Review: Floors

Title: Floors

Author: Patrick Carman

Author's Website: patrickcarman.com

My Age Recommendation: 9+

Publisher: Chicken House

Publication Date: 5th January 2012

Pages: 272

Rating: 5/5

Reviewer: Jon

Synopsis

There's no place on earth like the Whippet Hotel. Every floor has its surprises and secrets. Guests are either mad or mysterious. And ducks are everywhere. If anyone knows the Whippet, it's Leo, the caretaker's son. But when he finds four strange boxes that lead him to hidden floors, he realises something extraordinary is going on. As the hotel begins to fall apart, Leo's on the ride of his life...without ever having to step outside.

Jon's Review

I was kindly given Floors as a review copy by Chicken House Publications to read and review on this blog. Before I tell you about this book I want to say I'm so happy they sent this particular book to me (I'd never heard of it before) because it's just so good. Really good. Five out of five good (and I don't give 5/5 lightly). I guess you could say I'm "floored" by Floors (bad joke, I know!).

The colourful, exciting artwork on the front cover is very appealing. The synopsis on the back promises surprises, secrets and mystery. Having said that, we're told never to judge a book by its cover, and for good reason. All too often, a book's cover promises the reader a journey of thrills and spills, yet fails to live up to one's expectations. I've read an awful lot of books and consequently I've learned not to fall into this trap.

However, there are those rare occasions when I feel excited by a book, based solely on its cover and I take the leap of faith, throwing myself into the story, hoping that I won't be disappointed. Floors is one of those books. It did not disappoint. What a fantastic story! Seriously, don't waste any more time reading the rest of my review; I assure you it will not be anywhere as thrilling to read as Floors. Get the book now and read it, you will not regret it!

What, you're still here? Hmm, so I haven't convinced you enough to go and read Floors. Very well, I'll explain in more detail why it's such a great book.

The Whippet is a one-of-a-kind hotel occupying a tiny section of a vast area of land in Manhattan dwarfed amongst the skyscrapers. Designed and created by the wealthy, wacky inventor Merganzer Whippet, the hotel has several floors, each of which are custom-built and appear to house just one apartment each. Only the very wealthy stay at the hotel, and several of the extravagant guests stay there long-term, despite (or perhaps because of) the weirdness of their rooms and the hotel itself. Who ever heard of a hotel which has a duck pond on the roof?!

The Whippet Hotel is taken care of by Clarence Filmore, the maintenance man who is assisted by his 10-year old son Leo. Leo loves the hotel, and he enjoys working with his dad to keep the place in order - and it really takes a lot of care and attention. The owner and creator, Merganzer Whippet usually spends time each day tweaking the numerous, incredible rooms, making sure all the features are in full working order (flying animals, cakes, trains, duck ponds and pinballs machines to name but a few). The trouble is, Mr Whippet has been missing for over 100 days, and consequently the hotel is falling to pieces around Leo's ears. Whereas before, Leo and his dad had their hands full maintaining everyday things like repairing the air-conditioning or taking the ducks for a walk(!), now they're rushed off their feet trying to keep the hotel from collapsing completely.

So when Leo finds a strange box that was left for him, it leads him into a thrilling adventure crammed full of clues and puzzles and more boxes. But Leo has to solve all the puzzles in just two days, because the fate of the hotel rides on his success.

Leo is a brave, kind-hearted young man. During the story, we get to meet all sorts of characters, some of which are positively awful (a spoilt little rich girl, a miserable witchy woman); these people add colour to the story and highlight Leo's likeable personality.

The story, along with the archetypal characters certainly made me think of the similarities between Floors and Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which no doubt the author must have heard before. But Floors is such a unique, richly woven story that these similarities quickly fade to insignificance as you are drawn deeper into the fantastic mystery.

For me, this book was an exciting and engaging read the whole way through, a brilliant combination of fantasy, mystery and suspense. I heartily recommend this book for all imaginative young adults.