspenseful middle grade mystery!
Milo lives in the inn, Greenglass house, with his parents, who run it. He is looking forward to another quiet Christmas with no guests. Surprisingly, not one, not two, but five unknown and mysterious guests turn up out of the blue. They all seem to be investigating the house, but how does it all connect together? And is someone up to something more nefarious?
Firstly, the wintery atmosphere in this book was perfect! A great read for January, and I think this would have been even more perfect in the lead up to Christmas! The snowy and harsh conditions not only made for perfect circumstances in a mystery, but were ideal for a seasonal reader such as myself.
I also loved the fantasy roleplaying game angle throughout the book (DnD style) and how Milo utilised his character's "skills" to investigate the goings on in the inn. I think this is what pushed this book up in my rankings, for sure! It also made me think differently about how to approach learning new skills at work, and I think I will definitely be using some of Milo's ideas in the future.
The cast of characters were all really interesting, with varying backgrounds so they all felt distinct, but also not too far fetched (within the verisimilitude of the book of course). I also ADORED the lens of each character telling a story, and this revealing more about their personality and their intentions. It really got my brain thinking!
I wasn't as into the orphan narrative as other parts, but I understand that the author adopting around the time of writing the book influenced this as part of the storyline. And it definitely serves a function in the book, shaping Milo's perspective further.
I guessed some of the twists, and not others. I didn't find it too predictable for a children's mystery which is good. The end didn't feel as fulfilling as other parts of the book, but I still thought it was a heartwarming and sweet finale.
All in all, an interesting, sweet and atmospheric middle grade mystery. I'd recommend if you like a good mystery, children investigating odd goings on, etc. I think if you enjoyed "Wildwood" then you would like this!
Milo lives in the inn, Greenglass house, with his parents, who run it. He is looking forward to another quiet Christmas with no guests. Surprisingly, not one, not two, but five unknown and mysterious guests turn up out of the blue. They all seem to be investigating the house, but how does it all connect together? And is someone up to something more nefarious?
Firstly, the wintery atmosphere in this book was perfect! A great read for January, and I think this would have been even more perfect in the lead up to Christmas! The snowy and harsh conditions not only made for perfect circumstances in a mystery, but were ideal for a seasonal reader such as myself.
I also loved the fantasy roleplaying game angle throughout the book (DnD style) and how Milo utilised his character's "skills" to investigate the goings on in the inn. I think this is what pushed this book up in my rankings, for sure! It also made me think differently about how to approach learning new skills at work, and I think I will definitely be using some of Milo's ideas in the future.
The cast of characters were all really interesting, with varying backgrounds so they all felt distinct, but also not too far fetched (within the verisimilitude of the book of course). I also ADORED the lens of each character telling a story, and this revealing more about their personality and their intentions. It really got my brain thinking!
I wasn't as into the orphan narrative as other parts, but I understand that the author adopting around the time of writing the book influenced this as part of the storyline. And it definitely serves a function in the book, shaping Milo's perspective further.
I guessed some of the twists, and not others. I didn't find it too predictable for a children's mystery which is good. The end didn't feel as fulfilling as other parts of the book, but I still thought it was a heartwarming and sweet finale.
All in all, an interesting, sweet and atmospheric middle grade mystery. I'd recommend if you like a good mystery, children investigating odd goings on, etc. I think if you enjoyed "Wildwood" then you would like this!
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was Agatha Christie + D&D + Treasure Island but make it middlegrade and super wholesome. I kept thinking I would have loved this as a child but then realised I'm enjoying it just as much as an adult.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a lot of fantasy and stories within the story.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Der Plottwist war sehr gut, gegen Ende hat es richtig an Fahrt aufgenommen… in der Mitte war es schleppend!
This was super fun and a good read for Christmas/winter break. We did the audiobook and a paperback combination. The kids commented on the author's excessive use of the word "dubious" and they were right. But at least it got them using dubious.