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Welcome to Wonderland #1
Home Sweet Motel
From the bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and co-author with James Patterson of I Funny, House of Robots, and Treasure Hunters, comes a hilarious illustrated series about all the wacky things that happen when you live in a motel!
Eleven-year-old P. T. Wilkie may be the greatest storyteller alive. But he knows one thing for a the Wonderland Motel is the best place a kid could ever live! All-you-can-eat poolside ice cream! A snack machine in the living room! A frog slide! A giant rampaging alligator! (Okay, that last one may or may not be made up.) There’s only one thing the Wonderland doesn’t have, though—customers. And if the Wonderland doesn’t get them soon, P.T. and his friend Gloria may have to say goodbye to their beloved motel forever.
They need to think BIG. They need to think BOLD. They need an OUTRAGEOUS plan. Luckily for them, Gloria is a business GENIUS, and OUTRAGEOUS is practically P.T.’s middle name. With Gloria’s smarts and P.T.’s world-famous stories and schemes, there’s got to be a way to save the Wonderland!
Includes fun extras like P. T. Wilkie’s outrageous (and sometimes useful) things you learn living in a motel. Installment 1: How to say “Help! The toilet is clogged!” in over twenty languages!
Eleven-year-old P. T. Wilkie may be the greatest storyteller alive. But he knows one thing for a the Wonderland Motel is the best place a kid could ever live! All-you-can-eat poolside ice cream! A snack machine in the living room! A frog slide! A giant rampaging alligator! (Okay, that last one may or may not be made up.) There’s only one thing the Wonderland doesn’t have, though—customers. And if the Wonderland doesn’t get them soon, P.T. and his friend Gloria may have to say goodbye to their beloved motel forever.
They need to think BIG. They need to think BOLD. They need an OUTRAGEOUS plan. Luckily for them, Gloria is a business GENIUS, and OUTRAGEOUS is practically P.T.’s middle name. With Gloria’s smarts and P.T.’s world-famous stories and schemes, there’s got to be a way to save the Wonderland!
Includes fun extras like P. T. Wilkie’s outrageous (and sometimes useful) things you learn living in a motel. Installment 1: How to say “Help! The toilet is clogged!” in over twenty languages!
289 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2016
251 people are currently reading
974 people want to read
About the author
Chris Grabenstein
157 books2,445 followersCHRIS GRABENSTEIN is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His books include the LEMONCELLO, WONDERLAND, HAUNTED MYSTERY, DOG SQUAD, and SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE series, and many fun and funny page-turners co-authored with James Patterson. You can visit Chris at ChrisGrabenstein.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 245 reviews
April 10, 2017
It was a very entertaining book. I loved the mystery involved in the motel. I like how P.T makes his made up stories come to life. who knew life at a motel could be so fun?
September 14, 2016
Eleven year old, P.T. Wilkie, loves living in his family run Wonderland Motel. With its wacky attractions, colorful decor, and unique amenities, the Wonderland Motel has everything...except enough customers. When the Wonderland Motel finds itself in a great deal of debt and the bank threatens to take back the motel, P.T. knows it’s up to him to think of some BIG idea. Thankfully, young business genius, Gloria, just checked in with her dad. Together, P.T. and Gloria, along with P.T.’s grandfather, come up with some crazy, fun schemes to make money. But, P.T. and Gloria quickly find themselves caught up in something even bigger, crazier, and scheme-ier!
Home Sweet Motel, the first book in Chris Grabenstein’s middle-grade Welcome to Wonderland series, is a highly amusing adventure, full of laughs, fun characters, and exciting plot twists! Grabenstein brings his signature humor, clever storytelling, and unforgettable character creations to Home Sweet Motel. The wonderfully wacky and colorful Wonderland Motel makes for a delightful and captivating setting! Young readers will love all the outrageous attractions and decor, and will be dying to jump into the pages and join P.T. for a swim in the pool and a cone of green ice cream! And readers will love all the funny and fun illustrations.
