Hotel Flamingo: Alex Milway

Product Information

Oh, you can also search for a snail, but I am sorry, I totally forgot about that little dude until the end when he popped up to ask if we found him. :P I do have a few questions, there are humans around (we see pictures, and Anna is a human), but where are they? Is this island/spot mostly/only for animals? When young Anna inherits a dilapidated once-grand hotel from her great-aunt Mathilde, she's determined to restore it to its former glory. But this is no ordinary hotel - all of her staff and guests are animals! As she soon finds out, though, running an animal hotel is no easy task. Can Anna make Hotel Flamingo a success once more? And this is where I thought that oh, this is going to provide us with internal conflict. The whole point of Hotel Flamingo was that everyone is welcome, and now everything looks like people are not welcome anymore as Hotel Flamingo gets fancier. I thought that Anna has to really think about her values and stuff, and I thought wow, this is a pretty heavy subject for kids: is sacrificing your values for work worth it? It's the last of the autumn days before winter sets in, which means it's time for CARNIVAL! And Hotel Flamingo, the sunniest hotel in town, is all set to join the party. Animal Boulevard is a riot of colour, and every establishment is preparing a float for the annual procession. Anna is determined to win the prize for Hotel Flamingo for the best display, despite rival hotel the Glitz having won it every year since the Carnival began.

On Animal Boulevard the snow is finally melting after a long, quiet winter and Hotel Flamingo is ready to embrace the new season and new guests. Anna knows she needs to come up with a plan to get the hotel buzzing again! And what does Hotel Flamingo have that no one else has? One of the best chefs in town - Madame Le Pig! In a stroke of inspiration Anna decides that the hotel will put on a Battle of the Chefs. Madame Le Pig will go head to head with prestigious Animal Boulevard chefs Peston Crumbletart and Laurence Toot-Toot in a thrilling live cooking show - and there will be an accompanying feast for all who attend. It's the end of the summer, which means it's time for carnival! And Hotel Flamingo is all set to join the party. But disaster strikes! The rainy season comes early, and high winds and torrential rain lash down across the boulevard. Can Anna save the Carnival and the day? Meet Anna, she has just inherited a wonderful hotel named Hotel Flamingo... well one day it was a beautiful hotel, but now it is pretty dilapidated and she has a lot of work to do. I loved how she immediately set to work, not daunted by the amount of work or the state of the hotel. Nope, this girl is brimming with ideas, and she is not afraid to get dirty or tell people what to do. I loved what kind of plans this girl had, she had so many of them. For instance calling the flamingo theatre group to help out, or when she finds unexpected visitors in the pool she handles that in a way that benefits everyone. Crammed full of characterful animal illustrations with accents of zinging pink, this flamboyant early chapter book is a splendid, unpreachy testament to the power of hard work’– The Guardian

Customer reviews

Anna sets about cleaning the hotel up and hires lots of staff including a maid who is allergic to dust and a rude, but very talented chef who wants to do everything his way. She also hires a handy-giraffe to fix the pool and other maintenance jobs. The characters were a huge hit with us and we had a soft spot for so many of the cute and crazy animals that showed their quirky and strong personalities at every opportunity. There was plenty of laughs along the way and the illustrations throughout really worked well for my younger child who still enjoys pictures in books. I loved the fact that the jobs didn't split up into the typical boy/girl divide and that Anna was such a strong and determined character who helped pull everyone together to succeed.

All four Hotel Flamingo stories now in one audio collection. An enchanting four-audiobook series featuring the adventures of Anna and her array of animal friends. We all really enjoyed HOTEL FLAMINGO by Alex Milway and there was nothing about this book that we did not love - a complete success in our house!! First of all, I have to say that the cover of this book is absolutely stunning and myself and the kids found ourselves looking at it over and over again. And I'm delighted to say that the story inside is just as beautiful!The story is very imaginative and enjoyable and I can see this book being a big hit with the kids. It shows with hard work just what can be achieved if you all pull together. Plus, I also love how inclusive she is. No matter what kind of guest pops in she lets them in, and it made me delighted.