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The Hotel Balzaar

A wise and magical story that celebrates fairytales from the internationally bestselling author of THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, perfect for age 8, 9, 10, 11
By Kate DiCamillo
Series: The Norendy Tales
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Brief Description
In a wise and magical follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales – and where every moment is a story in the making. At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$1999
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Releases 1st February 2027 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "The Hotel Balzaar" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In a wise and magical follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales – and where every moment is a story in the making.

At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform and instructs Marta to roam as she will ... but quietly – invisibly – like a 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 while dreaming of the return of her soldier father.

One day, a mysterious countess with a parrot checks in, promising a story – in fact, seven stories in all. As the stories unfold, Marta begins to wonder: could the secret to her father’s disappearance lie in the countess’s tales?

Series: The Norendy Tales

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  • The Hotel Balzaar
    In a wise and magical follow-up to The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales—and every moment is a story in the making. At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but quietly, invisibly—like a little mouse. While...
    By Kate DiCamillo
    Hardback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Puppets of Spelhorst
    From master storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes an original fairy tale, enchantingly illustrated, in which five puppets confront circumstances beyond their control with patience, cunning and high spirits. Once, there was a king. And a wolf. And a girl with a shepherd’s crook. And a boy with a bow and arrow. And also, there was an owl... They were puppets, and...
    By Kate DiCamillo
    Hardback
    $2399
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Backorder
    Ships late October
  • Lost Evangeline
    A captivating original fairy tale set in the world of The Puppets of Spelhorst and The Hotel Balzaar, featuring an exclusive colour illustration and gilded edges. When a shoemaker discovers a tiny girl (as small as a mouse!) in his shop, he takes her in, names her Evangeline, and raises her as his own. The shoemaker’s wife, however, fears that...
    By Kate DiCamillo
    Hardback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Norendy Tales Trilogy
    A beautiful, giftable box set featuring three original fairy tales by two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo, each illustrated by a different virtuoso artist—plus a bonus frameable full-color print.Discover the wonder and magic of a land called Norendy in these three classically illustrated novellas. In The Puppets of Spelhorst, illustrated by Julie Morstad, five puppets seek their destiny after ending up...
    By Kate DiCamillo
    Hardback
    $5499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Puppets of Spelhorst
    Pre-order
    The Puppets of Spelhorst
    From master storyteller Kate DiCamillo comes an original fairy tale, enchantingly illustrated, in which five puppets confront circumstances beyond their control with patience, cunning and high spirits. Once, there was a king. And a wolf. And a girl with a shepherd’s crook. And a boy with a bow and arrow. And also, there was an owl... They were puppets, and...
    By Kate DiCamillo
    Paperback
    $1999
    Pre-order
    Out 1 Jan 2027
  • The Hotel Balzaar
    Pre-order
    The Hotel Balzaar
    In a wise and magical follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Puppets of Spelhorst, Kate DiCamillo revisits the land of Norendy, where tales swirl within tales – and where every moment is a story in the making. At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform and instructs Marta to roam as she will ......
    By Kate DiCamillo
    Paperback
    $1999
    Pre-order
    Out 1 Feb 2027

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529529166

Publisher: Walker Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 January 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Walker Books Ltd

Contributors:

  • Illustrated by Júlia Sardà

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 17.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 193.0mm

Weight: 150g

Pages: 160

Collections

Children's Books Children's Fiction Children's Historical Fiction Children’s, Teenage and Educational Historical Fiction Kate DiCamillo Kids & YA Pre-orders Pre-order Books Pre-Order Children's Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Series: The Norendy Tales Young Adult

About the Author

Kate DiCamillo is one of America’s most beloved storytellers, author of The Tale of Despereaux and Flora and Ulysses, both of which have been awarded the prestigious Newbery Medal; Because of Winn-Dixie, which received a Newbery Honor; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which won a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; and the bestselling Mercy Watson series.
Júlia Sardà is a Spanish artist and the author-illustrator of The Queen in the Cave, as well as the illustrator of Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey, The Liszts by Kyo Maclear, The Wolf's Secret by Nicolas Digard and Myriam Dahman, Moving the Millers' Minnie Moore Mine Mansion by Dave Eggers and a number of classics, including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. Find Júlia on Instagram as @juliasardaportabella.

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