Home Sweet Motel is home to some fun, engaging characters! From creative, storytelling P.T. to smart, innovative Gloria, whimsical and fun loving grandpa, two bumbling criminals, and all the motel’s guests, this book is bursting with lively and entertaining people.
Both readers and P.T. find themselves on a surprising and enthralling adventure, full of twists, turns, and humorous outcomes!
My final thoughts: With its outrageously cool setting, fun characters, and laugh-out-loud humor, Home Sweet Motel is a real treat!
Home Sweet Motel, the first book in Chris Grabenstein’s middle-grade Welcome to Wonderland series, is a highly amusing adventure, full of laughs, fun characters, and exciting plot twists! Grabenstein brings his signature humor, clever storytelling, and unforgettable character creations to Home Sweet Motel. The wonderfully wacky and colorful Wonderland Motel makes for a delightful and captivating setting! Young readers will love all the outrageous attractions and decor, and will be dying to jump into the pages and join P.T. for a swim in the pool and a cone of green ice cream! And readers will love all the funny and fun illustrations.
Home Sweet Motel is home to some fun, engaging characters! From creative, storytelling P.T. to smart, innovative Gloria, whimsical and fun loving grandpa, two bumbling criminals, and all the motel’s guests, this book is bursting with lively and entertaining people.
Both readers and P.T. find themselves on a surprising and enthralling adventure, full of twists, turns, and humorous outcomes!
My final thoughts: With its outrageously cool setting, fun characters, and laugh-out-loud humor, Home Sweet Motel is a real treat!
December 2, 2024
This gets 5 stars even though it's not perfect by any stretch. However M and I had such a good time reading this that it adds a star for good mom/ son memories.
March 7, 2017
P.T. Wilkie and Gloria Ortega have a problem. A big problem. P.T. and his mother and grandfather own the worlds most awesome motel, but they don't have any customers. Except for Gloria and her dad and a few other customers. Things are bad enough as it is, but to top it off, they find out that P.T.'s grandfather had taken a big balloon loan a couple years back. And now they have to come up with a hundred grand in one month. They need a solution. Fast. Luckily, Gloria is a genius with a capitol G. So, Gloria and P.T. think big. Can they come up with a solution in time? I recommend this book to anyone who wants an easy-going, fun book to read. I gave it four stars because it was a good book, but it wasn't a great one for me.
July 9, 2018
While I discovered Chris Grabenstein with his adult novels, I fell in love with him because of his novels for kids. You know why? It doesn't make any difference that they're well-written and humorous and clever, THEY ARE READABLE! Kids who don't like reading get hooked on his series. They come in all different flavors, so a young reader is bound to find one of them he/she enjoys. (Mine was Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, while the grandchildren seem to favor the I Funny! series.) Money well spent!
November 28, 2016
This hotel has seen better days and is in desperate need of being saved. Leave it to PT to promote it to try to help save the family business. The goal appears unreachable until they discover clues from the past that could help secure the hotel's future. Crazy characters and adventure in this new series.
January 8, 2018
This book was exciting including lots of twists and turns and lots of humor.
February 1, 2024
Excellent narrator...loved all of his different voices! Another fun adventure from Chris Grabenstein.
August 10, 2017
Welcome to Wonderland, where all your dreams (hopefully) come true!
Sadly, Wonderland is going to be closing down if P.T.'s mom can't find 150k in one month of time. :( And with the lack of customers it may seem that this is something that isn't to be avoided. But not for P.T.. He loves living in Wonderland, and he is going to do everything he can, along with his new friend Gloria, to save the motel. To save his family. Luckily P.T. got the fantastic stories, and Gloria is super awesome with business (like, really brilliant) and they got some great plans concocted to make sure that the customers will keep coming. A few of their ideas: Make the waterslide (shaped like a frog) talk and perform shows, and a treasure hunt with a fun prize.
I really had great fun see P.T. with his imagination and Gloria take the more responsible stuff and form a terrific duo. Of course they are helped by P.T.'s kooky grandpa.
