The Thief Knot: A Greenglass House Story by Kate Milford

Ever since her adventures at Greenglass House, Marzana yearns to solve another mystery. Surprisingly, one falls into her lap, or, actually, her parents’ laps. A politician’s daughter, Peony Hyde, has been kidnapped. Because the kidnapping was so near the sanctuary city of the Liberty of Gammerbund, law enforcement are not allowed to go searching there for Peony. While Marzana’s parents start their investigation, Marzana and her best friend, Nialla, put together a group of eager young detectives. Calling themselves the Thief Knot, the tween investigators decipher clues and traverse forgotten paths to Peony’s whereabouts. However, after finding Peony, Marzana does not believe the case is solved. 

The Thief Knot harkens back to Milford’s original genius in Greenglass House. Readers are treated to a story set in the asylum city of the Liberty of Gammerbund, a place Milford addressed in previous books. Marzana hungers for some action in her life even though she is the daughter of a legendary smuggler. But like the Liberty, Marzana has been protected from her mother’s pirating past. Throwing away that protection, Marzana is thrilled to sleuth again on the kidnapping case. However, she soon learns that lives are at risk if she makes any wrong moves. Realizing the dangers, Marzana clears her mind to see the faults in their past investigation and leads her crew safely to the correct resolution. Something that would have engaged readers more with the story would have been maps showing key places above and below ground where the Thief Knot crew go to in the book. Several maps are mentioned in the storyline, so there could have been opportunities for readers to solve clues with Marzana instead of waiting for Marzana to figure things out. With some mild language usage, The Thief Knot is appropriate for ages 12 and up.   

Ghosts of Greenglass House (Greenglass House #2) by Kate Milford

It’s another Christmas Break and Milo is missing Meddy. However, things start to resemble the previous Christmas when Georgie and Clem arrive at Greenglass House to hideout from their theft that went wrong. Meddy soon reappears because she can sense trouble arriving on Greenglass’s doorstep. A day later, that trouble comes in the form of carolers hailing from a local asylum. The caroler’s traditional Christmas visit to Greenglass House goes haywire when two carolers are mysteriously injured, a third caroler is slightly poisoned, and Georgie and Clem’s stolen goods from their caper are taken.

Ghosts of Greenglass House somewhat falters from the cleverness, tightness, and wit established in Milford’s first book. There are still many of the same winning elements Milford uses from her beginning story: memorable characters, intriguing mysteries, clever connections, vivid setting, and unique folktales. But Milford’s climax drags out for too long because of cluttering details that distract from the main dilemma. For example, Milford spends several chapters on Milo figuring out a new avatar and avatar’s background just to solve the mysteries behind the carolers’ intentions. How does this help the story? Also, the climax occurs in less than 24 hours. Milford drags out this short timespan into almost 400 pages. However, Milford’s infectious writing style will still keep readers glued to the end.

Greenglass House by Kate Milford, illustrated by Jaime Zollars

Milo Pine and his parents own the old and infamous Greenglass House, a secluded hotel used often by local smugglers. As he and his parents settle down for a quiet Christmas break, several unannounced visitors come to stay. Milo is upset his vacation is ruined, but he notices each guest has some tie to Greenglass House. With the help of his new friend, Meddy, Milo unravels the mysteries lurking behind each lodger.

Milford's novel is a beautifully unpredictable story where Milo and Meddy delve deep into the history of Greenglass House. But behind the folktales and puzzles lies a heartfelt story of familial belonging. Milo loves his parents, but people immediately notice he is adopted. This awkward truth makes life difficult for Milo. But once Milo uncovers the guests' riddling backgrounds and sees their ongoing quest for belonging, he realizes that his true place is with the Pines. Fans of The Mysterious Benedict Society will enjoy this richly fun, yet thought-provoking middle-grade read with a fantastic twist of an ending. Readers will definitely want to reread this book to pull out clues to Meddy’s past that Milford has peppered throughout her story.