Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SOME
Marta lives with her mother in the attic room of a grand hotel where her mother is a maid. Marta must only use the back stairs and must be as inconspicuous as possible. But one day, an eccentric countess with a large parrot notices her behind a fern and promises to tell her stories. She hears one story a day, and they are interesting but incomplete. Marta hopes eventually they will connect.
Short and nostalgic, The Hotel Balzaar is the 2nd book in the Norendy Tales series, which began with The Puppets of Spelhorst. There was no obvious connection between the two books, perhaps, like the countess's stories, it will all make sense with the final installment. I'm interested to see how children respond to the stories, probably as Marta did, with a bit of frustration. I hope they have the patience to finish, I did and enjoyed it. Sarda's illustrations fit the mood of the book, and I loved the illustrations of the countess - she reminds me of Angela Lansbury. Marta and her mother are illustrated as white.
Lisa Librarian
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