Hotel Ruby

Gr 9 Up—Grief-stricken Audrey Casella and her family arrive at the glamorous Hotel Ruby after an exhausting, strained car ride. The recent death of Audrey's mother has devastated her father. Audrey and her brother try to watch out for each other, but the journey has been an arduous one. They are not happy about being sent to live with their grandmother. When a sign announces that a hotel is close by, their father decides that they will stay one night and continue on in the morning. However, there is more to the Ruby than they expected, and as one night turns into several days, Audrey and what's left of her family seem to begin to heal. The place is restful, engaging, glamorous, and strange. It has a ghostly past. Every night certain guests are invited to an elegant party commemorating a fire that killed dozens of people. Audrey is not invited, but her father and her brother both receive invitations. She spends her time exploring and making friends. The sweet housekeeper, Lourdes, and the intriguing Elias Lange take her in and show her around. Unfortunately, the more she learns, the more threatening the hotel becomes, which culminates in a bone-chilling revelation. Despite some choppy phrasing, this novel is a fast and fun read.