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tangledintales's review
Quite fun! as a book published in 2011, it stood the test of time. Was it predictable? I mean, for any adult reading this, the trajectory would be pretty obvious from the beginning, yet I think kids would really enjoy this adventurous, slightly spooky, magical, action-packed mystery set in a hotel. My only real criticism is that the friendship between Leo and Remi could have been more developed, bc Remi often felt dispensable to Leo. And Leo’s character in general wasn’t very likeable (me being very critical of a 10 yo kid lol).
I’m gonna skip the rating for this one bc I feel weird rating a juvenile fiction and my rating probably wouldn’t be very reflective of the experience children might get from this book.
I’m gonna skip the rating for this one bc I feel weird rating a juvenile fiction and my rating probably wouldn’t be very reflective of the experience children might get from this book.
lover_of_fantasy_and_manga's review
3.0
I really enjoyed this book, but it felt very middle grade for me.
I realize I am not the attended audience, but I still read this genre and enjoy this genre.
I realize I am not the attended audience, but I still read this genre and enjoy this genre.
charlietheninth's review
3.0
Adventurous without being scary/violent. Good readalike for Mr. Limoncello, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
off2explore's review
5.0
My daughter and I found this absolutely enchanting. The descriptions are so visual and over the top! We found ourselves desperately wishing we could check in to the Whippet Hotel.
aprilbooksandwine's review
5.0
Merganzer Whippet has been missing for over 100 days. His hotel, the Whippet Hotel, would be falling into disarray if not for the maintenance man and his son, Leo, who assists with repairs and walking the ducks, whom Merganzer has a special affinity for. When a mysterious box shows up for Leo, he is charged with solving the puzzle, exploring the unseen floors of the hotel and saving The Whippet.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
theartolater's review
3.0
I generally like Patrick Carman - what I've read, at least. This was ultimately a serviceable but, alas, too cute attempt at a whimsical Roald Dahl-ish type mystery/adventure in a hotel. I can't even really describe it well, because it's a little all over the place and toes the line between fantasy and reality a little strangely, what with the animals and such.
This may be more about me complaining that a book isn't what I wanted it to be. At the end of the day, though, I was just hoping this would be better, sort of like The Gollywhopper Games or so - not so much, unfortunately.
This may be more about me complaining that a book isn't what I wanted it to be. At the end of the day, though, I was just hoping this would be better, sort of like The Gollywhopper Games or so - not so much, unfortunately.
valerie07's review
3.0
oh lord this took me a whole month to finish gosh, well for me it was an alright book, it picked up towards when it was ending and he found out all out the stuff and the the owner was actually this one sketchy dude we thought was gunna sabotage it. but anyway wasn’t that bad i might read the second but who knows.
thisfoxreads's review
2.0
The comparisons to Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory appears to be in the author's wishes. This book just isn't in the same league.
This book is heavily pro-male. The few female characters are the baddies (the hotel manager is drawn especially characaturish), with the mild exception of Pilar, who (of course) has the stereotypical job of housekeeping maid, and also has very little role in the book.
Mostly, though, it just felt as though author Carman was going through the motions. He put in all sorts of wacky fun elements but...it was boring. I listened to the audiobook and was constantly tuning out of the story.
So, if you want a very formulaic read for boys, try it. Oh, and there are 2 sequels if you like this one. I'll pass.
This book is heavily pro-male. The few female characters are the baddies (the hotel manager is drawn especially characaturish), with the mild exception of Pilar, who (of course) has the stereotypical job of housekeeping maid, and also has very little role in the book.
Mostly, though, it just felt as though author Carman was going through the motions. He put in all sorts of wacky fun elements but...it was boring. I listened to the audiobook and was constantly tuning out of the story.
So, if you want a very formulaic read for boys, try it. Oh, and there are 2 sequels if you like this one. I'll pass.
just_fighting_censorship's review against another edition
1.0
Oh where to begin...
While reading...
Comparing this to the masterpiece that is [b:Charlie and the Chocolate Factory|232187|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1)|Roald Dahl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388202803l/232187._SY75_.jpg|2765786]...um no sorry
I'm trying to think of a redeemable quality and I'm lost. I am shocked by the high average rating because this book was utter garbage. It feels like it was written by a kid not for a kid. I am a firm believer that children's books should be held to the same standard as adult books and the quality of this book is lacking, it feels empty and thrown together.
First there's the plot, which is boring. It seems like the author looked at a list of "Things Kids Like" and just threw a bunch of stuff into the hotel. What do kids like? ah sharks, got it! Ummm robots, ya totally! Gee, how about cakes? Yes, a whole cake room. Um rollercosters, ghosts, trains! Check, check, and check. As a result there is a complete lack of genuine creativity, imagination, and logic. Guess what, there was some method to Wonka's madness because at the end of the day he was churning out chocolate. How many rooms are booked at the Whippet...3....4? Even the basic details are off, um in what world do people hire 10 year-old children as bus boys?
The characters are incredibly flat, uninteresting, and cliche, in some cases even offensive. Our hero of the story, Leo is so boring and nothing like any 10-year-old boy I've ever met. Plus how can we look up to him or cheer him on when he really doesn't do anything. He never has to figure anything out for himself, he is constantly given step by step instructions and simply reacts to the events around him.
Then there are the women/girls in this story, they suck. All the living female characters are nasty, mean, selfish, and stupid. There are a few exceptions but they don't make this book any less sexist. Pillar the stereotypical Latina mother of Remy, Leo's idiot sidekick, could be considered an exception but she speaks in broken English, amounts to a nothing character, and doesn't exactly come across as a very loving or caring mother. The other exception would be the two dead mothers in this story who are of course elevated to saint status. Still they are dead and have no personalities, their main qualities include loving their sons and being sickly.
