This series is both adorable and creepy. A cast of the characters is presented on the endpages; cheerful Marietta, spooky Mr. Snarf, bookish Mr. Leclair, grouchy Kiki, and helpful Celestin. All but Celestin are inhabitants of the very odd Hotel Strange, and in their first story, Wake up, Spring, they are peacefully sleeping the winter away when guests begin to arrive! This is naturally a great shock to all the inhabitants of the hotel. After all, spring isn’t supposed to arrive for a long time yet; or is it? It turns out that Mr. Spring has mysteriously gone missing! Marietta leaves the hotel in the charge of the ghostly receptionist, Mr. Snarf, and sets off with Mr. Leclair, the night watchman, and Kiki to find Mr. Spring. Their odd but knowledgeable friend Celestin promises to help them, and they set off to visit Mr. Winter to see if he is holding Mr. Spring captive. Along the way they will have many adventures, meet strange and frightening creatures, and finally brave the dreaded Mr. Winter himself. But will they ever find Mr. Spring and get Hotel Strange up and running?
In their second adventure, Kiki is greatly annoyed at the noisy preparations for the annual music festival at the hotel. While Marietta is chasing him down to convince him to help, they come upon a strange monster, the Arrgoyle! He’s eager to participate in the music festival, but he needs lots of practice. Lots and lots! Marietta has a suggestion; she takes him off to a quiet spot to practice on his own….but then she never comes home! Kiki, Mr. Snarf, and Mr. Leclair set off to find her, only to discover Marietta is in great danger. She’s been captured by bandits. Leaving Mr. Leclair behind as a hostage, Marietta, Kiki, and Mr. Snarf set off to ask Celestin for help in finding the robbers’ stolen sapphire and ransom back Mr. Leclair. More strange and wonderful adventures await the intrepid crew of oddballs until they finally make a surprising discovery.
These picture book-sized volumes include a wealth of sweet, quirky, and creepy characters. From helpful Celestin, to the hilarious and fuzzy Mumblers who herald catastrophe, every creature has a unique personality, purpose, and distinctive appearance. The stories are set primarily in the outdoors where mountains, streams, forests, and lakes abound and lush greenery and flowers seem to be everywhere. The characters are colorful not only in their oddities but literally—Marietta favors bright and cheerful pinks, reds, and oranges while grouchy Kiki is a plush lavender. Mr. Snarf glows a sickly green with appropriately somber black and white formal attire, and shabby Mr. Leclair brightens his outfit with a colorful scarf. Celestin’s close connection with the woods is shown in his green and brown clothing, and indoors or out, he is never without his mushroom hat and pipe.
The quirky stories, distinctive characters, and gentle philosophy woven into the wandering plots are clearly an homage to Tove Jansson’s classic stories of the Moomins. It may be difficult to get kids to pick up these cute and quirky stories, but they are available to purchase as inexpensive paperbacks. Although the skinny volumes may get lost on the shelves, they’re worth trying even if you’re unsure of their reception. However, if you have fans of the Moomins or Hildafolk, these books are sure to find an audience.
Hotel Strange
by Katherine Ferrier, Florian Ferrier
Vol. 1: Wake Up, Spring
ISBN: 9781467786485
Vol. 2: On the Sapphire’s Trail
ISBN: 9781467785853
Lerner Graphic Universe, 2015-2016
Publisher Age Rating: 8-12
