And oh boy, I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for the sequel to come out.Įlizabeth Somers is an orphan being raised by her miserable Aunt and Uncle, in the equally miserable town of Drere. I'm sure we will learn more about these things in the following books. However, taking into consideration that this is only the first part of a trilogy, it isn't that big of a deal. The same goes for Freddy's relationship with his parents. I only have to criticise one tiny little thing: I would have liked a bit more insight into Elizabeth's life before she visits Winterhouse, to get a better understanding into her living situation with her aunt and uncle. I just cannot get it into my head that this is the debut novel of the author!! Everything was just so wonderful and perfect.I'm telling you: Ben Guterson will go on to write many, many more fantastic books! It's kind of funny how I was worried about reading this in the beginning, because it ended up being one of my favourite books I've read in the entire year. It animated me so much that I suddenly felt the need to buy a bunch of crosswords and jigsaws!

I felt like I was solving everything together with the characters and it made me feel even closer to them. It made the plot even more fun and exciting. Puzzles and riddles play a big part of the story, which I found to be unique and which I totally loved. They treat each other with so much respect and acceptance the thought that kids might read this book and learn how to treat their fellow peers makes me so happy. Talking about the characters - I can't get how cute they were!! Especially the friendship between the main character Elizabeth and her new-found friend Freddy warmed my heart, they were just beyond precious. The characters are smart and don't shy away from showing it (without boasting about it or feeling superior). The words that were used were appropriate for children, but weren't dumbed down either. However, it didn't take long to convince me that this is a book that can easily be read and enjoyed by all ages! The suspense was there from (literally) page one and lasted till the very end. ' Winterhouse' is classified as a Childrens/Middle Grade book - a genre I don't read very often, because I fear that the writing or the individual plot points will be too childish for my liking. It was definitely the perfect book to read during this cold wintertime!

And the best thing was (of course), that the story (despite my reading slump) was able to hold my attention and make me feel all cozy. The entire layout of this book definitely deserves its own honourable mention - it fits the story so well and makes it even more heartwarming.

However, I just couldn't say 'no' to this adorable cover! The fact that there a beautiful illustrations throughout made it even better. I'm currently in a reading slump and not a single book is looking appealing to me right now.

Winterhaus ben guterson