{"product_id":"the-norendy-tales-2-the-hotel-balzaar","title":"The Norendy Tales #2: the Hotel Balzaar","description":"\u003csection class=\"full-width-column\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"column-wrap catalogue-page-wrap\" id=\"bodydiv\"\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"viewtitle-center\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"vt-tab-content\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tab-container\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"tab-1\" name=\"tab-1\" class=\"tab-content current\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e“DiCamillo showcases the capacity for storytelling to soothe and inspire hope in a pithy, nuanced tale peppered with gentle humor and enduring grace.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003equietly\u003c\/i\u003e, invisibly—like a little 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 the while dreaming of the return of her soldier father, who has gone missing. One day, a mysterious countess with a parrot checks in, promising a story—in fact, seven stories in all, each to be told in its proper order. As the stories unfold, Marta begins to wonder: could the secret to her father’s disappearance lie in the countess’s tales? Book two in a trio of novellas bound by place and mood—with elegant line art by Júlia Sardà—\u003ci\u003eThe Hotel Balzaar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003emasterfully juggles yearning and belief, shining light into every dark corner.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003csection class=\"viewtitle-right\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"right-collapse-block\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eKate DiCamillo\u003c\/strong\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eBecause of Winn-Dixie\u003c\/i\u003e (a Newbery Honor book), \u003ci\u003eThe Tiger Rising\u003c\/i\u003e (a National Book Award finalist), and \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Despereaux\u003c\/i\u003e (a Newbery Medal Winner). She recently completed a series of early chapter books about a pig named Mercy Watson. \u003ci\u003eThe Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane\u003c\/i\u003e was the winner of the \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e–Horn Book Award. Kate lives and writes in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but she spent much of her childhood in Florida.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJúlia Sardà\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is the illustrator of many books for young readers, including \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Queen in the Cave\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewhich she also wrote, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eMoving the Millers’ Minnie Moore Mine Mansion: A True Story\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e by Dave Eggers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShe lives in Barcelona.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"detail-product-specs__item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"detail-product-specs__label\"\u003eAuthor: Kate DiCamillo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"detail-product-specs__item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"detail-product-specs__label\"\u003eIllustrator: Júlia Sardà\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"detail-product-specs__item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"detail-product-specs__label\"\u003eSeries: The Norendy Tales\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"detail-product-specs__item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"detail-product-specs__label\"\u003eFormat: Paperback \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"detail-product-specs__item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"detail-product-specs__label\"\u003eProduct dimensions: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan\u003e176 pages, 7.63in x 5.13 in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"detail-product-specs__item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"detail-product-specs__label\"\u003ePublished: \u003cspan\u003eSep 30, 2025\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"detail-product-specs__item\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"detail-product-specs__label\"\u003ePublisher: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan\u003eCandlewick Press\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecommended for ages 7-10.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49124654743808,"sku":"9781536244380","price":12.5,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/1937\/9100\/files\/9781536244380_playful-minds.jpg?v=1785956484","url":"https:\/\/playfulmindstoys.ca\/products\/the-norendy-tales-2-the-hotel-balzaar","provider":"Playful Minds","version":"1.0","type":"link"}