Of course there is drama (because of the money problems and what that brings), but there is also more! Lots of hilarious scenes for instance (duh), but also a crime! Dum dum dum! Whereas the first part of the book is mostly P.T. and Gloria trying to think up ideas, the second part is all about the crime, the mystery, and a hunt for certain lost items! It still all fitted perfectly with the story, as with those lost items and the reward our duo may just be able to really save the motel. Plus it made it all even more exciting, would they be smarter than the criminals? Would they find the missing items? And then there was a twist (though I did see it coming) which was really nicely added.
P.T. was a wonderful character, though, as more people also mentioned in the book, I hope that he won't lose the hold on reality. His stories are fantastical, magical, awesome, and often hilarious, I am on the side of the mom. At times it seems all P.T. can do is make up stories one more fantastical and outrageous than the previous one. I can imagine that people aren't sure any more if he is truly telling the truth, or if he is just making up things.
But his stories also grant him a way to save the motel. Thanks to his magical imaginary powers he is able to concoct some awesome ideas.
I also loved that he never gave up, even when things got really wobbly and not so fun, he kept on going.
I also felt sorry for him in regards to his dad. He kept making up fantastic stories, but the truth about his dad isn't so fantastic. :(
Gloria was fantastic. When I first read about her in the book I was a bit worried. Often characters who like the stuff Gloria do are boring, bland, or bossy. But not Gloria, oh no, I quickly found out that this girl is fun, peppy, and energetic, and just like P.T., doesn't give up on her goals. Her business ideas? Her plans? She made sure that P.T. crazy ideas were actually doable, and she also kept track of the whole thing.
The stories about her dad, the travelling, I did have to say I wanted to hug her at times, it mustn't be easy to travel so much, to never really be able to make friends because your dad may just move again.
Then there are other characters, the mom (she was really sweet and I loved how hard she tried to do her things for the motel), the grandpa (I wish he was a bit more responsible, and maybe drank a bit less celery cola (I could even smell it after a while :P), but he was a good character, really sweet, and I loved what he made for the motel), the teacher (bleh, what a terrible terrible guy, and that is the kind of person who teaches kids... gee, how to destroy a subject for a kid, I know the same happened with me and maths), Gloria's dad (dedicated, fun, sweet, and caring, and I did like that he kept following his dreams).
Then there are illustrations and wow, they were fantastic, Brooke Allen is really talented. Their art fitted perfectly with this story, and the characters were drawn exactly as how I would imagine them based on the written descriptions. :)
All in all, I want more of these characters, this motel, and so I will be buying the second book very soon. And I would recommend this book to everyone looking for a great, fun, hilarious book with great characters and dynamic illustrations.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Sadly, Wonderland is going to be closing down if P.T.'s mom can't find 150k in one month of time. :( And with the lack of customers it may seem that this is something that isn't to be avoided. But not for P.T.. He loves living in Wonderland, and he is going to do everything he can, along with his new friend Gloria, to save the motel. To save his family. Luckily P.T. got the fantastic stories, and Gloria is super awesome with business (like, really brilliant) and they got some great plans concocted to make sure that the customers will keep coming. A few of their ideas: Make the waterslide (shaped like a frog) talk and perform shows, and a treasure hunt with a fun prize.
I really had great fun see P.T. with his imagination and Gloria take the more responsible stuff and form a terrific duo. Of course they are helped by P.T.'s kooky grandpa.
Of course there is drama (because of the money problems and what that brings), but there is also more! Lots of hilarious scenes for instance (duh), but also a crime! Dum dum dum! Whereas the first part of the book is mostly P.T. and Gloria trying to think up ideas, the second part is all about the crime, the mystery, and a hunt for certain lost items! It still all fitted perfectly with the story, as with those lost items and the reward our duo may just be able to really save the motel. Plus it made it all even more exciting, would they be smarter than the criminals? Would they find the missing items? And then there was a twist (though I did see it coming) which was really nicely added.
P.T. was a wonderful character, though, as more people also mentioned in the book, I hope that he won't lose the hold on reality. His stories are fantastical, magical, awesome, and often hilarious, I am on the side of the mom. At times it seems all P.T. can do is make up stories one more fantastical and outrageous than the previous one. I can imagine that people aren't sure any more if he is truly telling the truth, or if he is just making up things.