***Side note: The narrator for this audio book should never work again, all of his voices were horrendous, but especially the Spanish accents, Pillar sounded like an Indian with a speech impediment.***
Then there isWonka Merganser who isn't a very likable character at all.
Basically, this whole book was a waste of time and that makes me very angry. I'll admit I picked it up because it was marketed as a Charlie and Chocolate Factory read-a-like, which it isn't. It is more like a bad reenactment where the places and names have been changed to protect the innocent. Yes there are similarities but no emotion or whimsy. [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)|Ernest Cline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571._SY75_.jpg|14863741] did a great job taking Willy Wonka and making it new and fresh and different. This book however is one big FAIL.
While reading...
Comparing this to the masterpiece that is [b:Charlie and the Chocolate Factory|232187|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1)|Roald Dahl|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388202803l/232187._SY75_.jpg|2765786]...um no sorry
I'm trying to think of a redeemable quality and I'm lost. I am shocked by the high average rating because this book was utter garbage. It feels like it was written by a kid not for a kid. I am a firm believer that children's books should be held to the same standard as adult books and the quality of this book is lacking, it feels empty and thrown together.
First there's the plot, which is boring. It seems like the author looked at a list of "Things Kids Like" and just threw a bunch of stuff into the hotel. What do kids like? ah sharks, got it! Ummm robots, ya totally! Gee, how about cakes? Yes, a whole cake room. Um rollercosters, ghosts, trains! Check, check, and check. As a result there is a complete lack of genuine creativity, imagination, and logic. Guess what, there was some method to Wonka's madness because at the end of the day he was churning out chocolate. How many rooms are booked at the Whippet...3....4? Even the basic details are off, um in what world do people hire 10 year-old children as bus boys?
The characters are incredibly flat, uninteresting, and cliche, in some cases even offensive. Our hero of the story, Leo is so boring and nothing like any 10-year-old boy I've ever met. Plus how can we look up to him or cheer him on when he really doesn't do anything. He never has to figure anything out for himself, he is constantly given step by step instructions and simply reacts to the events around him.
Then there are the women/girls in this story, they suck. All the living female characters are nasty, mean, selfish, and stupid. There are a few exceptions but they don't make this book any less sexist. Pillar the stereotypical Latina mother of Remy, Leo's idiot sidekick, could be considered an exception but she speaks in broken English, amounts to a nothing character, and doesn't exactly come across as a very loving or caring mother. The other exception would be the two dead mothers in this story who are of course elevated to saint status. Still they are dead and have no personalities, their main qualities include loving their sons and being sickly.
***Side note: The narrator for this audio book should never work again, all of his voices were horrendous, but especially the Spanish accents, Pillar sounded like an Indian with a speech impediment.***
Then there is
Spoiler
Aside from being very annoying and basically patronizing every single character in the book, I find the fact that he tricked Mrs. Pompadour extremely unethical. He knew that she was recently divorced and was left without a cent to her name and he still baited her by offering her money to sabotage the hotel. Um? What the hell? That isn't a very nice thing to do, and as for saying that her acceptance of the money was a betrayal of trust is outrageous. Hey Merganser, you disappeared, decided to play dress up, lied to Mrs. Pompadour and bribed her when you knew she was in desperate need of money. PLUS she is a fricken guest at the hotel why should she have any loyalty to you to begin with, you fricken nut.Basically, this whole book was a waste of time and that makes me very angry. I'll admit I picked it up because it was marketed as a Charlie and Chocolate Factory read-a-like, which it isn't. It is more like a bad reenactment where the places and names have been changed to protect the innocent. Yes there are similarities but no emotion or whimsy. [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)|Ernest Cline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571._SY75_.jpg|14863741] did a great job taking Willy Wonka and making it new and fresh and different. This book however is one big FAIL.
kailey_luminouslibro's review
2.0
This is the story of Leo, who lives in a hotel that resembles an amusement park more than a hotel. There are secret rooms, secret elevators, and secret trains running through the in-between hidden floors of the hotel. When the owner of the hotel, Mr. Whippet, goes missing, he leaves clues for Leo to follow throughout the hotel, discovering its secrets, and saving the hotel from being torn down. But he insists that Leo take a friend with him for safety, so Leo brings the new bellboy, Remi, along for his adventures. Leo also has to bring one of the ducks from the hotel's pond along with him as he explores the hotel, and Betty the Duck proves more useful than he expected!
This book has a lot of potential, and I liked the imaginative puzzles and secret rooms; but the story has a lot of plot holes and loose ends that didn't make sense to me. The characters are fun and cute, but not anybody special. Leo has some good character development, but everyone else falls flat.
This book just didn't capture my attention. It's sort of one-dimensional. I think if I had read it when I was 8, I would have loved it though! It's a silly and madcap Willy-Wonka type story, but the charm that I was expecting didn't really happen.
This book has a lot of potential, and I liked the imaginative puzzles and secret rooms; but the story has a lot of plot holes and loose ends that didn't make sense to me. The characters are fun and cute, but not anybody special. Leo has some good character development, but everyone else falls flat.
This book just didn't capture my attention. It's sort of one-dimensional. I think if I had read it when I was 8, I would have loved it though! It's a silly and madcap Willy-Wonka type story, but the charm that I was expecting didn't really happen.