Heartwood Hotel and The Midnight Children

The Magic Book House no.2

Hello, hello!  Happy (almost) Thanksgiving to you.  

Today’s installment features two books that at first glance couldn’t be more different- a sweet chapter book series about a hotel for woodland creatures, and a slightly creepy middle grade novel set in a grim town called…Slaughterville. 

I had always planned to review these two books, but it was only after outlining this post that I noticed their similar themes.  

Both books explore the idea of finding home and family; a desire so universal that it connects us all—even an orphaned mouse and a bullied 12-year-old boy.  

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Heartwood Hotel (series), by Kallie George, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin (2017, 2018)

Home is where the heart is, or so she’d heard. But Mona the mouse had never had a home-at least not for long. A dusty hale bale, an abandoned bird’s nest, a prickly thicket-in her short life she had lived in more places than she had whiskers. And now her latest home, an old hollow stump, was being flooded out by the storm.

Alone and lost in a storm, with nowhere to call home, Mona the mouse stumbles upon a hotel for woodland creatures.  The owner, a kindly and compassionate badger, hires Mona as a maid.  

This illustrated chapter book series chronicles a year at the Heartwood Hotel, and each season presents Mona and her companions with challenges and some real dangers.  Through her adventures, Mona finds the resiliency and courage to believe in herself and stand up for her friends.

The Heartwood Hotel books are beloved in our home.  I read this aloud to Piper (now 8) last year, and she would beg for another chapter.  Connor, newly 10, would find reasons to stay in the room and pretend he wasn’t listening.  

Kallie George is a magical storyteller, and I could sing her praises all day long.  But one of the things I love most about her writing is her ability to address heavy topics with a light touch.  

Mona deals with some real issues—the loss of her parents, homelessness, friendship struggles— but George weaves this tough stuff into a story full of humor and warmth.  Young readers will feel welcomed in Fernwood Forest, and will cheer for Mona as she finds the home and family she desperately needs.  

Oh, and the illustrations! Stephanie Graegin’s lovely penciled drawings scattered throughout the book perfectly complement the text:

see?

The Heartwood Hotel series is a great read aloud for younger children, or an independent read for those looking for more challenging chapter books. 

Recommended for ages 5-10

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The Midnight Children, Dan Gemeinhart (2022)

“Ravani’s mother and father were asleep.  But he was not… He’d been woken, not by a sound or by a dream, but by a feeling. A feeling so strong that it jolted him out of sleep and into darkness.  The feeling that woke Ravani Foster on this moonlit night?  It was loneliness.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been so lonely that it woke you up.  I hope not.

But isn’t it interesting that this particular boy was woken on this particular night by that particular feeling, when that exact truck was turning onto that exact road?  It seems more than coincidence.  

It seems almost like magic, perhaps.”

Through his bedroom window, Ravani Foster secretly witnesses seven mysterious children emerge from the back of a truck and enter the abandoned house across the street. 

In a small town like Slaughterville, everything is the same as it’s always been.  Ravani has always been an outcast—friendless, bullied, and misunderstood.

But with the arrival of these unusual children, Ravani’s life begins to change.  He forms a special bond with Virginia, who despite her own trauma, has a strong sense of self.  She immediately sees Ravani’s potential, a greatness that has been pushed down by life in Slaughterville.  

As all the children begin to trust him, Ravani finds his place among them. When the children reveal their biggest secret and Ravani realizes the danger threatening his “found family,” he learns to take chances, make choices, and rely on the courage inside him. 

Dan Gemeinhart uses a strong narrative voice to draw attention to the importance of defining yourself, the weight of your choices, and the possibility for change.  

“Nothing has to be what it has always been.”

It’s a little scary and definitely suspenseful, but this book explores the meaning of home, family, and identity in a unique way.  

In an interview, the author talks about how everything is purposely overdrawn in a Roald Dahl kind of style.  The town is grim, the slaughterhouse is (really) gross, and the villains—there are two of them—are purely villains.  

I wondered at first whether the strong description of the slaughterhouse was completely necessary, but everything comes together at the end in a darkly humorous and totally original way.  My sensitive 10 year old, who read this book before I did, said he wasn’t bothered.  Even so, this might be one for older middle grade readers.

Recommended for ages 9-12