Greenglass House

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    Greenglass House is a book about a boy named Milo, who was adopted by a family that owns a smuggler's inn. The inn is a mysterious old building known as the Greenglass House. It was previously owned by a famous smuggler, and it is also the family's home. The story starts on the first evening of winter break, a time when the inn is usually empty. Milo loves winter breaks because they allow him to spend time with his family, not worrying about school or dealing with customers. Unfortunately for Milo, a guest named De Cary Vinge arrives at the house that evening. Then, another guest arrives, and another one. All of a sudden the inn is full of guests, which Milo is very upset about. A total of 5 guests arrive at the house:

- De Cary Vinge (Mr. Vinge): The first guest to arrive, and is a middle-aged man with a fairly expressionless face that always wears brightly colored socks. He stays in room 3E.

- Clemence O. Candler (Clem): She's a thin, red-haired woman who arrives at the inn by taking the insanely long staircase instead of the railcart that goes up the mountain. She is very athletic.

- Georgie Moselle (Georgie): She has bright blue hair and brought plenty of makeup supplies in her luggage. She somehow knows Clem.

- Wilbur Gowervine (Dr. Gowervine): An elderly English man who arrives at the inn with Mrs. Hereward. They arrive with a ton of luggage. He's always arguing with her.

- Eglantine Hereward (Mrs. Hereward): An elderly English woman who's with Dr. Gowervine and is kind of petty in my opinion.

    Milo's mom also calls in one of her friends, Mrs. Caraway, to the inn to help out. Mrs. Caraway appears to have brought her daughter Meddy along, and Milo and Meddy become friends. Then, one morning, some of the guests are complaining that they have been stolen from (further details can not be provided without spoiling). Milo and Meddy invent their own fairy tale characters and roleplaying game, where they try and figure out who stole the stuff and learn more about the Greenglass House. As the story progresses, everybody in the inn gets to know each other better and Milo and Meddy try to learn as much as they can about each guest. The guests each have some interesting stories to share. Milo learns that many of them have some relation to the Greenglass House, and through their stories Milo is able to get more details about the past of his house. 

    At one point, Milo and Meddy's adventure becomes dangerous. Whoever it was that stole the items clearly doesn't like the fact that they're snooping around so much. Unfortunately I can't think of much else to say about this without spoiling, so I suggest you read the book to find out. Anyways, over the next several days, more strange things keep happening in the house. Every time Milo and Meddy get a lead as to who is behind all this, it is soon shot down by other details they discover. When they finally discover who it is, it's too late. I'm not going to reveal who that person is for obvious reasons, but now Milo's family and many of the guests are in danger. That person came to Greenglass house thinking a dangerous weapon was hidden there... Will they be right? Read the book to figure out what happens (as well as all the other annoyingly hidden details).

    Overall, I really liked how mysterious this book was, as well as the detailed descriptions of the setting and characters. The book was very a very enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes mystery and suspense. There wasn't a whole lot of action in this book, since the majority of it happens inside the house. With all of this taken into account, I would give this book a 4.5/5 stars.

     -Rico