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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful.
beautifully written characters
By Jennifer Miller
Summary:Greenglass House, an inn owned by The Pines, is usually very quiet during the winter. It is off season and Milo, The Pines' adopted son, is ready for a break. Unfortunately, the inn suddenly floods with guests and The Pines have to ask one of their employees to come back and help. Mrs. Caraway brings her daughters with her and they all set out to keep the inn running during the winter. One of the daughters, Meddy is the same age as Milo, so the two of them become friends. They begin playing this role playing game and taking on different characters to help solve mysteries and possibly find treasure. Each character accents things that the children would rather be. For instance, Milo's character is brave and bold, whereas Milo has some anxiety issues and is rather meek. These personas add an element to each character which allows more of the inn's history, the guests inside, and the treasure to be explored.My thoughts:This is a multi-layered story that has fabulous main and side characters. Milford has managed to bring to life Milo and Meddy in two different ways. First, they are both children that are learning about themselves, their history, and their growing friendship. There is no romance, but the two definitely need one another. Their role-playing personas are also fully defined. Those give an extra layer to each child. We find their insecurities and ways they learn to deal with it. On top of that, it reminded me of times when I pretended to have an imaginary friend to get into mischief with. Finally, all of the guests within the inn have a very important part of play in unveiling the overall mystery. They also have their own kooky personalities which are interesting to read through. As well as Milford's wonderful characters, she also builds a world that makes you feel like you are there. The Greenglass House is revealed to the reader first as a view of the inn. We see the inside and outside and are able to picture the rooms and the fascinating glass, but as we move through the story, we also see more layers of the Greenglass House. It's almost as if the setting becomes a character. While the history is a mystery that the characters slowly figure out, it is also revealing more of the character of the House. It's definitely interesting and entertaining. I think I should look up some more Milford books.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful.Perfect read for holiday vacation
By I Do the Speed Limit
Curl up and settle in to your favorite chair by the fireplace or within view of wintry weather outside and get ready to let your imagination run free. Greenglass House is full of beautiful, old-timey charm and folklore. You will be fascinated by a game of imagination brought to life by a cast of characters so real, you think you know them. You will be drawn in by the secrets of many guests that come to visit the extraordinary five story hotel high on a hill overlooking a river.The hotel is also home for mother, father and adopted son (the main character). And the place is decorated for Christmas.On every floor of the hotel--especially the attic--you will find treasures to help you solve the mystery of the biggest treasure of all. What is the treasure? Or are there many treasures to be found? Where is the treasure? Inside the hotel or somewhere out on the grounds where a magnificent Winter storm rages?Taking place at Christmastime, the novel includes subtle (more subtle than Hallmark) lessons on the meaning of the season, love and trust between family and friends, meaningful gifting. Tempers are tamed, disappointments are swallowed graciously and "unusual" visitors are brought into the fold.Readers of any age can enter into this well-written, colorful, imaginary story and get involved in its pages. I did, and I'm not a "young" adult. Once I realized just how great a holiday story it was, I wished I could put it aside and save it for December reading. I will surely put it out for holiday house guests and I predict it will be well-used before January. I think it is a great choice for young adults!
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
Great mystery for young readers
By Kat Heckenbach
A great middle grade book for mystery lovers. Milo lives in an inn that often houses smugglers--but never over the Christmas holidays. Milo is looking forward to a quiet Christmas with his parents, until several guests show up the first night of vacation. They each bring with them a unique story, and are all tied to the mysterious past of Greenglass house somehow.First, I really liked Milo. He is an honest, hardworking kid, but he's still a realistic middle school boy. He's a bit insecure, but meets Meddy, who helps him dig into his imagination and gain some confidence in himself as they work together to solve the mysteries of the guests' missing belongings and mystery behind the house itself.All the characters are well-developed, unique and quirky. I thought the concept was very cool. On the surface, it's kinda been there, done that-- bunch of people stuck in a big house together with mysterious happenings--but the angle the author took is completely original. There is a lot of lore presented about the house and the town, and done so in a way that keeps it interesting. I also thought it was cool that the author used role playing games in the story. It's something kids can relate to, and kept everything very imaginative.My favorite thing was the twist, which I had figured out very early on. BUT, that actually made reading the book more fun! A certain character made a certain statement that made me go, "Oh, I bet that means....." and I spent the rest of the book looking for clues to support that. It was really impressive to me how the author kept that perfect balance of clue dropping regarding this particular thing. I don't want to give it away, though, so I won't say anything more :).Anyway, I definitely recommend this book.PS--love the cover art!
