The Hotel Balzaar
By (Author) Kate DiCamillo
Illustrated by Jlia Sard
Walker Books Ltd
Walker Books Ltd
2nd October 2024
7th November 2024
United Kingdom
Children
Fiction
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Historical fantasy
Hardback
160
Width 135mm, Height 198mm, Spine 11mm
242g
In a wise and magical follow-up to The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within talesand every moment is a story in the making.
At the Hotel Balzaar, Martas mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but quietly, invisiblylike 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 angels 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 storyin 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 fathers disappearance lie in the countesss tales Book two in a trio of novellas bound by place and moodwith elegant line art by Jlia SardThe Hotel Balzaar masterfully juggles yearning and belief, shining light into every dark corner.
Kate DiCamillo is one of Americas most beloved storytellers. She is a former National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature and a two-time Newbery Medalist. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in Minneapolis.
Jlia Sard is the illustrator of many books for young readers, including The Queen in the Cave, which she also wrote, and Moving the Millers Minnie Moore Mine Mansion: A True Story by Dave Eggers. She lives in Barcelona.