3 Below Patrick Carman Book Review

It is such an incredible pleasure to return to the wacky world of the Whippet Hotel and it’s employees.  3 Below by Patrick Carman is the second book in the Floors series, but it is just as enjoyable as the first book, plus if you have not read the first book, it is not all that hard to follow, although I totally recommend you read Floors as well. Here’s the thing, if you are a kid or a grown up looking to re-capture that feeling of magic in a mostly ordinary world, you know the same feeling you got with Roald Dahl, then I think Floors and it’s sequel, 3 Below are the books for you.

Floors 3 Below Patrick Carmen Book Cover

3 Below picks up slightly where Floors leaves off. The book opens with a rooftop wedding, between main character Leo’s dad and Remi’s mother. It’s very adorable and sigh-making. Merganzer Whippet makes a grand entrance and sends the two on a cruise, leaving Leo and Remi behind to watch the hotel. ONLY OMG, the hotel owes like $700,000 in back taxes and this bad lady is totally on a crusade against the Whippet. In order to come up with the money, Leo and Remi must brave the 3 floors below the Whippet. Y’all, these floors are just as fun as the ones in the first book.

Leo and Remi are fantastic heroes. In 3 Below we get to see Remi take more of center stage, now that he is Leo’s step brother. The two are tasked with saving the hotel and they absolutely rise to the challenge. What I like is that Leo and Remi are good kids. They work hard. They think outside the box. Plus, they never expect the answer to be just handed to them, but rather work for it. They are the kind of child characters that I enjoy reading about.

I’d be remiss if I did not mention my main boo, Betty the duck. She’s back and better than ever in 3 Below. This time she has ducklings. Plus an appetite for animal crackers. OH and a pivital role. Also, Betty has such attitude for an animal, I LOVE IT.  Seriously, more ducks in kid lit, please?

What I love the very most about 3 Below by Patrick Carman is the imagination used in book. The design of the Whippet Hotel seems like something that could have come straight out of Roald Dahl’s head, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. It’s a hotel that seems to step outside the bounds of normal, where if you have the right key, almost anything can happen. I feel like these are the perfect books to fuel a child’s imagination and dreams. Plus, 3 Below does not stagnate. Rather, we get three brand new floors, each as imaginative as the top floors and a few new, wonderful characters.

Maybe you have a child that just wants a dose of magic after tearing through The BFG and Matilda, this book, 3 Below and Floors should help to fill that need. These books contain wonderful characters, an imaginative setting, and a very quick moving, engaging plot.

Disclosure: Received for review.

Other reviews of 3 Below by Patrick Carman:

Catie Flum – “I wish I had enjoyed this more, since Floors was so good

Five Minutes For Books – “I would peg Floors #2: 3 Below as just right for kids eight and older

Other Books By Patrick Carman:

Floors

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April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.
About April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

Comments

  1. How did I forget about Betty? She is amazing! This is a book that has actually gotten better as I think more about it. So happy I was able to give it to a middle grader today!

    I am very excited for the next book in this series, even if I didn’t love this as much as Floors because it is just so creative!

  2. We have Floors at the library where I work. It circulates pretty well, but none of the kids have ever talked to me about it. But after hearing that it reminds you of the AMAZING Roald Dahl, I definitely need to check it out. Thanks for the review 🙂

  3. Sounds like a fun MG book! 😀 I’ll try to check out Floors first 😀

  4. There is the goose in the Fly By Night books by Frances Hardinge…but I am drawing a blank on ducks.

    But why I really am commenting is to ask if you think this is fantasy or just that really really whacky mg that stays just outside actually can’t happen in the real world………

Trackbacks

  1. […] that time I was enamored with Betty the duck from Floors? Well, Betty’s back in the sequel, 3 Below by Patrick Carmen which I utterly […]