But his stories also grant him a way to save the motel. Thanks to his magical imaginary powers he is able to concoct some awesome ideas.
I also loved that he never gave up, even when things got really wobbly and not so fun, he kept on going.
I also felt sorry for him in regards to his dad. He kept making up fantastic stories, but the truth about his dad isn't so fantastic. :(
Gloria was fantastic. When I first read about her in the book I was a bit worried. Often characters who like the stuff Gloria do are boring, bland, or bossy. But not Gloria, oh no, I quickly found out that this girl is fun, peppy, and energetic, and just like P.T., doesn't give up on her goals. Her business ideas? Her plans? She made sure that P.T. crazy ideas were actually doable, and she also kept track of the whole thing.
The stories about her dad, the travelling, I did have to say I wanted to hug her at times, it mustn't be easy to travel so much, to never really be able to make friends because your dad may just move again.
Then there are other characters, the mom (she was really sweet and I loved how hard she tried to do her things for the motel), the grandpa (I wish he was a bit more responsible, and maybe drank a bit less celery cola (I could even smell it after a while :P), but he was a good character, really sweet, and I loved what he made for the motel), the teacher (bleh, what a terrible terrible guy, and that is the kind of person who teaches kids... gee, how to destroy a subject for a kid, I know the same happened with me and maths), Gloria's dad (dedicated, fun, sweet, and caring, and I did like that he kept following his dreams).
Then there are illustrations and wow, they were fantastic, Brooke Allen is really talented. Their art fitted perfectly with this story, and the characters were drawn exactly as how I would imagine them based on the written descriptions. :)
All in all, I want more of these characters, this motel, and so I will be buying the second book very soon. And I would recommend this book to everyone looking for a great, fun, hilarious book with great characters and dynamic illustrations.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
March 16, 2017
Walt Wilkie opened his Wonderland Motel just a few years before another Walt invaded Florida. Wilkie was hoping to make his hotel THE destination for fun in the sun. But that other Walt quickly outdid the Wonderland. The motel has been barely scraping by for decades, but that doesn't mean they will just roll over and give up when the bank comes calling for a ridiculous payment on a loan. Walt's grandson P.T. is determined to make the Wonderland great again and get that loan paid off in time. It's going to take all his creative juices, the business smarts of new guest Gloria, the loose wallets of tourists on spring break, Grandpa's special charm, and possibly some treasure hunting skills to pull it off.
Grabenstein is the Shakespeare of the modern middle grade novel. He is a master at spinning a story middle graders will eat up and finish hungry for more. There's just the right voice to make the characters likable but quirky and certainly memorable. There's just the right touches of humor and intrigue so it is exciting but not so nerve-wracking you're scared to turn the page. And there's just enough puzzle to keep you guessing but not so much that you can't figure it out slightly before or right with the main characters. Oh, and he manages to make it something that will appeal to both boys and girls. (Not always an easy task in contemporary fiction.) A spring break Florida story, a family in tough financial circumstances and a 30 year old unsolved jewel heist doesn't exactly naturally go together, but Grabenstein definitely makes it work. And it's a fun and fast read. Brooke Allen's illustrations throughout are perfect additions too. This would be a great pick for those tough reluctant readers or as a read aloud that will appeal to a broad audience (but make sure you have some way to show the illustrations too).
Notes on content: No language issues. (Bad guys swear but it is written in grawlixes.) No sexual content. A fist fight between bad guys. Violence is threatened with a gun and a tiger (yes, you read that right) but no one is badly hurt.
