The Hotel Balzaar
by Kate DiCamillo (Goodreads Author), Júlia Sardà (Illustrator)

4.5 out of 5 stars

Marta longs for her father’s return after the war. Her mother works as a maid in the hotel, and Marta spends her days wandering around the hotel being quiet as a mouse. When a mysterious Countess with a parrot arrives at the hotel, she promises to tell Marta seven stories, but the stories are not quite what Marta expected. They seem to have no proper ending and no meaning. But Marta keeps listening, hoping that somehow the stories will point the way to her missing father.

I loved this beautiful story! Marta is a complex character. She wants to believe in the stories, but she gets discouraged and starts to lose hope. She’s very quick at seeing connections between the different stories and her own life, so she keeps hoping that there will be some clue about her father. Marta sees how her mother has lost hope, and she determines that she will have to continue with courage for her mother’s sake.

The plot is really intricate with all these details that overlap in different areas. I liked that the story has supernatural and fantastical elements, but it’s not quite defined. It might have been magic, or it might have been coincidence. It might be divine miracles, or it might be that the Countess is just exaggerating. I love the aura of mystery!

The story is told with a lovely old-fashioned style that is quite elegant in its brevity. Every word fits exactly where it should, and no words are wasted. The result is a powerful writing style that tugs at your emotions!

I loved the pretty illustrations through the book which really bring forward the emotional pathos of the story. The artwork makes this story truly special!
This chapter book is perfect for young readers ages 7-10 who are reading on their own, but not ready for lengthy books yet.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.