3 Below

Gr 4-6–Fans who enjoyed Floors (Scholastic, 2011) and want more of the same should be pleased with Leo and Remi’s latest excursion. The fate of the wild and wacky Whippet Hotel is once again in the hands of 10-year-old Leo Fillmore. Merganzer Whippet, the eccentric owner of New York City’s most unusual hotel, has just discovered that the building is dangerously in debt. The brilliant inventor has recruited Leo and his friend, Remi, and has given them a quest to recover the items necessary to avert disaster. The two boys must venture deep into uncharted territory in the subbasements of the hotel to retrieve what Merganzer needs. This lightweight fantasy adventure provides puzzles to solve, fabulous rooms and inventions to explore, and large dollops of humor meant to tickle the funny bones of reluctant readers. This second installment doesn’t deviate from the tried-and-true formula: one-dimensional villains get thwarted, children are given free rein for thrilling adventures without too much danger, and the designer of the drama is conveniently pulling the strings so that everything comes out right in the end.–Stephanie Whelan, New York Public Library