Intermediate Junior Fiction Fantasy Novel
2018

Another book with diverse characters! I just can't get enough of that.
Diverse Characters:
Rahki - Middle Eastern
Nico - Honduran
Sev - Russian
Cass and Cameron - twins, call their grandmother Oma which is the German word for that relation
Cass has spina bifida and is confined to a wheel chair.

In this book Cam and Cass are dropped off at their grandmother's doorstep by their father who mysteriously says that their mother has died, he's being chased, he leaves them both with a coin around their necks saying it will protect them. They are now 12, their grandmother raised them and their father never returned. One day when walking home from school, Cam sees a new "store" in the strip mall he passes every day. He goes over to investigate and gets a glimpse into a secret world as well as meeting Nico. It all seems very strange to him, but he can't stop thinking about it. Later he meets up with Nico again and is propositioned to see what's on the other side of the door. Upon arrival he finds that it is a place called the Hotel Between - a magical portal of sorts that will take you to the other side of the world - or anywhere in the world as quickly as going up or down stairs. However, there are evil forces at work at the Hotel and Cam will have to decide who he can trust, who he can't, and what all this means about his parents.

Three questions for further discussion:
1.Which character do you relate to the most? (There are so many characters from so many backgrounds and they are all so different from one another - Cam is unsure, yet brave, Rahki is honest and steadfast, Nico is sneaky and charming, etc. It would be interesting to see what the children see in themselves in these characters)

2. Knowing what you know now about the Hotel Between - would you want to go there? Did your opinion about the Hotel change while you read it and does that effect your answer? (There are so many different scenarios happening and the Hotel does seem wonderful, but it's not all that it seems. I would love to know if kids would go regardless knowing what they know, or if they would like to go blind knowing nothing about it like Cam did.

3. Did you like the ending/Did you think that's how it would end? Would you change anything about it? This book does a pretty good job of wrapping things up with no loose endings, however, there are a few things we find out about Cass and Cam's parents, some decisions Cam makes, etc. that would make this a great question to ask students or children who read this book. ( )