The Hotel Balzaar

In this lyrical middle grade novella, Kate DiCamillo invites readers back to the enchanting land of Norendy. Marta, a young girl who feels invisible, works with her mother at the Hotel Balzaar, all while holding onto hope for her missing soldier father. Her world shifts when a mysterious countess checks in, promising seven stories that Marta believes might unlock the secret of her father's disappearance. This book, the second in a trio, masterfully blends magical realism with themes of loss, hope, and the power of storytelling, making it a poignant and thought-provoking read for children aged 8-12.

In a wise and magical follow-up to The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales--and every moment is a story in the making. 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.