Grabenstein is the Shakespeare of the modern middle grade novel. He is a master at spinning a story middle graders will eat up and finish hungry for more. There's just the right voice to make the characters likable but quirky and certainly memorable. There's just the right touches of humor and intrigue so it is exciting but not so nerve-wracking you're scared to turn the page. And there's just enough puzzle to keep you guessing but not so much that you can't figure it out slightly before or right with the main characters. Oh, and he manages to make it something that will appeal to both boys and girls. (Not always an easy task in contemporary fiction.) A spring break Florida story, a family in tough financial circumstances and a 30 year old unsolved jewel heist doesn't exactly naturally go together, but Grabenstein definitely makes it work. And it's a fun and fast read. Brooke Allen's illustrations throughout are perfect additions too. This would be a great pick for those tough reluctant readers or as a read aloud that will appeal to a broad audience (but make sure you have some way to show the illustrations too).
Notes on content: No language issues. (Bad guys swear but it is written in grawlixes.) No sexual content. A fist fight between bad guys. Violence is threatened with a gun and a tiger (yes, you read that right) but no one is badly hurt.
November 1, 2016
P.T. Wilkie is 11 years old and quite the storyteller. His family (consisting of his mother, grandfather and himself) owns and runs the Wonderland Motel, which is in danger of closing down. He makes a new friend, Gloria, who helps him come up with ideas to save his home, but there isn't much time to do the seemingly impossible.
I read this book with my kids and it was a hit! P.T.'s stories were fun and he came up with some creative ideas to save the Wonderland. He's an 11-year-old boy so he has his flaws, but he's determined to do whatever he can to help his family out. One of his schemes brings some interesting characters to the Wonderland who keep P.T. and Gloria on their toes. P.T.'s father is currently out of the picture so it was nice to see his relationship with his grandpa, who is quirky and lovable (I especially got a kick out of his favorite drink).
We also enjoyed the illustrations throughout the book, which add humor to the story. The plot isn't realistic but kept us entertained from beginning to end. We are all looking forward to reading more!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, which did not affect my review in any way.
Mel's Shelves
I read this book with my kids and it was a hit! P.T.'s stories were fun and he came up with some creative ideas to save the Wonderland. He's an 11-year-old boy so he has his flaws, but he's determined to do whatever he can to help his family out. One of his schemes brings some interesting characters to the Wonderland who keep P.T. and Gloria on their toes. P.T.'s father is currently out of the picture so it was nice to see his relationship with his grandpa, who is quirky and lovable (I especially got a kick out of his favorite drink).
We also enjoyed the illustrations throughout the book, which add humor to the story. The plot isn't realistic but kept us entertained from beginning to end. We are all looking forward to reading more!
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, which did not affect my review in any way.
Mel's Shelves
December 20, 2016
I loved this book!
It's a children's book and so it's written for younger readers but it's so good and I would recommend it to anyone who has a child that enjoys silly things and being goofy, and especially if your child doesn't like to read much, or if you need a book to help you get out of a book rut.
I think it's great because the main character is great with making up stories and making them seem so real, which he learned from his grandpa. He lives in a motel that his grandpa had as a theme park thing, and it's going under and so they're about to lose the motel because they have to come up with a huge balloon payment for the bank (now I didn't know what that meant and I don't know anything about things like that so they do a great job explaining that at a kid like level and it's not so important that the story revolves around that). And then this other girl comes in the picture who is a whizz at marketing and stocks and investing so she starts to help them save the motel and they come up with great fun stuff that makes you wish the book was real so then you could go!
Then it takes a twist and turns into a treasure hunt, and they are going against criminals and an insurance company and it's just thrilling toward the end!
It's a children's book and so it's written for younger readers but it's so good and I would recommend it to anyone who has a child that enjoys silly things and being goofy, and especially if your child doesn't like to read much, or if you need a book to help you get out of a book rut.
I think it's great because the main character is great with making up stories and making them seem so real, which he learned from his grandpa. He lives in a motel that his grandpa had as a theme park thing, and it's going under and so they're about to lose the motel because they have to come up with a huge balloon payment for the bank (now I didn't know what that meant and I don't know anything about things like that so they do a great job explaining that at a kid like level and it's not so important that the story revolves around that). And then this other girl comes in the picture who is a whizz at marketing and stocks and investing so she starts to help them save the motel and they come up with great fun stuff that makes you wish the book was real so then you could go!
Then it takes a twist and turns into a treasure hunt, and they are going against criminals and an insurance company and it's just thrilling toward the end!
