Heartwood Hotel: A True Home by Kallie George

Heartwood Hotel: A True Home by Kallie George is a truly and wonderfully heartfelt book about a mouse named Mona. The story begins with Mona running from a storm, pulling you straight into the action. Mona’s house is being flooded and she runs away hoping to face a better fate than her parents, who were sadly pulled away by a flood long ago. While running away, Mona encounters a pack of wolves, one of the most feared creatures in the forest, thankfully before she gets eaten she falls into the stream and is swept away.

When Mona finally gets back on land, she sees a strange tree with a heart carved on it, much like the one on her own suitcase, her most prized possession, and …erm… her only possession. When Mona clicks the heart a door opens in the tree and Mona runs inside, seeking shelter from the rain. Mona realizes that she’s in The Heartwood Hotel, a hotel for small creatures, run by a kind badger. Mona tells the receptionist that she has nowhere to go and Mr. Heartwood, the badger, lets Mona stay for the night if she helps Tilly, the maid clean up after the night’s celebration. Mona, of course, accepts.

The first few days passed with a few hiccups, but nothing too terrible happening. Mona even found Mr. Heartwood a new singer to perform, Cybele, a bluebird, but doesn’t understand why Tilly is always so mean to her. However, guests start to get anxious when they hear news about wolves in the forest close by. Mr. Heartwood tries to calm them down, but they don’t listen, still passing rumors about the wolves. Are there really wolves in the forest, and if there are, will Mona be able to save them all?

George is a terrific author and is able to write one of the most wholehearted novels I have ever read, each one just as good, or even better as the one before. I admire anyone who can write any book, because when I tried, I didn’t get farther that the first chapter, which wasn’t even three pages long. This book is wonderful and I would recommend it to anyone that’s bored, or looking for a new book to read.