In a sentence or so: When the whimsical and wacky founder of
the Whippet Hotel goes missing, it’s up to young Leo to piece together a series
of clues that only one who truly loves and appreciates the Hotel could solve.
Leo and his dad live in and serve the Whippet Hotel. As the
maintenance man’s son, Leo is very familiar with most of the quirks and
oddities and peculiar occurrences within the hotel. What’s more than that – Leo
loves each and every inch of the hotel. From the pinball room to the cupcake
room to the puzzle room to the garden room, Leo appreciates the eccentricities
of each and every floor…if not each and every guest.
Leo’s journey begins when he finds a package in the duck
elevator that is addressed to him. He doesn’t know where the series of clues
will lead him, but he is desperately hopeful that Mr. Whippet will be waiting
at the very end of it all.
Think Charlie and The Chocolate Factory in a hotel,
complimented with an affinity for ducks and a swiftly earned and fiercely loyal
best friend – and you have FLOORS in a nutshell. The hotel is pretty rad in and
of itself, the guests are quirky as all get out, AND there’s a roaming team of
ducks who are led by the coolest duck around, Betty.
Leo’s discovering of clues and exploring the floors are what
drove the plot. Underneath that layer, however, are subtle explorations of
human relationships, gently reminding the reader to do what you love, be
unabashed about who you are, and believing in yourself and those who love you.
Really, it doesn’t get much better than a quirky and whimsical book that leaves
you with a warm feeling in your heart. Oh wait, it totally does when you ADD
AWESOME DUCKS.
Fave quote: "The problem with Blop - besides the fact that he really would not stop talking - was that he was a sneaky little robot." (pg. 93)
Fix er up: Some of the characters felt unnecessary to the
plot. However, this is the first in a series (though this is certainly a great
stand alone), so perhaps they will have their chance to shine at a later time.
Title: Floors
Author: Patrick Carman
Genre: Middle Grade, Friendship
Publishing Info: September 2011, Scholastic
[FTC Notice: I received an ARC of this book from April at
Good Books and Good Wine. I was not compensated for this review.]
Yo, instead of the Benjamins, it's all about the WHIMSY-S.
ReplyDelete<3
Betty foreva!
this sounds right up my alley.
ReplyDeleteI think I love this book already! :) My TBR just got one book taller!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really cute! I definitely want to check it out :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds adorable!
ReplyDeleteI've been pondering this one for a while. I checked it out for my brother once, but I haven't bothered since. I'll definitely have to add it to my TBR :]
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