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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
I have the entire series and my plan is to read it all this winter if I can.
I have the entire series and my plan is to read it all this winter if I can.
It was so delightful to revisit Greenglass House and the world of Nagspeake! I super love these books for wintertime, specifically Christmastime, reading. The middle-grade mystery is just the right level of suspense with no real violence or anything. I also really appreciate how the author delves into some of the more tricky aspects of cross-cultural adoption. It's not a book ABOUT adoption, but it definitely impacts how Milo sees the world, and I like that he and his parents are working through it together.
I didn't like this second installment quite as much as the first, but isn't that always the way? I kept getting all the characters mixed up. However, the ending is satisfying, and the characters develop well. I enjoyed reading it and would not hesitate at all to press the book into the hands of the nearest fifth grader.
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The truly awful part was that all of these things, taken together, made Milo feel as if the phrase "actual Chinese person" didn't actually apply to him. (11)
...Milo took it as a depressing given that, whenever he found himself in a group that included strangers, someone was going to ask him something uncomfortable, something that directly or indirectly referenced the visible difference between himself and his parents. He'd been waiting for it, steeling himself. (83)
They began a staggered return to the main floor, which was just as Tengfei [Milo] had left it: full of the smell of burned fruitcake, thick with thieves and carolers and family and friends - and he was starting to realize just how much overlap there was between those categories. (354)
"Every map focuses on some things and leaves other things out. Making a map means making choices about what's important to you." (Marzana, 368)
I didn't like this second installment quite as much as the first, but isn't that always the way? I kept getting all the characters mixed up. However, the ending is satisfying, and the characters develop well. I enjoyed reading it and would not hesitate at all to press the book into the hands of the nearest fifth grader.
---
The truly awful part was that all of these things, taken together, made Milo feel as if the phrase "actual Chinese person" didn't actually apply to him. (11)
...Milo took it as a depressing given that, whenever he found himself in a group that included strangers, someone was going to ask him something uncomfortable, something that directly or indirectly referenced the visible difference between himself and his parents. He'd been waiting for it, steeling himself. (83)
They began a staggered return to the main floor, which was just as Tengfei [Milo] had left it: full of the smell of burned fruitcake, thick with thieves and carolers and family and friends - and he was starting to realize just how much overlap there was between those categories. (354)
"Every map focuses on some things and leaves other things out. Making a map means making choices about what's important to you." (Marzana, 368)
Milford's charming "Greenglass House" was such a treat, I was hoping the sequel would rise to the occasion.
For the majority of the story, it does! Milo Pine, now 13, is disgruntled again during the holidays due to a culturally tone deaf interaction with his teacher. Things start to look up when Georgie and Clem, the thief sister pair from the first book, show up seeking refuge. There is also a mysterious art student at the house.
This time, Milford draws on local legends surrounding The Waits a band of mummer-carolers who end up in Greenglass house.
It's a great romp with new and old characters and Milford gives us new glimpses of who they are and what makes them tick. Milo's struggle with his own identity as an adopted Chinese seems heavy handed at times and soars best when Milo weaves advice with his D&D character backstories.
Lot's of things will feel very familiar: the house map, hot chocolate, the characters from last book's big reveal, Odd Trails and more. I enjoyed those things, but to some they can seem repetitive.
The plot itself takes a while to build up steam and does plod heavily in some spots. Still, the ending was mostly satisfactory and the new characters interesting enough to expand the world of Nagspeake. Feels fresh and fun in a mysterious holiday way!
Looking forward to seeing how the third book wraps things up!
For the majority of the story, it does! Milo Pine, now 13, is disgruntled again during the holidays due to a culturally tone deaf interaction with his teacher. Things start to look up when Georgie and Clem, the thief sister pair from the first book, show up seeking refuge. There is also a mysterious art student at the house.
This time, Milford draws on local legends surrounding The Waits a band of mummer-carolers who end up in Greenglass house.
It's a great romp with new and old characters and Milford gives us new glimpses of who they are and what makes them tick. Milo's struggle with his own identity as an adopted Chinese seems heavy handed at times and soars best when Milo weaves advice with his D&D character backstories.
Lot's of things will feel very familiar: the house map, hot chocolate, the characters from last book's big reveal, Odd Trails and more. I enjoyed those things, but to some they can seem repetitive.
The plot itself takes a while to build up steam and does plod heavily in some spots. Still, the ending was mostly satisfactory and the new characters interesting enough to expand the world of Nagspeake. Feels fresh and fun in a mysterious holiday way!
Looking forward to seeing how the third book wraps things up!
This is the sequel to Greenglass House, and it had much of the charm and intrigue of the first book, but being slightly longer made it feel just a bit too drawn out. There were several times that a character would leave the room and have a discussion over the course of an entire chapter while everyone else just waited for them to come back; this felt a little unrealistic to me. But I did love that there were still twists like the first book, and the story within a story aspect, though again, not pulled off quite as well in this one.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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:
Yes
I’m going to make this series my entire personality
This definitely wasn't quite as tight of a story as the first, but it still had its cozy charm, and I loved the incorporation of unusual Christmas folklore in this one.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
Read aloud. All three of us loved it, maybe me more than the kids. A mystery with just enough "scariness", lots of coziness, and lots of not-preachy thought provoking, positive material for the kids to process about adoption, anxiety, frustration, fear, and family
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 stars
I didn’t love this as much as I did the first book, but I still found this enjoyable and plan to carry on with the series.
I didn’t love this as much as I did the first book, but I still found this enjoyable and plan to carry on with the series.