Sale price
$1899
Picture Book · Ages 4–8 · 1955
Eloise
A mischievous girl explores life at the Plaza Hotel.
65 pages· 3,516 words· Est. 28 min read-aloud
Best for
The original hotel child, and still the loudest$19.99Save 5%
Hardcover
Hotel & Motel Books for Kids · 137 titles considered
The Best Hotel and Motel Books for Kids
By the Bookroo EditorsUpdated August 1, 2026
A hotel is the rare building where a child is allowed to be curious. There is a bell on the desk, a numbered key, a corridor of identical doors, an ice machine humming at the end of it, and a room that belongs to you for exactly one night. Writers have been raiding that setup for a century, because a hotel hands a story everything it needs at once: strangers who all arrive on the same evening, a staff who know things guests do not, and a floor plan with far too many rooms to check.
Bookroo's collection of 137 hotel and motel books runs from a girl who lives on the top floor of the Plaza to a mouse working the front desk of a forest inn, and our editors picked twelve of them. Below you will find the fixed shortlist, then shelves by age — picture books for the child packing a suitcase this week, chapter books and middle grade for readers who would rather have a locked wing, a snowstorm, and a guest list full of suspects.
The Shortlist
Our 12 Favorite Hotel & Motel Books
Sale price
$674
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2017
A True Home
A newly orphaned mouse talks her way into a job at a forest hotel and discovers she is very good at it.
163 pages· 20,813 words· Est. 3 hour read
Best for
A first chapter book with a warm, capable heroine$6.99Save 4%
Paperback
Sale price
$1797
Chapter Book · Ages 9–12 · 2018
Front Desk
By Kelly Yang · Book #1 in the Front Desk series
A young girl juggles motel duties, hidden secrets, and dreams of writing.
The E.B. White Read Aloud Honor (2019)CALA Best Book Award (Chinese American Librarians Association) (2019)Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature (2019)
298 pages· 64,171 words· Est. 7 hour read
Best for
Readers who want a kid actually running the place4.3 Goodreads · 47,786 ratings
$18.99Save 5%
Hardcover
Sale price
$1899
Picture Book · Ages 4–7 · 2016
Hotel Bruce
By Ryan T. Higgins · Book #2 in the Mother Bruce series
A bear's home is taken over by a group of mice who turn it into a hotel.
38 pages· 421 words· Est. 4 min read-aloud
Best for
Laughing at bad guests, ages 4–7$19.99Save 5%
Hardcover
Sale price
$958
Chapter Book · Ages 7–11 · 1965
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
A mouse befriends a young boy staying in a hotel and learns to ride his toy motorcycle, leading to a series of adventures and misadventures.
176 pages· 23,602 words· Est. 3.5 hour read
Best for
The classic hotel-corridor adventure$9.99Save 4%
Paperback
Sale price
$958
Chapter Book · Ages 10–12 · 2014
Greenglass House
Milo's quiet holiday turns chaotic as mysterious guests and secrets unravel at Greenglass House.
392 pages· 93,122 words· Est. 10.5 hour read
Best for
A snowbound mystery for confident middle-grade readers4.0 Goodreads · 30,367 ratings
$9.99Save 4%
Paperback
Sale price
$1697
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2024
The Hotel Balzaar
A girl seeks her missing father in a hotel where a countess's tales may hold the key.
$17.99Save 6%
Hardcover
Sale price
$1597
Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2019
Malamander
A sea monster's egg holds dreams and danger in Eerie-on-Sea.
304 pages· 53,056 words· Est. 7.5 hour read
Best for
Atmosphere-loving readers ready for a series4.0 Goodreads · 9,362 ratings
$16.99Save 6%
Hardcover
Sale price
$1797
Picture Book · Ages 5–8 · 2020
Madame Badobedah
A young girl suspects a mysterious hotel guest is a supervillain. Is she right, or is there more to the story?
56 pages· 3,674 words· Est. 29 min read-aloud
Best for
Picture-book readers who like a difficult grown-up$18.99Save 5%
Hardcover
Sale price
$1597
Chapter Book · Ages 9–12 · 2018
Winterhouse
An orphan unravels a hotel's magical secrets, risking everything to break its curse.
370 pages· 76,175 words· Est. 8.5 hour read
Best for
Puzzle-solvers ages 9–123.9 Goodreads · 13,310 ratings
$16.99Save 6%
Hardcover
Sale price
$674
Chapter Book · Ages 6–9 · 2020
Hotel Flamingo
By Alex Milway · Book #1 in the Hotel Flamingo series
Anna inherits a hotel run by animals. Can she restore its glory before the inspector arrives?
