Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor #1 written by Ally Carter and reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary: Twelve-year-old April is a scrappy foster kid who was left as an infant with an ornate key and a promise her mother would return. When she recognizes the key’s crest at a new Winterborne family museum, her attempt to investigate starts a fire that lands her in the hospital—and ultimately at Winterborne House. There she joins four other parentless children: Violet, a shy artist; Tim, her protective foster brother with a troubled past; Sadie, an inventive genius; and Colin, a clever London-born con artist. The sprawling cliffside mansion once belonged to the Winterborne family; its missing heir, Gabriel, vanished a decade earlier after tragedy struck his household. As the children settle in, strange things happen: a masked Sentinel prowls the night, April’s key is stolen, and secret passages hide someone watching from the shadows. There are family secrets, a greedy uncle, and the fate of the estate hangs in the balance. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: Fast-paced, page-turning mystery with short chapters and cliffhangers that engage both reluctant and avid readers. Features a diverse ensemble of resourceful kids—each with distinct skills and personalities—offering multiple entry points for young readers to connect. Combines puzzle-solving, secret passages, and daring action with humor and emotional moments about belonging and loyalty. Stakes are age-appropriate: suspense and danger without gratuitous detail. Strong appeal for fans of mystery, ensemble adventures, and found-family stories; good for circulation and readers’ advisory. I really enjoyed this book and once I started, I could not put it down.