September 21, 2015
Younger readers on the lookout for low-key, cheerful adventure might consider checking into the Hotel Strange, starting with this series opener from French artist Katherine Ferrier and her husband, Florian. The denizens of the Alpine-style Hotel Strange are rattled when guests show up before the hotel opens for spring. It is spring, they learn, despite the fact that it’s still snowy and cold outside. Mr. Spring must be found—he’s still asleep somewhere. The many monsters that make up the hotel’s staff and guests recall the menagerie of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. A human girl, Marietta, runs the hotel assisted by Kiki, a kind of ghost/teddy bear hybrid who’s always hungry. “Let us in, we have reservations!” cry the furry, misshapen guests who wait outside; they’re be-horned, be-antlered, and bundled up in knit scarves and caps. Brief episodes advance the plot by inches while introducing new characters and diversions, while colorful panels provide views of snowy mountains, winter storms, and romantic sunsets. Mr. Spring, it turns out, is unexpectedly close by. This hotel is likely to earn repeat business. Ages 7–11.
November 15, 2015
Grades 2-4 The inhabitants of Hotel Strangehuman girl Marietta; Mr. Leclair, the rat night watchman; rascally, purple monster Kiki; and ghostly hotel guest-book Mr. Snarfenjoy their long winter nap, but when guests bang on the hotel's door, they learn they've overslept. It's already March 21, the first day of spring, and it's time to get the hotel up and running. Their usual first guest, Mr. Spring, is nowhere to be found, so Marietta and her friends journey into the wintry woods to find him. First, they must track down grouchy Mr. Winter, but they encounter lots of peril on the way. Will they ever find Mr. Spring? This French import features clearly drawn, detailed, and expressive full-color art with imaginative figures and an engaging adventure story. Though one of the friends looks like a boy but smokes a pipe, which might concern some adults, the general atmosphere is pleasantly fable-like. As an added bonus, there's a recipe for Marietta's favorite sponge cake on the final page. Perfect for fans of Luke Pearson's Hilda series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)
August 15, 2015
The diminutive staff members of Hotel Strange find themselves dismayed when their guests all show up on opening day-March 21-and they are both completely unready and still swathed in snow. And "strange" really is the order of the day. Many of the creatures in this graphic novel look as though they're made of yarn, especially the Grouchies, tall, shaggy things who are shaped like bowling pins. That's the joy of the book: none of the character designs makes any concession to reality. There's a character who looks like a mushroom with antlers and a character whose face looks like an inkblot. Nothing in the book is more plausible than it needs to be. The Grouchies carry the wind around in a bag, and Winter is a large, bearded man who rides through the snow on a toboggan. The plot-what there is of it-has to do with the search for Mr. Spring, who's gone missing. Readers after plot will find that the story has a satisfying beginning, middle, and end. But there's almost more enjoyment in the small details, like Mr. Winter sitting in a room filled with cuckoo clocks, knitting a scarf. Some readers may just stare at the pictures, counting the dozens of tiny creatures in every scene, which is a satisfying experience all by itself. This daffy adventure kicks off a series, and readers will be hoping for a speedy return to Hotel Strange. (recipe for sponge cake) (Graphic fantasy. 7-11)
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July 1, 2016
In Wake Up, forest creatures surprise Hotel Strange's eccentric proprietors, who haven't yet prepared the lodge for their springtime visitors because of enduring wintry weather; where could Mr. Spring be? Sapphire's Trail finds the characters embroiled in a mystery that interrupts the hotel's music festival. These colorful, imaginative picture-book-size comics from France are filled with quirky characters; each includes a recipe.
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)