Lost Evangeline
by Kate DiCamillo (Goodreads Author), Sophie Blackall  (Illustrator)

4.5 out of 5 stars

A shoemaker finds a tiny baby hidden in a shoe, and the little girl grows up to be as small as a mouse. He names her Evangeline after a beautiful ship, and the two dream of going to sea someday. The shoemaker’s wife thinks Evangeline’s small size is a sign of bewitchment, and resents her husband’s love for his adopted daughter. She sells Evangeline for a sack of money, but Evangeline escapes and searches for her father. Along the way, Evangeline gets help from a reluctant cat and a scared boy, but she finds the courage and resilience to inspire them to join her in her adventures.

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.