The Hotel Balzaar: (A Magical Middle-Grade Mystery About Stories, Secrets, and a Girl Searching for Her Father - For Kids Ages 7-10 in Grades 2-5) [Paperback]

“DiCamillo showcases the capacity for storytelling to soothe and inspire hope in a pithy, nuanced tale peppered with gentle humor and enduring grace.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but quietly, invisibly—like a little mouse. While her mother cleans rooms, Marta slips down the back staircase to the grand lobby to chat with the bellman, study the painting of an angel’s wing over the fireplace, and watch a cat chase a mouse around the face of the grandfather clock, all the while dreaming of the return of her soldier father, who has gone missing. One day, a mysterious countess with a parrot checks in, promising a story—in fact, seven stories in all, each to be told in its proper order. As the stories unfold, Marta begins to wonder: could the secret to her father’s disappearance lie in the countess’s tales? Book two in a trio of novellas bound by place and mood—with elegant line art by Júlia Sardà—The Hotel Balzaar masterfully juggles yearning and belief, shining light into every dark corner.A slim and elegant book in which stories both enthrall and exasperate a young girl. . . Júlia Sardà’s line drawings have a cool, amused Art Deco feel, adding visual charm to this wise and gentle second volume of Ms. DiCamillo’s “Norendy Tales” series for readers ages 7-10.
—Wall Street Journal

The book has a wonderfully gloomy setting and mood, but DiCamillo makes sure that warmth and hope shine through…. There’s no shortage of plot twists or memorable characters. If you like looking for hidden connections in books, or ls$