Welcome to Wonderland #1: Home Sweet Motel

Welcome to Wonderland #1: Home Sweet Motel

By Chris Grabenstein

35 ratings 47 reviews 15 followers
Book 1 of 4 in the  Welcome to Wonderland Series
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 8Grades 3 - 8V4.540620
“Outrageous hijinks and nonstop hilarity—five-stars!” —Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series

From the bestselling author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and co-author with James Patterson of I Funny, House of Robots, and Treasure Hunters, comes a hilarious illustrated series about all the wacky things that happen when you live in a motel!

 
Eleven-year-old P. T. Wilkie may be the greatest storyteller alive. But he knows one thing for a fact: the Wonderland Motel is the best place a kid could ever live! All-you-can-eat poolside ice cream! A snack machine in the living room! A frog slide! A giant rampaging alligator! (Okay, that last one may or may not be made up.) There’s only one thing the Wonderland doesn’t have, though—customers. And if the Wonderland doesn’t get them soon, P.T. and his friend Gloria may have to say goodbye to their beloved motel forever.
 
They need to think BIG. They need to think BOLD. They need an OUTRAGEOUS plan. Luckily for them, Gloria is a business GENIUS, and OUTRAGEOUS is practically P.T.’s middle name. With Gloria’s smarts and P.T.’s world-famous stories and schemes, there’s got to be a way to save the Wonderland!
 
BONUS: Includes fun extras like P. T. Wilkie’s outrageous (and sometimes useful) things you learn living in a motel. Installment 1: How to say “Help! The toilet is clogged!” in over twenty languages!

Here's What People are saying about Welcome to Wonderland!

“Outrageous hijinks and nonstop hilarity—five-stars! Kids who check into this madcap motel will want to stay forever!” —Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series

"So funny I fell off my bed!"--Izzy B., age 10

"Classic Grabenstein. The mystery should satisfy Grabenstein’s “Mr. Lemoncello” followers, and the humor and visuals will appeal to fans of his collaborations with James Patterson. This new series should be a hit."—School Library Journal

“A  delight. P.T. is a hoot and a half. A funny, madcap dash. Grabenstein . . .  threads in a mystery that blooms in the last act and that puts this particular read over the top."—Kirkus Reviews 

“Charm galore. Easy and breezy, this well-paced novel . . . belongs in the hands of any readers wanting their bad guys bad, their good guys great, and a little of Wonderland’s promised fun in the sun.”The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books  
Publisher: Yearling
ISBN-13: 9780553536058
ISBN-10: 0553536052
Published on 4/3/2018
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 304

Book Reviews (49)

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This is one of the best books I've read because it has so much humor and Chris Grabenstein always inspires me to write new books!! This book has so many slides here and there it makes it so tempting to read it again!!!

This hilarious book is amazing, i loved it I can't wait to read part two, this book will change your perspective on motels completely. I would totally recommend this book.

This book is so good!! This kid has so many crazy idea and that girl is a genius! Basically what happens is that book is the kid's grandpa owns a motel and they are going out of business so the kid, his grandpa, and his best friend Gloria come up with some really really wacky/crazy ideas. It all started with a treasure hunt, that lead them on to a trail that took them back to track to take them back to a crime that happen in the 50's and now the loot is hidden at their motel/amusement park!! Read this book to find out what happens! If you like this book you should read the second one it's also really really good!!

Interesting, but the main character can be kind of rude at some parts. Also the book can be a little weird at some parts. I liked some of it.

This book series is really good and funny. It's about P.T. and Gloria, best friends who live in Wonderland Motel. The motel has amazing features, like a frog slide, a huge pool, and free ice cream. P.T.'s mom owns the hotel but is having trouble finding enough money to support it. P.T. uses creativeness and Gloria uses her business smarts to create interest in the motel. The problems occur when a mean teacher attempts to drive people off Wonderland's property and two suspicious men seem to be doing bad things. Somehow, the two manage to overcome those problems and others and end up better than ever. You'll be immersed in the surprising twists and turns the book takes. This is definitely a worthy read (just like the rest of the series)!

Have you ever had something that was so good you couldn't put it down? Well Welcome to Wonderland #1: Home Sweet Motel is that type of book that is filled thrills and laughs which will keep you reading and reading and reading until the book is done making you want the next book. Mr.Grabenstein did a wonderful job writing this book and putting funny and carefree attitudes into some of his characters (P.T and his grandpa) but balances it out with a more serious and reluctant attitudes with other characters (Gloria and P.T's mom). This story portrays a strong message of perseverance and never giving up, which I thought was a great message which made enjoy the book even more. Chris Grabenstein, I give your fantastic book 5/5 stars and recommend it for all ages 7+. Now stop reading my review and read the book! Happy Readings! Your pal, bean_boy

Have you ever had something that was so good you couldn't put it down? Well Welcome to Wonderland #1: Home Sweet Motel is that type of book that is filled thrills and laughs which will keep you reading and reading and reading until the book is done making you want the next book. Mr.Grabenstein did a wonderful job writing this book and putting funny and carefree attitudes into some of his characters (P.T and his grandpa) but balances it out with a more serious and reluctant attitudes with other characters (Gloria and P.T's mom). This story portrays a strong message of perseverance and never giving up, which I thought was a great message which made enjoy the book even more. Chris Grabenstein, I give your fantastic book 5/5 stars and recommend it for all ages 7+. Now stop reading my review and read the book! Happy Readings! Your pal, bean_boy12

I love this book and it has a great storyline. The book is about a kid named P.T who lives in motel that his family owns. But the No Vacancy sign has just been collecting dust for years. The motel is losing money. And unless they can pay of some debt, they will have to sell the motel. All hope seems like it is lost... Until Gloria comes to stay at Motel Wonderland. Gloria knows business inside and out, she knows all the techniques in the book and maybe, just maybe, she could be the person Motel Wonderland has been waiting for. Together Gloria and P.T manage to raise a few thousand bucks, but they are short 40 thousand big ones. Then again there is that myth about the treasure buried on the motel’s grounds... I loved this book and you will too!!!!!!

i am on pg 270 a couple chapters away to the end really nice book i totally recommend it you should read it