Review Detail

Bruce the bear is mother to four geese, and although he’s not all that happy about the situation (because Bruce is grumpy about most things), he tries to do his best as a mom—which means he migrates south with his goslings for the winter. As a result Bruce gives up his hibernation time—and that makes him even more grumpy.

When Bruce and his geese return home from their travels they find that mice have moved into their house, and the mice have turned the house into a hotel. Although Bruce tries to restore peace and order to his home, the mice, his geese, and the hotel’s guests have other ideas.

Bruce is charming—in his own grouchy way—and there is plenty of silliness throughout the book too. Although the story is a bit disjointed, HOTEL BRUCE shows that even grouches can have sweet souls, and motherly love isn't defined by gender or temperament. The illustrations are great, and both Bruce’s discontent and sweetness shine through on every page.

My thanks to the publisher and YA Books Central for a copy of the book in exchange for my unbiased review.