$6.99Save 4%
Paperback
Sale price
$759
Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2016
Home Sweet Motel
By Chris Grabenstein · Book #1 in the Welcome to Wonderland series
Can two kids save their beloved motel with a wild plan before it's too late?
304 pages· 39,384 words· Est. 5.5 hour read
Best for
Funny, fast middle grade with a scheme in it4.1 Goodreads · 1,836 ratings
$7.99Save 5%
Paperback
Browse by age
Hotel & Motel Picture Books
Grand lobbies, room-service mischief, animal innkeepers, and first nights away from home for ages 3–8.
Sale price
$1699
I Dream of a Journey
Ages 4–7 · 2020
An innkeeper dreams of adventures beyond his hotel, longing for distant journeys.
Sale price
$1699
The Grand Hotel of Feelings
Ages 4–8 · 2023
Explore a hotel where every emotion finds a place to stay.
Sale price
$1899
Paradise Sands
Ages 5–9 · 2022
A girl must outwit a mysterious ruler to escape a ghostly hotel.
Sale price
$1999
Eloise at Christmastime
Ages 4–8 · 1958
Celebrate Christmas with a whimsical girl who brings joy and surprises to The Plaza Hotel.
Sale price
$1999
John Philip Duck
Ages 6–9 · 2004
A boy must train ducks to secure their place at a grand hotel.
Sale price
$899
Eloise at The Plaza
Ages 3–7 · 2015
A precocious girl explores life at a grand hotel.
Sale price
$1699
Hotel Fantastic
Ages 4–7 · 2018
A hotel teeming with creatures faces an unexpected threat. Can safety be assured?
Sale price
$1999
There's a Dinosaur on the 13th Floor
Ages 4–8 · 2018
Can Mr. Snore find peace in a hotel full of surprises?
Sale price
$799
A Visit to William Blake's Inn
Ages 4–7 · 1981
Enter an inn where poetry and whimsy meet unusual guests.
Sale price
$499
Eloise and the Snowman
Ages 4–6 · 2006
A snow-loving girl creates a unique snowman in New York City.
Sale price
$1699
Hibernation Hotel
Ages 3–7 · 2017
Bear can't sleep at the hotel. What's missing?
Sale price
$1799
Ella
Ages 5–8 · 2015
A six-year-old navigates life in a quirky hotel, never bored and always on an adventure.
Browse by age
Hotel & Motel Chapter Books & Middle Grade
Snowbound inns, haunted hotels, kid detectives with a master key, and families who run the place, for readers ages 6–11.
Sale price
$899
The Witches
Ages 7–11 · 1981
A young boy discovers a convention of witches at a hotel and must use his wits to survive their evil plans.
Sale price
$899
Withering-by-Sea
Ages 8–12 · 2014
An orphan uncovers a dark secret and must outsmart a sinister magician.
Sale price
$599
The Elevator Family
Ages 6–10 · 2009
The Wilsons' vacation takes a quirky turn when they live in a hotel elevator for three days.
Sale price
$1299
Secret of the Staircase
Ages 8–12 · 2015
Brothers must solve a mystery or face lurking dangers beneath a historic hotel.
Sale price
$1699
Sandapalooza Shake-Up
Ages 8–12 · 2018
A missing tiara, a new restaurant, and a sand contest—can they solve it all?
Sale price
$1999
Mermedusa
Ages 9–12 · 2023
Secrets of Eerie-on-Sea unravel as cryptozoologists and podcasters converge. Will Herbie and Violet uncover the truth or vanish like others before them?
Sale price
$1995
The Pink Motel
Ages 8–12 · 1959
A pink motel inheritance leads to unexpected adventures and quirky residents.
Sale price
$799
The Lights Under the Lake
Ages 9–13 · 2017
A school trip turns eerie as secrets and spirits emerge from a haunted lake.
Sale price
$699
Holiday Heat Wave
Ages 6–9 · 2020
Penguin royalty arrives during a heat wave, but there's no ice!
Sale price
$599
Fabulous Feast
Ages 6–9 · 2020
A culinary showdown ignites at Hotel Flamingo to revive its fortunes.
Sale price
$599
Carnival Caper
Ages 6–9 · 2019
Can Anna save the carnival from a stormy disaster on Animal Boulevard?
Sale price
$1799
Key Player
Ages 8–12 · 2022
Mia must score interviews with secretive soccer teams to boost her grade and unite her dual identities.