July 5, 2018
My son and I both enjoyed reading this. I got it for him from the library upon Rachel's recommendation. He read it first, and then I read it!
March 13, 2017
I enjoyed this one. I hoped that maybe P.T. would get in a little bit of trouble for one of his outlandish stories (and maybe, in a way, he did). Overall, I loved this story of two plucky kids figuring out how to save a place they love.
October 6, 2016
As always, Chris Grabenstein is fun, goofy and entertaining. I think the upper elementary kids at school with enjoy this. Looking forward to the sequel!
June 28, 2018
Cute elementary grade book about a boy who lives in a motel and works to solve a crime mystery.
April 5, 2023
Chris grabenstein rocks!
April 14, 2017
An easy read and simple fun... the story picks up in the second half when the Gloria joins P.T and together they come up with interesting marketing gimmicks to attract visitors and raise funds to save their motel...
The 12 year old boy P.T is an amazing storyteller and even though the stories are outrageous he still succeeds in making everyone around believe them... and Gloria, a bored guest who is the same age, is a junior achievement student and a natural at business and her insights and marketing strategies turn the stories into a money-spinning roadside attraction startup!
Unrealistic but fun...
The 12 year old boy P.T is an amazing storyteller and even though the stories are outrageous he still succeeds in making everyone around believe them... and Gloria, a bored guest who is the same age, is a junior achievement student and a natural at business and her insights and marketing strategies turn the stories into a money-spinning roadside attraction startup!
Unrealistic but fun...
August 27, 2017
Fun and light read. Classic Grabenstein writing and story line. Boy and his female sidekick work to save his family's failing hotel in Florida. Lots of antics, fun, and adventures. Kids will love!
August 4, 2018
Super fun and funny mystery story about a boy named P. T. (after P. T. Barnum, of course!) who's family owns the Wonderland Motel. Interesting characters and hilarious jokes and a mystery thrown in to keep things awesome!
August 14, 2018
Best book ever! Never read anything so good. This author wrote Escape from Mr. Lemonchello's Library and was just as good as this one. I loved P.T's ideas for a better motel. I laughed and I cried. More than just a book. It holds the key to your heart.
March 26, 2019
I chose this book for my Banana Splits Book Club. Every single kid read the book and LOVED it! This book was so hilarious and something new was happening at every turn. If you like quirky stories mixed in with fun characters and crazy grandpas...this is for you!
November 29, 2023
Great middle grade read! Chris Grabenstein wrote
In his typical fashion of humor, silliness, and kids saving the day. I recommend this book for any middle school student looking for a fun, humorous book with a zany storyline.
In his typical fashion of humor, silliness, and kids saving the day. I recommend this book for any middle school student looking for a fun, humorous book with a zany storyline.
July 8, 2017
Entertaining if completely unbelievable, that isn't likely to bother child readers as much as adult readers. And P.T. the main character is certainly someone you want to cheer for.
July 25, 2017
A fun romp for casual readers. Lots of silly situations and humor that kids would enjoy.
September 5, 2018
This book is amazing, it always gets you with a drama point and Plot Twists that shock you up, if you like books that break the 4th wall, you really gotta read this
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2017
Very fun - sure to be a crowd pleaser with readers.
July 2, 2017
Quick read with short chapters. About a boy who lives at a hotel in Florida and has to save the hotel from a large debt that is owed.
February 16, 2017
Very entertaining read!
March 18, 2017
Grabenstein knows how to write for kids – his characters are realistic, he includes a lot of humor, and his storyline in this new series is just plausible enough to ring true with readers (who have probably never hunted for stolen jewels but will feel as if they could). This enjoyable tale is enhanced by entertaining pen-and-ink illustrations that almost always include speech bubbles, making them more like mini-comics than illustrations. These amusing comics capture the action and spirit of the story. Themes of an absent parent, new friendship, frustrations at school, and spring break are very relatable for the fourth through sixth grade audience. Recommend this book to kids looking for a fun read, underneath which they’ll find some real substance.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 245 reviews