Home Sweet Motel

Summary

P. T. Wilkie knows how to spin a great story. Maybe it's because he grew up at the Wonderland Motel, a wacky Florida resort his grandfather opened back in the day. It's got giant plastic statues, a frog slide, a poolside ice cream machine, and lots and lots of stories. When the Wonderland falls into financial disaster, P. T. needs his best storytelling skills to attract more customers.

Gloria Ortega, a business genius staying at the motel with her father, helps P. T. come up with even bigger ideas to save the motel. Between P. T.'s stories, Gloria's smarts, and their combined detective skills, they just might be able to do it.

Chapters are short, and fun drawings are featured on almost every page, making this an ideal book for younger readers.

Why I love this book

This book is delightfully fun! Home Sweet Motel has it all: corny puns, silly characters, and random details that leave you shaking your head and saying, "This is so silly!" You might actually laugh out loud when P. T. convinces his friends to do his chores to impress the guys who are definitely Navy SEALs recruiters, or when P. T. accidentally grabs a very moldy bologna sandwich. Boys of all ages will enjoy occasional fart jokes.

This is also one of the rare children's books in which adults are respected and helpful. P. T. and Gloria are the ones with the big ideas, but Mom, Mr. Ortega, and Grandpa all step in at key moments to help. The kids don't spend much time sneaking around without permission or breaking rules. And when they do cross the line, they're warned not to do it again.

There are also not-so-good adults, like the elderly pair of brothers who argue loudly by the pool and lie about whether Sheila was their sister or lady friend, and the sleazy bank manager who can't wait for the Wonderland Motel to close down so he can replace it with a giant apartment that blocks everyone else's seaside views. The characters are memorable and fun to read about.

Potential concerns

Readers learn early on that P. T.'s dad left a long time ago, leaving P. T. to be raised by his mom and Grandpa. In front of his classmates, P. T. pretends his dad is on an important NASA mission, but he's truthful with his closest friends. P. T. misses his dad and wonders why he would want to leave the Wonderland. The topic is handled with care, signaling to young readers that it's sad when a parent leaves their family and that it is not the child's fault.

Most of the time, P. T. uses his stories to entertain his friends or earn money to save the motel. Sometimes, however, he tells stories to manipulate people or conceal the truth. The stories P. T. tells fall more into the category of practical jokes than mean tricks, and the only people harmed (mildly) by his stories are the "bad guys." Still, parents may want to discuss with younger children whether it is appropriate to lie, and what storytelling should or should not be used for.

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