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Winterhouse

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Winterhouse
By Ben Guterson
With Illustrations by Chloe Bristol
Henry Holt, 2018. 370 p.

Elizabeth’s guardians (her aunt and uncle that don’t really care about her) are sending her to the Winterhouse hotel for the winter holiday. Elizabeth doesn’t really want to go—but soon discovers that the strange circumstances that sent her to the hotel, her love of puzzles, and a wee bit of magic make her stay quite memorable. This book has a lot of clever puzzles thrown in—so those that are fans of books that challenge readers to think like The Westing Game will happily devour this novel. Also, the bits of mystery as to why Elizabeth was sent to Winterhouse and what is really happening in the library at midnight will keep those mystery-reading kids looking for more clues. And there is magic. Just a little. But enough that readers who love a touch of fantasy reading will also enjoy this book. With so many twists and turns and puzzles and clues readers will race to get through this book—and since it is a trilogy with two of the three books already published they can then start on The Secrets of Winterhouse. Really, this is a delightful mystery and puzzle of a book.
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