The Nothing to See Here Hotel; Steven Butler, illustrated by Steven Lenton

From Steven Butler and Steven Lenton comes the first in a new series of books. Welcome to The Nothing to See Here Hotel, it’s not your typical holiday destination and you won’t find anything normal here. There are strange goings-on, unusual hosts, even stranger guests and a grumpy granny who sits up high over-seeing it all…

The Nothing to See Here Hotel sits proudly on Brighton beachfront, although you wouldn’t notice it as it’s hidden from the view of ordinary folk by an assortment of magical charms  Frankie Bannister and his parents run the hotel which provides a secret getaway for magical creatures. Frankie is thrilled when a Goblin messenger on board a raven arrives at the hotel with a very important message. Only brilliant things arrive by Goblin post and Frankie is hopeful of a magical treasure chest or a dragon’s egg. What he gets is the news that Prince Grogbah is arriving at the hotel tomorrow.

With the royal visitor’s arrival a mere twenty-four hours away the hotel staff set to work preparing food, pouring frog grog, landscaping the gardens and decorating the interior. When the Prince arrives his behaviour is anything but princely and he is a demanding nasty little snot bag. The little Prince is out of control and his behaviour is threatening the secrecy of the hotel. But the hotel is not the only one with a secret and the truth about the Prince is soon to be revealed…

This is wacky, fun and full of imagination about the crazy events that take place at the most unique of hotels. The hotel is the best kind of hotel for the strange and eclectic mix of colourful characters that live and holiday inside it - it is disgusting, stinky and revolting!

The black and white illustrations are brilliant fun and it is great to have the characters brought to life. The many wonderful locations in the hotel are set out in a fabulous double page illustration and I hope that more of these locations are explored in greater detail in future books.

The Nothing to See Here Hotel is all kinds of fun and will have readers keenly seeking out the other books in the series. So, pack your bags and head to The Nothing to See Here Hotel, where drama, fun and gross laughs are guaranteed.

Recommended for 7+.