The Elevator Family [Hardcover]

Douglas Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 2000 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Drop in on the lovable and eccentric Wilson family for an elevator ride filled with adventure and zany humor.

For the Wilson family, only the best will do! So when they arrive at the San Francisco Hotel and discover that there are no available rooms, they decide to stay in the place that suits them best of all: a room that has its ups . . . and its downs--a room called Otis. The Wilsons check in to the hotel elevator!

For three whole days, Mr. Walter Wilson, Mrs. Winona Wilson, 10-year-old Winslow Wilson, and his twin sister, Whitney Wilson, ride to all the floors, happily greeting startled guests who happen to drop in. There's a weary traveling salesman of kids' fads; a British rock group with a funny name; a lovesick bellhop; a society lady and her pampered poodle; and a slew of other surprising visitors. These "fantabulous" guests make the Wilsons' stay unforgettable, but it's the zany but compassionate Wilsons who'll be remembered long after they check out of Otis.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his characteristically quirky style, Evans (The Classroom at the End of the Hall; Apple Island) here makes the most of perhaps the most constricted setting in modern memory. After the "kind woman at the front desk" of a San Francisco hotel informs the Wilson family that there are no vacancies, they step into the elevator and discover this "first-rate room. And it appears to be vacant." They are thrilled with its amenities: a full-length mirror, a phone, wall-to-wall carpeting, piped-in music and a panel of buttons to play with. Their vertically mobile home even has a nameAOtis. The author squeezes in some diverting action: the family of four host a catered dinner party for the hotel guests they have come to know (en route to their respective floors), and manage to foil a kidnapping attempt without leaving their quarters. Forgivably, Evans descends to some predictable puns (Wilson pater announces that his family has been in "many tight spots") and comes up with some over-the-top wordplay ("If I don't fit in time to keep fit at the hotel's fitness center, I have a fit") and alliteration ("On the twentieth floor, Tom and Tia Twiddle, two tourists from Texas, entered Otis toting trucks")Aall in good fun. Like the Wilsons' living space, readers' imaginations will expand to accommodate this blithe narrative. Fittingly sporting a vertical format, this clever tall tale will give kids' spirits a lift. Ages 8-12. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

When the Wilson family arrive for a vacation at the San Francisco Hotel, they learn that all the rooms are booked. Nonplused, they opt for the only vacant space--the elevator! They settle into "Otis" right away, bedding down on their trunks, ordering from room service, and making friends with a variety of hotel guests and employees. During their stay, they manage to further the cause of true love for a bellboy and a florist shop employee and solve the mystery of a kidnapped publishing heiress. Evans' lighthearted story is just the sort of realistic fantasy that will appeal to beginning chapter-book readers. The quirky characters (including a British rock group named What, a society matron with a poodle named Oui-Oui, and a traveling salesman who specializes in children's fads) are sure to amuse parents as well. Give this to primary-school teachers searching for a chapter book to read aloud, or to young readers looking for a funny book. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (May 9, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385327234
• ISBN-13: 978-0385327237
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,031,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Douglas Evans the author of children's books, plays, poems, comics, and music. His books include MVP*:Magellan Voyage Project, The Elevator Family, Apple Island, and the collections of classroom tales: Classroom at the End of the Hall, Math Rashes, and Mouth Moths. He holds a master's degree in education and has taught for twenty years in settings ranging from a small logging town in Oregon to international schools in Helsinki and London. He currently lives in Berkeley, California. Find out more about his books, plays, and music on his Web Site at: http://www.wtmelon.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My students love this book, April 23, 2004

By 

Amanda "forever062400" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Elevator Family (Paperback)

I have taught third and fourth grade for years, and I have read this book each year. Each year they have loved it.
Most of my fellow teachers have not heard of this book, and always want to borrow it.
I'm not sure how I stumbled across it, but I'm glad I did.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Family Book, August 2, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Elevator Family (Paperback)

My dad read me and my sister this book and we enjoyed it a lot. It's funny and clever and says how a family can be happy and helpful without needing a lot of things,

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elevator Family Rocks!!!, March 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Elevator Family (Hardcover)

I read this book with my sister and it rocks, it really taught my sister many new vocabulary and facts about the real world.