The House on the Gulf

Britt's brother has found the family the perfect housesitting gig — they can live rent-free for the summer, and Britt's mother can study full-time. But why is Bran acting so suspicious, why does it feel like Britt's family isn't supposed to be there? Britt is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, and the surprises keep coming. Quick and suspenseful read.

Britt, her mother, and her older brother, Bran, house sit for a family called the Marquises who spend their winters in New York. Bran, who arranged for them to house sit, has always been the responsible one ever since their father left them, but now he seems secretive and suspicious. When Britt meets Mr. Marquis for the first time, Bran seems anxious and doesn't want to tell him that Britt is his sister. Britt becomes more suspicious after they move into the Marquis house and Bran insists that they keep the air conditioner set at over 80 degrees and that they pack up all of the Marquises' things until they leave at the end of the summer. What Britt finds when she starts investigating, completely changes everything she thinks she knows show more about her brother and her life.
This is a very good mystery that seems very predictable at the beginning of the story, but as Britt's investigation reveals more and more about what is really going on, it becomes clear that this is a much more complicated story than it seems on the surface. Overall, this is a good mystery that leads to a story about life changing events. show less

Brittany is thrilled! Her family gets to move into an actual house for the summer while her brother Bran watches it for the owners. But soon she realizes that something is up - her brother's acting strange, hiding mail, packing away seemingly unimportant items, moving boxes in and out of the shed. Britt makes it her personal goal to find out what Bran's up to, and what secrets this house holds. What she finds surprises her - and Bran.

This was one of the first Haddix books I read, so I thought it was time for me to read it again! I enjoyed it very much, even for the second time, and had forgotten the plot twist at the end. It's a good, quick read.

Every author is entitled to one or two stinkers. So even after reading this, I can still be a loyal fan of Margaret Peterson Haddix.

I don't like reading a mystery book when I can figure out the "big mystery" on page six. It was painfully obvious and it was agonizing reading the protagonist being so clueless.

If anyone beside Margaret Peterson Haddix had written the book, I would have stopped reading by the end of the chapter. But because she has never let me down, I kept on reading, hoping to find out the REAL mystery of the story. There was sort of a plot twist, but I figured out the twist on the plot twist by the time she was looking through the picture albums in the closet.

While predictable, this book was a good fast read. Haddix is very skilled with dialog and aimed this story right at the teenaged set.

Brittany, her brother Bran, and their mother have a wonderful break. Bran's employer has asked them to housesit for the summer. This means that their mother can stop working and take advantage of a scholarship grant. Brittany and her mother are thrilled but Britanny starts to worry that Bran is hiding something from her. What does it have to do with the owners of the house?

I totally wasn't expecting all the twists in this story. Definetly a good mystery.