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rants_n_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
linneamo's review against another edition
3.0
genre: fantasy
summary: boy lives in strange hotel built by an even stranger man obsessed with ducks. each room in the hotel is themed and things get stranger and stranger the higher the floor. when the owner of the hotel disappears and a mysterious box appear for the boy, he must follow the clues to find out what is happening in his beloved hotel.
notes: robots!
for kids who like: Roald Dahl
age group: age 8+
my review: whimsical (from so one who was brought up on the GREATS of whimsical [i.e. Roald Dahl] I feel like Carman is trying too hard)
summary: boy lives in strange hotel built by an even stranger man obsessed with ducks. each room in the hotel is themed and things get stranger and stranger the higher the floor. when the owner of the hotel disappears and a mysterious box appear for the boy, he must follow the clues to find out what is happening in his beloved hotel.
notes: robots!
for kids who like: Roald Dahl
age group: age 8+
my review: whimsical (from so one who was brought up on the GREATS of whimsical [i.e. Roald Dahl] I feel like Carman is trying too hard)
hdbblog's review against another edition
4.0
What a fun and wacky read! Not since my days of Roald Dahl have I fallen this in love with a story line. The Whippet Hotel is a place built out of the imagination of a very interesting man. Merganzer Whippet, the hotel's designer, was told that he would one day invent wacky things! If this hotel is any indication, that's completely right. From a room with edible furniture, to one that is built just like a pinball machine (that you can PLAY!) this is a hotel that I would be happy to stay in! I think middle grade readers will fall in love.
When Merganzer Whippet goes missing, it's up to Leo to solve the mystery of the hotel. There's something to be said about a young, brave protagonist. Leo is smart, kind, and adorable the entire way through the book. I loved how Patrick Carman built his relationship with his father, and with the other characters in the story. It's easy to fall into step with Leo as he sets of on a zany adventure through the hotel. You'll find yourself cheering him on, and wondering what fascinating thing he is going to find next!
If that's not enough, the other characters in Floors will definitely sate your need for silliness. Each one has their own unique personality (and in the audio book their own voice). They mean well, but each one has a pretty interesting set of quirks. After all, doesn't an amazing hotel need equally amazing people to inhabit it? It's so much fun to read about their daily lives, and see how they fit into the overall mystery. Kudos to Patrick Carman for writing such a wonderfully vivid cast of characters.
I see this as the type of book that is going to fly off your library shelves. Or, if you have a young reader at home, one that they'll beg you to read over and over. There is so much to love in Floors! Silly, fun, and just downright wholesome. This is the type of stuff that Middle Grade stories are made out of. Definitely recommended!
When Merganzer Whippet goes missing, it's up to Leo to solve the mystery of the hotel. There's something to be said about a young, brave protagonist. Leo is smart, kind, and adorable the entire way through the book. I loved how Patrick Carman built his relationship with his father, and with the other characters in the story. It's easy to fall into step with Leo as he sets of on a zany adventure through the hotel. You'll find yourself cheering him on, and wondering what fascinating thing he is going to find next!
If that's not enough, the other characters in Floors will definitely sate your need for silliness. Each one has their own unique personality (and in the audio book their own voice). They mean well, but each one has a pretty interesting set of quirks. After all, doesn't an amazing hotel need equally amazing people to inhabit it? It's so much fun to read about their daily lives, and see how they fit into the overall mystery. Kudos to Patrick Carman for writing such a wonderfully vivid cast of characters.
I see this as the type of book that is going to fly off your library shelves. Or, if you have a young reader at home, one that they'll beg you to read over and over. There is so much to love in Floors! Silly, fun, and just downright wholesome. This is the type of stuff that Middle Grade stories are made out of. Definitely recommended!
momoj8's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kim_j_dare's review against another edition
4.0
Fans of Roald Dahl's quirky stories will enjoy meeting Leo, who must solve the mystery of the Whippet Hotel, aided by a duck, a bellhop, and a talkative robot. First in a new series.
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
3.0
Floors is a perfectly serviceable story.
