When Elizabeth's parents died she went to live with Aunt Purdy and Uncle Burlap who are definitely not interested in her. So it isn't really a surprise when she comes home from school to find them gone on a Christmas break. What is a surprise is that they are sending her to Winterhouse. Winterhouse is a fantastic hotel run by Norbridge Falls. At Winterhouse Elizabeth meets Freddy another young guest staying for the holiday. They have a shared love of word ladders and anagrams and together enjoy the activities at Winterhouse. Elizabeth also loves books and discovers an interesting one in the Winterhouse library. It might even be The Book of Winterhouse legend. She is not the only one interested in The Book however. The mysterious Heims couple are also on its trail and they seem to be up to no good. 

I really enjoyed Winterhouse. I liked all the word games Elizabeth and Freddy had throughout the book and the mystery was a pretty good one. I could have done without the supernatural elements as I am not sure that really added much to the story. I also thought it was interesting that Elizabeth didn't end up staying at the hotel with Norbridge but went back to her family. I would have assumed the opposite. I am assuming she will be back since this appears to be the start of a series though.