Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Wild tale of orphans, billionaires, mansions, and murder.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Twelve-year-old April insists she's only in the foster care system temporarily, because her mom's coming back any day now. But meanwhile, she's OK with living in the WINTERBORNE HOME FOR VENGEANCE AND VALOR, because it's a whole lot better than the last several group homes she's been stuck in. It's a mansion, one whose billionaire owner escaped the accident that killed the rest of his family in his childhood -- and then, as an adult, disappeared. Ms. Nelson, who's in charge, and Smithers, the butler, are a bit mysterious. The other kids also have assorted abandonment issues, either because their parents are dead or because they were ditched by their parents. The billionaire's creepy uncle, meanwhile, is trying to have him declared dead so that the uncle can seize the mansion and evict the orphans. But he may have overlooked a few things. Especially the Sentinel, a locally legendary superhero who may or may not exist.
Is It Any Good?
Plucky kids, creepy villains, a missing billionaire, his mansion that's now an orphanage, and a sword-wielding superhero make for a wild tale full of plot twists. Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor feels like a prequel, with many intriguing characters barely introduced before it's all over, and a breakneck pace that sometimes gets a bit glib. Most readers will probably be having too much fun to quibble about such things, at least till they get to the ending that raises as many questions as it answers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stories of kids in orphanages -- or maybe boarding schools -- who join forces to solve mysteries, foil villains, etc., like the ones in Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor. Do you have any favorites? Why do you think this theme is so popular?
Sadie invents a lot of scientific equipment and strange contraptions, from surveillance drones to pancake-making machines. Do you like to create devices (or apps) that do surprising things? Like what?
Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor leaves a whole lot of questions unanswered (and answers questioned) at the end. Do you like stories that do this, or do you prefer having things wrapped up more neatly?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Adventure
- Topics : Superheroes , Adventures , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : HMH Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : March 3, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 12
- Number of pages : 336
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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