It kicks off quickly, the main character is appropriately spunky, and the Whippet hotel is an interesting setting to explore. While I think it could have been tightened up a bit more - the few point of view chapters of a character outside the hotel pulling strings within for a mysterious reason were not needed, there were not enough kooky characters futzing around which could have been fixed if it were an apartment building instead, solving the mystery was too straightforward - the story was competently written and I did not regret reading it.
It was explicitly linked to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in-text, and I can see how Carman used that as a framework for his story. However, it does not resemble it outside of the basic premise of a kid in a fantastical place owned by a wacky man. The whimsy that Roald Dahl has in his writing is unfortunately lacking which might have contributed to my overall indifference.
I prefer mysteries where there are a lot of clues or puzzles that the reader can also ponder on. All of the puzzles in this book were informed by knowledge of the Whippet that only Leo could have so it's more that you are observing him as he tries to work things out. In that way it is more split between adventure and mystery than 'pure' mystery to me.
A solid book that I have no qualms about recommending. I think it might be a bit dull for a kid particularly if they struggle with spatial awareness like I do, but if you get the correct mechanically inclined child then you have hit gold.
It kicks off quickly, the main character is appropriately spunky, and the Whippet hotel is an interesting setting to explore. While I think it could have been tightened up a bit more - the few point of view chapters of a character outside the hotel pulling strings within for a mysterious reason were not needed, there were not enough kooky characters futzing around which could have been fixed if it were an apartment building instead, solving the mystery was too straightforward - the story was competently written and I did not regret reading it.
It was explicitly linked to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in-text, and I can see how Carman used that as a framework for his story. However, it does not resemble it outside of the basic premise of a kid in a fantastical place owned by a wacky man. The whimsy that Roald Dahl has in his writing is unfortunately lacking which might have contributed to my overall indifference.
I prefer mysteries where there are a lot of clues or puzzles that the reader can also ponder on. All of the puzzles in this book were informed by knowledge of the Whippet that only Leo could have so it's more that you are observing him as he tries to work things out. In that way it is more split between adventure and mystery than 'pure' mystery to me.
A solid book that I have no qualms about recommending. I think it might be a bit dull for a kid particularly if they struggle with spatial awareness like I do, but if you get the correct mechanically inclined child then you have hit gold.
bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
In my quest to make a reader out of my eight-year-old daughter, I've taken to reading a lot of children's books with her. My experience have, in general, been kind of hit or miss. Sometimes I really like something, but she doesn't. Others, she likes them and I don't. It's always a good feeling when we find a book that bridges that gap, one that both parent and child can enjoy. Floors is one such book. There will be a few spoilers in this review.
There is a lot about Floors to recommend it, but I was drawn in by the sort of wacky description of the book. That description really only scratches the surface. As we read about the many themed rooms in the hotel, I really marveled at the depth of the author's imagination. For me, the most apt description is to the Gene Wilder Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The Whippet Hotel offers a veritable feast for the imagination: from a room centered around robots to the Cake Room, you just can't help but be drawn into the author's vivid descriptions. By the end of the book, you will wish that the Whippet Hotel was real and that you could visit it. It would put to shame anything Las Vegas can throw at you. I'm extremely, extremely impressed by just how fantastical and wonderfully imagined the hotel is. It's a character in its own right.
But the hotel isn't the only thing this book has going for it. I also really enjoyed the characters of Leo and Remi, and the gradual evolution of their friendship. Leo has a really lovely back story, and I liked the book's messages about love and loss and learning to move on. Leo handles all of these themes in a way that struck me as very lifelike and my daughter didn't have any trouble relating to him. Leo is everything a good character should be: believable, admirable, yet still flawed. I really like books where children act like children and the author takes their concerns seriously.
Also interesting to me was the way Merganzer's similar childhood experiences were interwoven with those of Leo. There are some very poignant and lovely passages in which Merganzer recounts childhood experiences with his mother. I also have a son, so the theme of two boys growing up without their mothers definitely tugged at my heartstrings.
My only real disappointment in the novel was with the ending, which just didn't really work for me. There was a lot of buildup but the ending was unsatisfying. It mirrors the Will Wonka film in a lot of ways, so I found some aspects of it very predictable though, of course, the triumph of the virtuous was satisfying. Still, I wish it had felt a little less predictable and that Merganzer wouldn't have emerged as a sort of Deus Ex Machina.
