Kate Milford

A brilliant follow-up to Greenglass House, which returns readers to the atmosphere of wonder and intrigue with a new mystery to unravel with Milo and Meddy. Milo's struggle with his teacher's microagressions and his identity was so well laid out, and I just want everyone to read the chapter that he talks it out with Owen. What a model for kids, and for those who want to be allies but will inevitably get it wrong sometimes.

Milo Pine, his family, and a number of his friends return in this marvelous follow-up to Greenglass House, one which is every bit as atmospheric, every bit as mysterious, and every bit as involving as its predecessor. It is Christimas-time again, and Milo, still smarting from some recent experiences at school with an insensitive teacher, is attempting in vain to get into the holiday spirit. Missing Meddy, who hasn't shown herself since the previous year, Milo is excited when Clem and Georgie show more return to the inn, this time on the lam from some shady confederates. Having attempted a heist involving artefacts that once belonged to Violet Cross - Nagspeake's most famous runner (i.e.: smuggler) - the girls come to Greenglass House to hide out, when things go wrong. No sooner have they arrived however, than an odd assortment of strangers once again descends upon the inn, this time in the form of the Waits - a group of Christmas carolers who preserve the ancient traditions of the season. Now the Pines once again have a packed house, and Milo must solve a number of different mysteries. Is Cantlebone - a legendary thief admired by both Georgie and Clem - also after the Violet Cross haul, and has he come to Greenglass House? Is there an agent of Gilawfer, the unscrupulous fence who is tracking Clem and Georgie, in the mix? Who is Emmett Syebuck, the overly enthusiastic art student who never seems to want to leave? Will Milo be able to answer these and other questions, and will he be able to reunite the two eponymous ghosts of Greenglass House - Meddy, and her father, Doc Holystone...?

It's quite rare that I enjoy a sequel more than the original book, but Ghosts of Greenglass House is such a delightful, charming tale, one that I found appealing on so many different levels, that I think it safe to say that it is one of those deviations from the rule. With one small exception (more on that later), I loved everything about this book, from the front cover - artwork here is provided by the talented Jaime Zollars, who also worked on the first book - to the final page. I loved the Christmas-time setting, and found Greenglass House itself just as much of a character in its own right, as in the first book. I always appreciate authors who can make you feel invested in place, who can create such an engrossing locale/environment, that you feel that the story simply wouldn't be the same, without that setting. Kate Milford certainly has done that here, and I am eager to jump into the third Greenglass House book, Bluecrowne! I also loved the Christmas doings and customs introduced by the band of Waits, all of which are based on some very ancient real-world folklore and beliefs. The figures of the sweep and the hobby horse, and the details about the latter in particular, are just fascinating. Milford captures the eldritch charm and beauty of this ghostly equine figure, both in the scene in which the Waits come to Greenglass House, and in the inset story related by Lucy, later on in the book. The role played by the hobby horse, toward the conclusion of the book, is both spine-chilling and (oddly) heartwarming. I loved the deepening sense of Nagspeake and the Skidwrack as places here, and the greater knowledge we are given of them in the story. It's clear that Nagspeake is some kind of independent political entity, located (I believe) somewhere in the Middle Atlantic region of the United States. The importance of story itself, something also touched upon in Greenglass House, is expanded upon here, and the tales told by some of the Waits, addressing the history and nature of the Liberty of Gammerbund - a semi-autonumous area within Nagspeake - were intensely involving, and absolutely amazing. I love the story within a story structure, one that is well established in world literature (everything from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales to Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows), and can't wait for the publication of The Raconteur's Commonplace Book, a collection mentioned in both novels, which sets out some of the tales told in Milford's fictional world of Nagspeake. The characters all felt vibrantly alive, and I enjoyed returning to those of them who also appeared in the first book, and meeting those that were debuting here. Clem and George were more appealing than ever, as were Meddy and Milo. As for Marzana and her parents, I hope to see more of them in the future! Finally, I loved the resolution of this second mystery, precisely because I thought I saw everything coming, after the surprises at the conclusion of the first book, but was proved wrong. I felt sure I was prepared, but there were reveals that I didn't expect at all - well done, Kate Milford, in pulling that off a second time!

