Customer Reviews

The Hotel Under the Sand

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Hotel Under the Sand is simply the most charming children's book (ages 8-11) that I have read in recent memory. Emma, a brave little girl, is lost at sea and washes up on a desert island. There she discovers a magical hotel where time is stretched out so that you can vacation as long as you wish (I seriously need that). She also discovers some stalwart friends (like a ghost, a chef, and a pirate) and uncovers the mysteries of the hotel in a wonderfully creative treasure hunt. There are also excellent illustrations that skillfully capture the flavor of the story.

I could say more, but I wouldn't want to spoil the book for you. The Hotel Under the Sand is suitable for children, but also for older readers who just want an old-fashioned adventure (not like, say, Twilight) told from the perspective of a spunky little heroine who is based on a real little girl named Emma. It's truly a breath of fresh air.

I have read most of the stories Kage Baker has published and I found "The Hotel Under the Sand" to be a delightful blend of fantasy and science fiction for the younger reader. I too recognize certain "stock" characters from Ms. Baker's stories. I find the characters charming in this context, Ms. Baker has her own mythological archetypes to draw from and we see different renditions of them in her shorter stories.

I call this a Steam Punk Fairy Tale, for that is exactly what it is. A delightful story to read to my daughter, or have her read to me, at bedtime. Adventures abound, magic happens, a strong and intelligent young lady overcomes all obstacles with the help of friends.

Excellent seed for fertile minds to dream over!

We ordered this book before we went on vacation, so I would have something to read on the plane. My kids got their hands on the book first, and loved it! It was a quick read for them, kept them entertained with the fast paced action and adventure of Emma and her friends. I was finally able to read it over the past 2 days, and did not want to have to put it down. While I would have liked to see more, I realize this book was geared toward younger readers, and allows them to start getting hooked on Kage Baker's books, like a lot of adults have. I can't wait to see what else she has rolling around her fantastic brain.

"The Hotel Under the Sand" opens in a very scary and sad manner, when its young heroine, Emma, encounters a terrible storm and is swept away at sea, far away from everyone and everything she knows and loves. Being the plucky and resourceful young lady she is, Emma weathers the storm and goes in search of food and water. While walking along the seashore, she meets the ghost....

This is a wonderful, rollicking wish-fulfillment adventure story. It has everything - magic, ghosts, pirates, delicious food, sumptuous hotels, evil guardians, strange, unusual side characters, horrible boarding schools and bratty (if brave) little boys. Baker sneaks some of her typical classical and literary tropes into the story, and also manages to discuss huge topics, such as friendship, grief and loss, without being prosy and moralistic. About the only thing that might be difficult for young children is the beginning, but it is dealt with in a sensitive way and is totally not gratuitous.

I've already purchased a copy for my small niece, just in case it goes out of print. I'm just sad that the untimely loss of the wonderful Ms. Baker means she will not be creating any more of these small masterpieces. Highly recommended.

It seems to me that sometimes books are terribly ill-served by the blurbers who help promote them. The blurbs and reviews on this site are a good example of this.

The impression you get is that this is a brilliant fantasy piece, or a deep and complex alternate world piece, or an inspirational generation bonding memory piece. Well, I don't think it is.

What it is is a very well-written, very restrained, very calm reflection on youth, self-reliance and friendship. Set in an off-kilter imagined world, it touches more on matters of family and wonder than on adventure or conflict. It is a dreamy sort of book, brief and touching.

So, not a slam-bang adventure, but calm and well-written, you might want to consider it as a very good introduction, for a young reader, to, for want of a better word, "literary" fiction.

I have read, I believe, all the novels Kage Baker has written. I loved the Company novels, as well as her Fantasy novels and from reading her books, a clear predilection for Pirates, Books, and Food is apparent. All are present in this lighthearted adventure tale. It follows Emma, a lost girl who finds a grand hotel buried in the sand and the friends she meets. Having just finished the House of the Stag (an excellent book also by Baker) just prior to reading this, I was a little disappointed with the lack of depth in this story, both of the characters and the plot. Perhaps this is a slightly unfair criticism given the different intended audiences and I am willing to forgive a certain amount of this, but it didn't feel like her best material. Obstacles thrown in Emma's Path are almost immediately surmounted, and the characters seem like watered down versions of characters from her other books.