This book started off great. I was immediately intrigued by the hotel and Elizabeth is spunky and likeable. I can't say I really liked any of the other characters though.

Freddy gets mad at Elizabeth because he thinks she's too bossy, and that just rubbed me the wrong way. If it were a male main character you know he would be described as 'headstrong' or some such nonsense.

Also, Norbridge tells Elizabeth something along the lines of "If someone has 9 out 10 bad things about them, focus on the one good thing." WOW. That is the worst advice I have ever heard. Like, just focus on the fact that Hitler liked dogs & children. Forget about that pesky genocide.

Overall, I was disappointed more than anything because I really thought this was going to be at least a 4 star book when I started it. ( )

Wat een leuk boek, die komt in de boekenkast van de meisjes. Zij gaan dat over een paar jaar zeker leuk vinden om zelf te lezen.

Elizabeth wordt door haar vrekkige tante en oom naar het Winterhuis Hotel gestuurd als zij zelf op vakantie gaan. Zij woont al bij hen sinds haar ouders zijn overleden en heeft het er niet echt geweldig. Dus is ze erg verbaasd als ze na een lange busreis in een prachtig maar geheimzinnig hotel terecht komt. Daar maakt ze kennis met Freddy, een jongen van haar leeftijd, die al jaren door zijn ouders in het hotel gedumpt wordt. Elizabeth en Freddy besluiten samen het hotel te verkennen en al gauw zijn ze in de ban van alle speciale dingen die het hotel biedt, waaronder een enorm grote bibliotheek waar Elizabeth een geheimzinnig boek vindt. Leuk geschreven met wat primitieve tekeningen, puzzels, raadsels en letterspellen.
Ik ga op zoek naar de vervolgen die er al zijn. ( )

Middle grade fantasy about an orphan named Elizabeth who is mysteriously sent to a hotel and feels compelled to solve its magical mysteries. The book felt derivative, but more importantly, I Guterson champions ideas with which I disagree (poverty makes you mean and is something about which one should feel shame whereas wealth is desirable, for example). He also uses the crazy woman in the attic (although in this book it's a cabin) idea. I was surprised at how nonchalantly the adult characters mentioned the craziness and off-the-railness of another character. I don't think middle grade readers need to be introduced to disparaging ideas about mental illness. Beyond these issues, the book was boring. I would not recommend it. ( )

Orphan Elizabeth Somers has lived with her poor and unpleasant aunt and uncle since her mother and father died when she was four years old. Suddenly, Elizabeth's aunt and uncle tell her that they are going on a vacation and she must take a lengthy train and bus trip to a hotel called Winterhouse. Elizabeth would rather stay at home alone, but her aunt and uncle lock her out of the house, leaving a few items of clothing in a bag on the front porch. Reluctantly, Elizabeth makes her way to the hotel, hoping the living conditions there will not be any worse than the house in which she now lives, but what she finds when she arrives at Winterhouse is a luxurious hotel in a winter wonderland with quirky guests, unique employees, and a gregarious owner. It isn't long though before mysterious happenings show Elizabeth that there may be more going on in Winterhouse than she originally thought.

Winterhouse is a wonderful first book in what promises to be an interesting mystery series. Elizabeth is fully developed as a character. We see her strengths as well as her weaknesses and how she copes with those around her. Other characters in the story are not as well developed but still inhabit their roles in the story. Winterhouse is a magical place that is described in detail throughout the book, making it almost another character. During the story, many multimedia aspects allow the reader to interact more with the story and the illustrations add another layer of enjoyment to this book. Overall, Winterhouse is an extremely enjoyable mystery, well worth the read. 4 1/2 stars ( )

Dit boek spat uiteen van de fantasie en het is heerlijk weg te lezen. Het is een boek dat de jonge lezer uitdaagt, de woordenschat en feitjes zijn verrijkend en het mysterie dat moet opgelost worden origineel! De andere boeken van de serie staan al op mijn verlanglijstje! ( )