As should be apparent, I enjoyed Ghosts of Greenglass House immensely, and it really would have been one of my rare five-star books, were it not for a single discordant note (the aforementioned exception). Although I do appreciate the sensitive way that Milford dealt with Milo's mixed feelings about being a Chinese adoptee of a white couple, both here and in the previous book, I thought there was something of a lack of clarity, in the way she handled the issue of Milo's teacher, and how one should approach a situation in which people have competing ideas and perceptions about history and/or culture. It's clear that the teacher is a bit arrogant and "know-it-all-ish" (as Milo would put it), as he refuses to listen to Milo, when he tries to mention the partial Chinese heritage of the builders of Greenglass House. Mr. Chancelor thinks he knows the history of Nagspeake better, and Milo is so distraught about the situation that he never presents any evidence or aguments to back up his counter-claim. It's worth noting that Mr. Chancelor is insensitive and a little clueless, as evidenced by his assumption that Milo will be able to understand Chinese, just because of his ethnic identity. I liked how these issues were discussed, both between Milo and his father, and between Milo and Owen, Clem's fiancee, who is (like Milo) also a Chinese adoptee of a white couple. Where it all broke down for me was in the scene in which Milo realizes that he has hurt Marzana, with his story about Violet Cross, and his further realization that he, in his subsequent discussion with her, is inadvertently playing the role of Mr. Chancelor. I thought that this provided the perfect opportunity for him to gain a little insight into his own situation, and to grow a little in wisdom, at it concerns how we communicate with one another, and what to do when we disagree. After all, here's someone (Marzana) who is distraught at the fact that he has presented a historical narrative (a story about Violet Cross) that is (in her view) wrong. Although her hurt is apparent, and is addressed by Milo immediately (to his credit), its cause is not (at least, until much later), and she refuses to elaborate. Like Milo himself, she refuses to present an argument more extensive than "you're wrong." Rather than leading him to a moment of understanding of his own situation, a moment in which he realizes that if he wants Mr. Chancelor to acknowledge his point (about Greenglass House specifically, and about Nagspeake in general), he will have to provide something more than his feelings - he will have to make a compelling argument, and present evidence to back it up - he instead is simply horrified about the emotional aspect of it all, and his role in hurting another. Now this is a very minor scene, in an otherwise outstanding novel, but it highlights a wider social problem that has really been bothering me recently, which is this idea that emotion trumps reason, and that argument and evidence are irrelevant, in the face of that emotion. I believe that this is an immensely harmful outlook, one that is becoming increasingly dominant in our current cultural zeitgeist, and one that can lead us to very dark places. Does this one scene ruin the book? By no means, this is still a high 4.5-star title for me. Do I think it is a "mistake?" No, but I do think it reveals a philosophical difference between myself and the author, one that, given the strength of my belief on the subject, detracted from my enjoyment.

No doubt others will perceive this matter differently, and it is (as I have acknowledged) a minor scene within the story, so I would not hesitate to recommend this one to other readers who enjoyed Greenglass House. After all, the positives here far, far outweigh this one negative. Marvelously written, intricately constructed, wonderfully conceived - this is an outstanding children's novel. I hope that Milford will bring us more of Milo and all his friends, and much more from Nagspeake, the Skidwrack, and the Liberty... show less

Author Kate Milford, the creator of the marvelous Greenglass House and Ghosts of Greenglass House, returns to the fictional city-state of Nagspeake in this companion volume, due out this coming January. Set in the Liberty of Gammerbund, the city within a city which gives refuge to many of Nagspeake's smugglers and thieves, it follows the story of Marzana Hakelbarend, who appeared as a character in Ghosts of Greenglass House. Desperately wanting to know more about her mother, who was once show more Violet Cross, Nagspeake's most beloved smuggler, and convinced that nothing exciting ever happens to her, despite living in the Liberty, Marzana longs for an adventure of her own. When a girl in the city below is kidnapped, and authorities appeal to Marzana's parents for behind-the-scenes help, Marzana and her best friend Nialla, along with a crew of talented children that they assemble, are soon on the case. But is the crime really what they think it is, or are things not what they seem...?

Having been intrigued by the Liberty - its history, its residents, its magic - since it was first mentioned in Milford's stories, I was quite excited to discover that The Thief Knot was to be set mostly in that part of Nagspeake. The story here did not disappoint, drawing me in almost at once and keeping me engaged and entertained throughout. I loved the setting, and the bits and pieces we get to learn about the Liberty and about Nagspeake - the girls' magical school, Marymead; the camouflaged Belowground system; the mysteriously organic and mobile old iron; the enchanting glass museum in the abandoned building - as well as about characters we met only in passing, in earlier books. Although Milo only appears briefly, and not on stage, we do get to meet Meddy again, as well as Marzana and her parents, Emmett Syebuck, and Brandon Levi. We also get a host of interesting new characters, from Emilia Cabot to J.J. and Ciro. I enjoyed the story, the writing and the world-building here - in short, I enjoyed pretty much everything about it! Since I read it in ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) form, not all of Jaime Zollars' art was present, but what I saw was lovely. Highly recommended, to anyone who has read the Greenglass House books, or to those seeking magical mystery stories. For me, I finished it with sadness, since there is no more (at least for now) to read about the Liberty. I wish Milford would write a whole series on its history and residents! show less

Why I picked it up: Cool cover (which depicts very relevant scenes from the novel instead of something abstract), even cooler premise. They had me at crossroads demon.

What I thought: This was a top 2010 read for me. Good and evil battle for human souls in a dusty, rural, close-knit Midwestern town in the early 1900s. A crossroads demon, a doctor who sold his soul to save lives but winded up cursing those he helped, a musician who once beat the devil in a fiddle contest, and an ambiguous show more larger-than-life trickster all converge around 13-year-old Natalie, who is the key to ending the holding pattern all these figures have been in for 100 years. Natalie's combination of innocence, bluntness, and quick-thinking make her the perfect heroine for this tale of outwitting the devil. This book melds real aspects of Americana -- Jack tall tales, clockwork automata, traveling medicine shows and snake-oil salesmen -- with a supernatural premise, and it all comes together perfectly. show less