Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Dayton Public Library | JFIC CARMAN | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Carman, P. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | J Fic Carman, P. 2011 v.1 Floors | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Newberg Public Library | J FICTION CARMAN | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | J Carman, P. | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
A handyman's son explores the mysteries of a very odd, very colorful hotel in the newest adventure from bestselling author Patrick Carman.
The Whippet Hotel is a strange place full of strange and mysterious people. Each floor has its own quirks and secrets. Leo should know most of them - he is the maintenance man's son, after all. But a whole lot more mystery gets thrown his way when a series of cryptic boxes are left for him... boxes that lead him to hidden floors, strange puzzles, and unexpected alliances. Leo had better be quick on his feet, because the fate of the building he loves is at stake... and so is Leo's own future!
Author Notes
Author Patrick Carman was born in Salem, Oregon on February 27, 1966. He received a degree in economics from Willamette University. Before becoming a full-time author, he worked in advertising, game design, and technology. He is the author of The Land of Elyon series, the Atherton series, and Skeleton Creek.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Odd ducks of both the web-footed and human variety alternately help and hinder junior handyman Leo and his pal Remi as Leo attempts to discover the whereabouts of the Whippet Hotel's owner before it's too late. Fans of Pseudonymous Bosch will love this book and its sequel, 3 Below (2012). Audio version is available from Audible and Playaway. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Carman (the Skeleton Creek series) delivers a madcap mystery reminiscent of Roald Dahl and Ellen Raskin, complete with bizarre inventions, a mystery involving a missing billionaire and his fortune, and even a crazy elevator or two. At New York City's Whippet Hotel, guests stay in rooms like the Pinball Machine-featuring giant flippers, bumpers, and pinballs-and the Central Park Room, an exact reproduction of the famed park. When Leo Fillmore, the 10-year-old son of the hotel's maintenance man and himself an assistant maintenance crew member, discovers a mysterious purple box while walking the hotel's ducks, he embarks on a mystery that has him sneaking into hidden rooms, evading a pesky six-year-old and other guests, and riding a train through a tunnel of fire. With the help of his friend Remi and a tiny, talkative robot named Blop, Leo discovers more boxes and more mysteries while trying to avoid running afoul of the hotel's shrewish manager, Ms. Sparks. Sparks, a one-note nemesis, is one of the book's rare sour notes, but Carman delivers so much fun that readers aren't likely to notice. Ages 9-12. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Ten-year-old Leo Fillmore lives in the basement of the Whippet Hotel with his father, the building's maintenance man. When the duck-obsessed hotel owner disappears, Leo takes it upon himself to find the man before the hotel falls into the wrong hands. The plot is action-filled but convoluted, with an ending that sets up another volume. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Here is the Whippet Hotel, a very strange place: Each of its floors has its own eccentric personality, especially the hidden ones.Carman has not only created a beguiling building but populated it with a sympathetic company of oddfellows, plus a few nefarious creatures (except the ducks, because, as readers are told, " 'Always bring a duck.' Words to live by." Readers will come to feel totally invested in the hotel, just as they will come to love Leo, the maintenance man's 10-year-old son, in whose hands the fate of the rickety old joint rests when four strange boxes arrive. Cryptic utterances"A flying goat will be of use"are fun because there's always at least a sideways understanding of what it might mean, and there are clues that the reader can follow like breadcrumbs to the last, cheering pages. But it is the atmosphere that takes over, whether it is as heart-gladdening as when "the coffeepot filled the basement with the rich smell of morning," or as curious as one of those ducks, whose "breath smelled like daffodils." ("You've been eating the flowers on the grounds again, haven't you?" Leo asked.)The author is a fine storyteller; he rides the mystery right up to the edge invests his characters with quirks that aren't merely cute but essential to the person's identity. (Magical adventure. 9-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The Whippet Hotel's truly unique, with features like the Cake Room, where delicious sweets are stocked daily, and the Flying Farm Room, which is populated by flying animal holograms. But since owner-architect Merganzer Whippet vanished 100 days earlier, the hotel's caretakers, 10-year-old Leo and his father, are completely in charge of looking after the guests. Then Leo discovers a mysterious box with a note that warns Leo of the hotel's future and includes enigmatic instructions for tasks that, when completed, might help protect it. With only days to succeed, Leo jumps into an adventure-filled, suspenseful quest through secret rooms on hidden floors to locate other boxes. Aided by a young friend, a feisty duck, and a chatty robot, Leo must use his wits and courage to save the hotel before the letter's deadline. Mixing mystery; colorfully drawn, offbeat characters; and some Willy Wonka-evoking flourishes, this series starter offers an absorbing, entertaining read with an appealing and sympathetic protagonist. Fantastical inventions and humorous scenarios abound, but the story also sensitively explores themes of loss, healing, and family.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2010 Booklist