Sibyl is the apprentice hotel witch at the splendid Grand Mirror Hotel. She is busy each day drawing useful spell patterns to keep the hotel guests happy: spells to shine shoes, spells to remove dust and spells to return lost belongings like hats and gloves to their owners.
But Sibyl dreams of other possibilities – wonderful possibilities like her mother returning from the Black Mountains, and like Grandma letting her draw spell patterns from The Book of Advanced and Dangerous Magic.
When Grandma gets stuck in last Tuesday, somewhere on the hotel’s thirteenth floor, Sibyl is left to take charge of all the hotel magic – and to solve a mysterious and perplexing problem. Will she find a way to open The Book of Advanced and Dangerous Magic? And will it contain the answers she needs?
Jessica Miller is a children’s writer whose first novel, Elizabeth and Zenobia, was shortlisted for the Text Prize and the Readings Prize and was a CBCA Notable Book, as was her second book, The Republic of Birds. Now, Miller returns with The Hotel Witch, an enchantingly clever, imaginative, whimsical adventure that crackles with magic – and a hint of danger.
The opening chapters are perfectly paced, drawing you into the delightful Grand Mirror Hotel and the ambitious mind of Sibyl, our precocious main character. Sibyl is utterly charming, and over the course of the novel, you watch her learn and grow her self-confidence as she finds herself having to solve the hotel’s problems all on her own.
I adored the way Miller confidently describes the enchanting world of The Hotel Witch. After her prize-winning and notable books, it’s clear that Miller is no stranger to the middle-grade fantasy setting. Inspired by the streets of Latvia, there is a current of wonder and grandeur in the way that Miller writes. All the while, she weaves an intriguing puzzle that will have you completely engrossed in Sibyl’s story. Any young reader will love to get lost in this spellbinding tale full of page-turning shenanigans, magical mysteries and entertainment.
The Hotel Witch is a magical tale of courage, love and the power of imagining possibilities. If you know a child aged 9+ who loves magic and mayhem, grab a copy and check in to the magical Grand Mirror Hotel now!
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