Seth has lived in the secluded Last Chance Hotel since birth, where his father was the chef until he fell from grace and was chased away. Seth is a “jack of all trades” and is bullied, especially by Tiffany, the daughter of the hotel owner. Now important guests are expected and Seth has his hands full. Because the most important guest, a well-known magician named Thallomius, can’t stand the raspberry dessert, Seth has prepared a delicious apricot dessert just for him. But then the terrible happens! Ironically, Seth’s dessert appears to contain poison, and Dr. Thallomius dies. Now the typical crime thriller situation arises. A detective comes to the hotel and none of the guests are allowed to leave the house. But Seth is the prime suspect! The special thing about this thriller is that all the guests had gathered to apply for admission to the community of magicians. And while doing so, Dr. Thallomius made many enemies. But because Seth is under suspicion, he has to investigate himself and gets into many dangerous situations until it turns out in the end who the real culprit is. The combination of crime and magic is extremely exciting, and the hero Seth grows fond of readers. Sequel follows. (From 10 years on)
Nicki Thornton: Hotel of Magicians (1.) Translated from English by Barbara King. Carlsen TB. 2021. 288 pages, 7.99 euros
In her acclaimed debut novel, Sarah Jäger shows that she has mastered the art of reaching young people with witty language, quick-witted dialogue and a dynamic pace of storytelling, without appearing intrusive. Her heroines are on the verge of adulthood. The characters are very different from their origins and the author has done a great job of describing them, and young readers will find their respective favorite heroes among them. The story is told by Lena. She’s joined a group of youngsters who all work jobs at a penny market and meet during breaks in the backyard, which has become their very own world. Lena is 19, is already studying and no longer lives with her parents. She is an outsider in the group because the others come from humble backgrounds and have to work to earn a living. Marie belongs to the group, her nickname “duck ass” was given to her by Jo, her friend, before he suddenly disappeared.
Marie decides to look for him, and since only Lena owns a car, she offers to be the driver. Also included is the funny Can from the Penny Market, with whom Lena falls in love. Now begins a rapid road trip “Forward, to the south”, reminiscent of “Tschick” by Wolfgang Herrndorf. In the end it is Lena who draws the right conclusions and finds Jo on a North Sea island. Can she persuade him to come back to Marie? (from 14 years)
Sarah Jäger: Forward, to the south. Rowohlt red fox 2021. 256 pages, 10 euros.