Writing a book is maddening, soul-churning work so I don’t give two stars lightly. On her way, she ran into her friend…” Details like these are given frequently, even when they are not relevant, interesting, or character-developing.) I did not suggest this book to my nine-year-old, as I didn't feel it had much to offer. (To paraphrase an example: “She went to the dining room for breakfast, and then she stopped by the front desk, and then went back to her room to change into her bathing suit. Many details feel like filler to get the book to the next plot-advancing event. I don’t need a lot of action as long as there’s good writing, but this book falls short in that department as well. She is not a good friend to him, although this might come through muddled for young readers as well.įurther, I was a little bored for the first half of the book and forced myself to keep reading. And while Elizabeth is following her curiosity and obsession with the hotel and its patrons, she consistently ignores the needs of her friend, a boy about her age, who repeatedly asks her not to get involved, for fear of his safety. These and other elements would make it hard for a young reader to discern whether the protagonist's decisions are right or wrong. But her tenacity borders on obsession, and even possession, given the ghostly theme. The main character, a girl named Elizabeth, shows perseverance despite a difficult home life and malevolent actors working against her. The book’s best feature is the setting: an old hotel that serves as a winter vacation spot, which the author describes well. It moves slowly-very slowly at first-and picks up the pace toward the end, culminating in some grisly scenes with a corpse-ghost.
She does word puzzles with a young inventor named Freddy and visits a giant library in the hotel staffed by a librarian from Uganda. She also talks a lot about her love of reading and word puzzles. Elizabeth talks of her parents who died when she was 4 and recalls being mistreated by her aunt and uncle. And - don't tell this part - an evil ghost tries to come back to life and kill with witchy powers.
Spoiler alert (regrettable, but so parents grasp the level of scariness Winterhouse builds up to, since tweens' abilities to handle scary stuff vary greatly): There are curses, sudden noises or things falling, lights that chase people, and also a coffin that makes banging noises.
The mystery begins focused on puzzles and code-breaking, but shifts into spooky stuff. A bookish girl named Elizabeth travels there alone for the winter holidays. Parents need to know that Winterhouse is the first book in a trilogy set in a remote fancy hotel. Mention of Elizabeth's uncle drinking beer.ĭid you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide. At a holiday celebration, adults get champagne and kids get sparkling cider.
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