Heartwood Hotel: Family Forever by Kallie George illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

Bookseller blurb: Everything is humming at the Heartwood Hotel one year after the forest fire. Yet Mona the mouse feels like something is missing. Something besides the Golden Acorn—a legendary treasure buried and forgotten long ago. When a stranger turns up at the Heartwood with a map, suddenly the whole forest is taking part in a big treasure hunt and the hotel’s regular activities are turned upside down. But Mona has an idea to get things back to normal: throw a surprise birthday party for Mr. Heartwood! As the Heartwood attracts treasure hunters—well-meaning and otherwise—and as Mona's best friend Tilly seems to be pulling away, Mona feels like her plans are slipping through her paws! Who will find the legendary treasure? And what if danger finds the hotel first?

I actually squealed when I saw a NEW Heartwood Hotel book in Canada last month. Kallie George lives in British Columbia, Canada. I grabbed it with both hands, went back to my hotel and read the whole book straight through in one huge, delicious gulp! If you have not yet discovered this sweet series quickly add them to your 'to read' or 'to borrow' list. I am sure this series will be easy to find in many school and public libraries. Kallie George creates real tension in this newest installment as we watch Mona struggling to understand why her precious friend Tilly is so distracted and where is Mr Heartwood he needs to know some of the hotel guests are acting suspiciously. 

This newest book has a slightly larger size. The new editions, which have different covers from the original ones, match this size but if your library has the original copies the two newest books will look slightly different on your shelves. You can see other books illustrated by Stephanie Graegin here.

Now there are six books in this series (the sixth book is not yet released):

A True Home (#1)

The Greatest Gift (#2)

Better Together (#3)

Home Again (#4)

Family Forever (#5)

A Brave Beginning (#6)

Heartwood Hotel: Home Again by Kallie George illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

Home Again is the final installment in the Heartwood Hotel series. There are four books about this special hotel which is located inside a huge tree. One for each season. In this final book it is high summer and bushfires are a horrifying threat in the forest.

Early in the story another mouse arrives at the Heartwood. Her name is Strawberry and she has come from the Inn Between. I love the idea of the Inn Between "only the best hotel for mice and small creatures in the village! What a wonderful idea, to repurpose the in-between floors of a house and turn them into a specialty hotel. "  The Inn Between is reminiscent of the home created by The Borrowers.

"The furniture ... was made of things she'd only heard about. Buttons and bottle caps were balanced on thimbles for tables, and there were spools of thread for chairs. Another chair was made of the top of a wooden spoon - but an enormous one."

Mona is such a special mouse. Why? Because she is motivated by kindness. An injured fox comes to the door. Everyone is afraid but it is Mona who goes outside, sees his pain and then fetches ice tea to cool his wound and pillows to make him comfortable.  When the smell of smoke threatens to ruin their staff picnic plans Mona suggests an inside picnic which is just as much fun for everyone. Finally when Mona learns, after she and Strawberry have been evacuated, that Mr Heartwood is in danger because he has stayed at the hotel planning to fight the fire single handed. Mona knows she must help him so she puts her own life in danger and rushes back through the most dangerous part of the forest ready to help save their precious hotel.

Here are some teaching ideas for all four books in this series. Take a minute to explore the web site of the illustrator Stephanie Greagin. I highly recommend this series for young readers or as a class read-aloud. It is not often that every book in a series is equally good but I can say that about each book about the Heartwood Hotel.  Wish I was the right species to stay there one day!

Image source: http://www.heartwoodhotel.com/rooms.html

Heartwood Hotel: The Greatest Gift by Kallie George illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

"All those nights worrying about a gift and working on the rug. It seemed so important. But it wasn't really. Friends were important. Friends and food and the Heartwood. Those were the biggest gifts."

A few days ago I talked about the first installment in the Heartwood Hotel series - A True Home. Over the weekend my friend gave me the second book - The Greatest Gift and the third book - Better Together.

Often the second book in a series can be disappointing BUT this is absolutely not the case here. I enjoyed The Greatest Gift even more than A True Home.  In this second story it is Winter. Most of the guests are safely tucked away downstairs hibernating. After competing her chores Mona joins in the St Slumber festivities and watches as gifts are given to all the Heartwood Hotel staff. Mona is given a new apron with a tiny heart sewn on the front pocket, a cheese crumble covered in blueberry sauce, a subscription to the Pinecone Press, and a "walnut case, like the one she had lost in the fall."