There is a lot about Floors to recommend it, but I was drawn in by the sort of wacky description of the book. That description really only scratches the surface. As we read about the many themed rooms in the hotel, I really marveled at the depth of the author's imagination. For me, the most apt description is to the Gene Wilder Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The Whippet Hotel offers a veritable feast for the imagination: from a room centered around robots to the Cake Room, you just can't help but be drawn into the author's vivid descriptions. By the end of the book, you will wish that the Whippet Hotel was real and that you could visit it. It would put to shame anything Las Vegas can throw at you. I'm extremely, extremely impressed by just how fantastical and wonderfully imagined the hotel is. It's a character in its own right.
But the hotel isn't the only thing this book has going for it. I also really enjoyed the characters of Leo and Remi, and the gradual evolution of their friendship. Leo has a really lovely back story, and I liked the book's messages about love and loss and learning to move on. Leo handles all of these themes in a way that struck me as very lifelike and my daughter didn't have any trouble relating to him. Leo is everything a good character should be: believable, admirable, yet still flawed. I really like books where children act like children and the author takes their concerns seriously.
Also interesting to me was the way Merganzer's similar childhood experiences were interwoven with those of Leo. There are some very poignant and lovely passages in which Merganzer recounts childhood experiences with his mother. I also have a son, so the theme of two boys growing up without their mothers definitely tugged at my heartstrings.
My only real disappointment in the novel was with the ending, which just didn't really work for me. There was a lot of buildup but the ending was unsatisfying. It mirrors the Will Wonka film in a lot of ways, so I found some aspects of it very predictable though, of course, the triumph of the virtuous was satisfying. Still, I wish it had felt a little less predictable and that Merganzer wouldn't have emerged as a sort of Deus Ex Machina.
misspippireads's review against another edition
3.0
Welcome to the Wippet Hotel! The Wippet was created by an excentric gentlemen who excelled at creating strange inventions. Each floor of the hotel is unique and full of surprises and adventures. No one knows the ins and outs better then the janitorial staff of the Fillmore family. Leo Fillmore discovers all this and more when a mysterious box is discovered...which leads to more myserious boxes.
Carman writes an amazingly imaginative tale that will appeal to a wide range of listeners. If you need a book that needs to span a range of ages during a roadtrip, this is an excellent selection. The older listeners might be able predict the some plot points, but there are plenty of surprises along the way. The ending wraps up happily with hints at more Wippet adventures.
Jesse Bernstein reads the first Floors novel. The narrator is well-known for his reading of The Lightning Thief and the Percy Jackson series. His voice is youthful and he differentiates between the characters. I prefer consistancy between books, so if the Floors series continues, I hope Berstein will return to tell the tale.
Reviewed from a library copy.
Carman writes an amazingly imaginative tale that will appeal to a wide range of listeners. If you need a book that needs to span a range of ages during a roadtrip, this is an excellent selection. The older listeners might be able predict the some plot points, but there are plenty of surprises along the way. The ending wraps up happily with hints at more Wippet adventures.
Jesse Bernstein reads the first Floors novel. The narrator is well-known for his reading of The Lightning Thief and the Percy Jackson series. His voice is youthful and he differentiates between the characters. I prefer consistancy between books, so if the Floors series continues, I hope Berstein will return to tell the tale.
Reviewed from a library copy.
amotisse's review against another edition
5.0
How wonderful to listen to some junior fiction. It really allows the imagination to run wild and free. The Whippet Hotel is somewhat exclusive but incredible! Full of secret floors and passages, interesting people and plenty of mystery.
Definitely a place I’d love to explore.
Definitely a place I’d love to explore.
jenniepicky's review against another edition
2.0
I usually don't have much trouble listening to a book in the car while driving, but I had real trouble paying attention to this one. It wasn't the narrator's fault (as has been suggested by other reviews) because I have listened to other books read by him and haven't had any troubles at all. I just didn't find the characters or plot particularly unique or interesting. But children who love Wayside School may find just what they are looking for.