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The Hotel Balzaar
A wise and magical story that celebrates fairytales from the internationally bestselling author of THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, perfect for age 8, 9, 10, 11
Series: The Norendy Tales
Brief Description
In a wise and magical follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales – and where every moment is a story in the making. At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the...
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The Hotel Balzaar
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Description
In a wise and magical follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales – and where every moment is a story in the making.
At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform and instructs Marta to roam as she will ... but quietly – invisibly – like a mouse. While her mother cleans rooms, Marta slips down the back staircase to the grand lobby to chat with the bellman, study the painting of an angel’s wing over the fireplace, and watch a cat chase a mouse around the face of the grandfather clock, all while dreaming of the return of her soldier father.
One day, a mysterious countess with a parrot checks in, promising a story – in fact, seven stories in all. As the stories unfold, Marta begins to wonder: could the secret to her father’s disappearance lie in the countess’s tales?
Series: The Norendy Tales
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The Hotel Balzaar
In a wise and magical follow-up to The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales—and every moment is a story in the making. At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but quietly, invisibly—like a little mouse. While...Hardback$2400Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Puppets of Spelhorst
From master storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes an original fairy tale, enchantingly illustrated, in which five puppets confront circumstances beyond their control with patience, cunning and high spirits. Once, there was a king. And a wolf. And a girl with a shepherd’s crook. And a boy with a bow and arrow. And also, there was an owl... They were puppets, and...Hardback$2399Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Lost Evangeline
A captivating original fairy tale set in the world of The Puppets of Spelhorst and The Hotel Balzaar, featuring an exclusive colour illustration and gilded edges. When a shoemaker discovers a tiny girl (as small as a mouse!) in his shop, he takes her in, names her Evangeline, and raises her as his own. The shoemaker’s wife, however, fears that...Hardback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Norendy Tales Trilogy
A beautiful, giftable box set featuring three original fairy tales by two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo, each illustrated by a different virtuoso artist—plus a bonus frameable full-color print.Discover the wonder and magic of a land called Norendy in these three classically illustrated novellas. In The Puppets of Spelhorst, illustrated by Julie Morstad, five puppets seek their destiny after ending up...Hardback$5499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Pre-orderThe Puppets of Spelhorst
From master storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes an original fairy tale, enchantingly illustrated, in which five puppets confront circumstances beyond their control with patience, cunning and high spirits. Once, there was a king. And a wolf. And a girl with a shepherd’s crook. And a boy with a bow and arrow. And also, there was an owl... They were puppets, and...Paperback$1999Unit price /UnavailableOut 1 Jan 2027Pre-order -
Pre-orderThe Hotel Balzaar
In a wise and magical follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales – and where every moment is a story in the making. At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform and instructs Marta to roam as she will ......Paperback$1999Unit price /UnavailableOut 1 Feb 2027Pre-order
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781529529166
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 01 January 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Walker Books Ltd
Contributors:
- Illustrated by Júlia Sardà
Audience: Children
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 17.0mm
Width: 127.0mm
Height: 193.0mm
Weight: 150g
Pages: 160
About the Author
Kate DiCamillo is one of America’s most beloved storytellers, author of The Tale of Despereaux and Flora and Ulysses, both of which have been awarded the prestigious Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie, which received a Newbery Honor; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; and the bestselling Mercy Watson series.
Júlia Sardà is a Spanish artist and the author-illustrator of The Queen in the Cave, as well as the illustrator of Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey, The Liszts by Kyo Maclear, The Wolf's Secret by Nicolas Digard and Myriam Dahman, Moving the Millers' Minnie Moore Mine Mansion by Dave Eggers and a number of classics, including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. Find Júlia on Instagram as @juliasardaportabella.
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