"This cannot replace the one you lost,' Mr Heartwood said, 'nor is it a case with which to roam. It's a place to store your things, now that the Heartwood is your home."

Mona now puzzles over the gifts she can give to her new friends. A new and very grand guest arrives at the hotel - a rabbit called Duchess Hazeline. She is very bossy and demanding and announces that wants a carpet for her room - the penthouse - she tells Mona she must deliver the beautiful one from the lobby.

"The rug was an important part of the lobby. It was made from tree moss, a beautiful minty green, and it was the first thing you saw when you came into the Heartwood."

The rug is delivered as requested along with the delicious crumble which was only just given to Mona. The Duchess is horrified that this is a gift for Mona and she flings the crumble onto the floor. The beautiful rug is ruined.  Mona is so upset but she is also a problem solver. She decides to make a new rug as a gift to everyone at the Heartwood.

While all of this is going on it seems someone is taking their food. A thief has been sneaking around the storeroom and supplies are dwindling and then a further disaster strikes. Their supply shipment is stuck in a snowbank.  Mona will once again save the day. She discovers the truth about the thief, finds and rescues the shipment and best of all helps the Duchess to own up to her bad temper and take on a better role in the forest.

You will be rewarded if you can read these books in order but they can also sand alone which is good news for young readers impatient to find the next book.

You might also enjoy The Vegetable Thieves by Inga Moore (sadly out of print).  You can read about book three - Better Together here.

Heartwood Hotel : A True Home by Kallie George illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

I am so lucky that a friend with an amazing school library is happy to loan me her books. Last week she handed me A True Home - the first book in a four book series called Heartwood Hotel. Now I know why she was smiling!  This is SOME book. I loved it from page one to page 162 and I read it all in one sitting.

A plucky mouse finds her true home in this warm, 

winning tale. Kirkus

Mona the Mouse is lost in the forest. It is cold and raining. She stumbles upon the Heartwood Hotel -

We live by "Protect and Respect",

Not by "Tooth and Claw".

The hotel owner Mr Heartwood (a badger) takes pity on this small, wet, frightened mouse and agrees she can stay and work as a maid but only for a limited time. Mona is set to work with Tilly (a squirrel). Mona tries to be friendly with Tilly but in return all she receives is criticism and her bad tempered responses. Everyone is busy at the special hotel as they prepare for the First Snow Festival but the Mona learns there is huge danger lurking close by. It looks as though the festival will need to be cancelled.

Here are some story quotes to give you a flavour of this storytelling:

"With a squeak of wonder, Mona stepping inside to warmth, light, and the delicious smell of roasted acorns.  The room was large - very large for a mouse ... Across from the door was a small hearth, unlit but decorated with a garland of colorful leaves.  A mossy rug lay in front of it ... and from the ceiling hung rings of candles, casting a soft golden glow."

"Inside was another marvelous sight, and a much more lively one! Rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, hedgehogs, birds! Even a lizard. and largest of all, a badger."

"Against one wall was a table stacked with food: mushrooms, juniper berries, licorice rots, and acorns - oh the acorns! Mashed, steamed, fried, souped ... And in the center of the table, a giant honeycomb with cups beside it to scoop out honey to drink."

"Different guests prefer different sorts of bedding. Rabbits like dried grass or oak shavings. Squirrels like crumbled leaves and twigs. Birds like nests of moss, and moles dirt and some leaves."

Right from the beginning Mona shows good sense, courage and we know coming to this hotel is not a coincidence. She has a tiny acorn case with a engraving of a heart and this same symbol is on the door of the Heartwood Hotel.

I mentioned there are four books in this series and this is to match each season.  Book One - A True Home is set during Winter.

After you read A true home click here to see the series web site.  It is a real treat. You can book in to the hotel and complete a quiz to select the perfect room. So much fun! The publisher even sent his kit to their book reviewers. Inside was grass and bedding and two tiny pillows.

If you need more plot details read this review in Quill and Quire. Here is a conversation between Kallie George and Stephanie Graegin. Three books from this series are available on iTunes. I also found a site with ideas for going beyond the book and making the little hotel with props. I would follow the Heartwood Hotel series with the Poppy books by Avi, Tumtum and Nutmeg and the Bambly Hedge books.  I am also keen to read another series by Kallie George - see picture at the end of this post.

Mona the mouse is a character who starts off feeling scared, lonely and a little insecure, and ends up finding she's brave, courageous, a good friend, and strong in knowing who she is.  Mundie Kids