I enjoyed this book, though I think it's been too long since I read Greenglass House for me to fully enjoy this sequel. I have recommended this series to other adoptive families I know, and they have read the books as a family and really enjoyed them. The mystery portion is so well done, and the characters are really well-described.

This book is a delight. I couldn’t help but start it as soon as it was in my hands and, once I started reading, I did not want to put it down. I hadn’t had an experience like that with a book in a while, so it was so fun to feel that urge to jump back into the story whenever I had the chance.

Milford is one of my favorite writers for middle grade. She doesn’t dumb down her writing one bit (in fact, I always end up looking up words while I’m reading her) and her writing is that amazing combination of feeling effortless, but also making you pause sometimes to admire and realize just how skilled she is. Beyond that, she just flat out writes great plot and characters. I was so curious to figure out what would happen in this book and I cared about each of the characters in this new group of friends, plus the eccentric bunch of adults around them. Marzana, our heroine, is a character I think many of us bookish types can relate to, and I really appreciated the way Milford sensitively portrayed her.

Also, Nagspeake? One of the coolest worlds out there and it just got all the better in this book. From the hidden museum of glass with tea and scones mysteriously waiting out for you to how the Old Iron has a mind of its own to their school with its Orangery and English knot garden and three libraries (complete with ladder and galleries and nooks), I love all the amazingly creative details.

I highly recommend this one.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and was super excited to read the sequel. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as book 1. I found the book to be very slow and I had a hard time getting into it. I think part of the reason is that this book just has way too many characters. I found it a little tedious to keep track of who is who. I also didn't find the mystery as intriguing as the mystery in book one.

Although this book didn't really work for me, I do plan to read more books by this author in the future because I did really love the first book.

Greenglass House finds itself inundated at Christmas, as in the previous year. Thirteen-year-old Milo Pine was hoping for a quiet break, with his innkeeper parents. Guests, new and old friends, arrive with no shortage of mayhem and mischief. Fair to say, there is some other-worldly interaraction as well. I didn't think it was possible to love a book as much as I loved Kate MIlford's original, Greenglass House, but it is safe to say that this book was another solid win.

A great follow up to Greenglass House. Captured the spirit of the first and it's so much fun to revisit this world. Will continue to read and recommend Kate Milford's Nagspeak books.

I loved Greenglass House one so I was excited for this one. I didn't like it as much. Many details just didn't seem to pan out.

While not as amazing as the first, this volume still delivers. The plot gets a little confusing, but readers that see it through will certainly be satisfied.

Smashing sequel to what is becoming a classic series by Milford. We can't keep these titles on our library shelves, children are so hungry for smart, literate, fun yet touching reads. The atmosphere of Greenglass House, Milo's growing sense of self and community in the midst of the hustle and bustle of a magnificently quirky and supportive group of adult and child friends all add up to another irresistible read. Can't wait for the next book!

I wouldn't say I loved this one as much as the original but I still found it very enjoyable. I like how the MC uses his alter-ego to help him cope with real life issues he has. I also thought the mystery was well done and the huge cast of characters was interesting.

Great book that I read with my daughters for homeschool. They really enjoyed it also. I will certainly be looking to add more books by this author to our extra reading program!

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

Milo and Meddy are back with a fresh mystery wrapped into the wintry holidays at Nagspeake. The local environs get more treatment this time in a tale that will feel comfortably familiar to readers who enjoyed the first Greenglass House novel. With a missing map, mysterious carolers, and clever imagination to fuel them, Milo and Meddy will feel like good friends returning for another visit with the first book's fans.

Another great addition to this wonderful group of books. Left-handed Fate and Greenglass House are favorites at my library and I’m sure this will be no different.

I loved this book. As a huge fan of Greenglass House, I was eagerly awaiting this sequel.

I felt like the character development was great: Milo seems more mature and is more capable at handling unforseen events than he was in the first novel. The plot was fun and interesting. I picked up on the Waits' character names right away and actually read too much into them. All are very Scandinavian and I thought they certainly had some deeper meaning. There were surprises along the way.

