Sucks

Ten year-old Leo mostly lives the life of an overworked adult. He and his widowed father live in the basement of the Whippet Hotel in Manhattan, an amazingly quirky nine floor structure built by eccentric Merganzer Whippet, who has been missing for several months now. Whippet was a fun boss who was obsessed with ducks, but since he's been gone the hotel has been run by Ms. Sparks, a horrible woman who screams and threatens the employees constantly. She especially hates Leo and his dad, who are the maintenance crew. They're working day and night fixing the plumbing and a/c, and minding the hotel's flock of ducks, because everything has been breaking lately. Leo and the new doorman, also a young boy, find that the hotel holds a deep mystery that has to be solved in order to save it.
A fun story reminiscent of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. ( )

This book was amazing! Loved the different rooms and all. Debt like the use of the word b**t or another minor cuss word, but otherwise, it was wacky and fun! ( )

Leo and his handyman father live and work at the magnificent Whippet Hotel. The hotel is completely unique. Each room has been carefully crafted by the eccentric Merganser Whippet, whose fanciful ideas appeal to the rich, odd, and famous. Merganser knows all the ins and outs of his whacky hotel, but he's been missing for months now. When Leo takes the hotel ducks (yes, ducks) up to the roof for their daily walk, he finds a strange box with directions for solving the mystery and saving Mr. Whippet. Since he only has two days, Leo seeks help from the new doorman, Remi. Together, they embark on a wild adventure, while still trying to get their jobs done, as neither wants to anger the mean manager, Ms. Sparks. They need to find a total of four boxes, and each box contains a piece of the puzzle. Do Remi and Leo have what it takes to work together to solve the mystery? Who is the mysterious person that's creeping around the hotel rooms leaving clues for Leo? Everything at the hotel is breaking at once and either the hotel misses Merganser or someone is tampering with everything. What is going on? Follow along with Leo and Remi as they travel throughout the Whippet Hotel on a wild ride to uncover the truth.

Floors by Patrick Carman is a fantasy adventure that will appeal to your imagination. Reading about the fascinating hotel rooms made my mind soar with possibilities. I would love exploring the hotel and checking out the various rooms- one room is devoted to cakes and sweets, which are replenished daily. Yes, please! Leo and Remi are both loners who build a fast friendship. They have some opposite character traits, which help them to get along, and it was great to see how they reacted to each other. It was also fun trying to figure out what the different boxes meant, and, as I knew so little about the hotel, I was pleasantly surprised once the mysteries of the hotel were revealed. I recommend this book for kids in fourth through seventh grade. Anyone who likes a story where anything is possible will enjoy the first case in the series. This book reminded me how important creativity is, and if we dream it, it can become a reality. At the end of the book we learn that there is more in store for the dynamic duo, and I look forward to seeing where their future investigations take them.
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A wild mix of mysterious hotel, a cranky manager, a missing owner, an adventure to discover hidden secrets by two young boys, oh, and ducks... never forget the ducks... make for a roller coaster adventure that youngsters will enjoy. No need to fear political or social agendas here, it's just rollicking fun mixed with a bit of mystery and suspense. ( )