I would highly recommend both Greenglass House as well as this book. They are expertly written and developed and wonderful reads.

Milo is back in a new adventure in Greenglass House, the coolest place in all of Nagspeake. Some of the characters from Greenglass House return (Georgie, Clem & Addie) in a similar setting. Milo is desperate for a quiet Christmas break with his family, but their lone guest just won’t leave. Milo just knows his vacation is going to be ruined as, once again, more people show up. The plot is similar to Greenglass House in that unexpected guests show up, get stranded, and are all looking for something special. What makes Ghosts different is the fascinating introduction of the concept of the Raw Nights performers, a troupe of “actors” who travel around performing and storytelling during the “raw nights” before Christmas when magic is wild. As a lover fo folklore, this aspect of the story totally sucked me in. The usual hijinks ensue as Milo, Addie, Georgie, Clem, and the others search for hidden treasures in an effort to find a famous device created by a notorious smuggler that maps the Nagspeake shoreline.

Milford continues to build the fictional world of Nagspeake and it’s colorful inhabitants and ancestors, even going as far as creating a whole gorgeous website on Nagspeake tourism. The story is very similar to the first book in the series, but Milford continues to develop Milo in a really intriguing way. Milo has some issues with anger (e.g. feeling the scream building inside him) and Milford uses that aspect of his personality to let readers know it’s okay to be angry and that there are lots of ways to express that anger. In that way, this story can easily be labelled “bibliotherapy” (if you’re the kind of reader who likes to label things!). This will definitely appeal to middle grade readers. Highly entertainly and recommended.

Check out my review on my blog, Literacious!

It’s so hard to review books that you love this much. How do I give an accurate portrayal of the story without building it up to something it can’t live up to? I adored Greenglass House when it came out and I jumped at the ARC. This sequel did not disappoint. I spent every spare minute this weekend reading this book and I didn’t want it to end. Needless to say, it’s worth a read.


AUTHOR: Kate Milford
GENRE: Mystery/Horror (ghosts and all)
SETTING: Nagspeake (Canada?)
GIVE IT TO: 4th-8th graders

SUMMARY:
Milo’s Christmas break is looking bleak. He’s having trouble with a teacher and there is still a guest at the inn when he should be relaxing for Christmas. But just like last Christmas, the guests that are showing up at the Greenglass House are not what they seem. Milo has proven himself to be quite a detective and his friends and family trust him a lot in this book. He is definitely the center of the solution this year.

CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: mild-- the bad guys have guns at one point but they do not get the chance to use them.
Drugs/Alcohol: none, mild, medium, high--It is Christmas time and the adults drink throughout. Only once is it taken to excess and a guest over indulges and is hung over (or maybe he’s been drugged?)


THEMES: ghosts, mystery, loyalty, family, adoption

THE BOTTOM LINE: I adored this book and it’s predecessor.

STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: I have purchased copies for the elementary and the middle schools.

READALIKES:

The Westing Game

Not a review. I would have loved to have read this, but I cannot due to the file format.

This is such a fun read! It is a whimsical mystery with a crazy cast of characters and just a touch of magic. The main character, Milo, is not your typical kid, with a range of issues he is dealing with, and an alter ego to help him deal with them. He has a knack for solving mysteries and putting together the pieces of the things happening around him in a unique way, and I think he is a very relatable character, especially for kids who might be a little bit outside the box in a variety of different ways.
The writing style makes the book fun to read and easy to get into and stick with, even in places where the plot drags, which it definitely does at times. I think the plot could have been a bit more streamlined, but overall it was quite enjoyable and there were definitely some surprises along the way, as well as at the end. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of middle grade fantasy and mysteries!

Overall, this was good, although a little too long. I love the atmosphere in both Greenglass books, and I like how a variety of complex ideas are woven together to make it more than just a simple mystery.