Product Description

Nothing exciting ever happens to Kirby or Bitsy Mellen--that is, until their mother inherits a motel in Florida from her great-granduncle Hiram, complete with a roster of eccentric guests. New this winter are the Browns, obsessed with their suntans; Miss DeGree, obsessed with her poodles; and two mysterious men, obsessed, like Kirby, with trying to find Uncle Hiram's rumored secret treasure.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1078552 in Books
• Published on: 1993-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

The psychological subtext
This was my favorite book as a child in the '60s. I recently re-read it and realized why: the key theme is the acceptance by the conventional of the "Unusual." The narrow-minded vs. the open-minded. The extremely narrow-minded parents balk at the "unusual" color of the pink motel, and declare that they will paint it "gray or brown or white" as soon as possible. The children, more open-minded, love the color of the motel and actively seek out the unusual. Of course, by the end, even the parents have loosened up under the spell of the Pink Motel, and somewhat nervously accept the Unusual.

It's clear to me that one reason children embrace this story is that it reassures them that there might be a place for them in the world, no matter how unusual they are: i.e. adopted, too bright, extremely isolated, gay, or the "wrong color" (depending on where they're going to school).

Beyond that, it's just a terrific story, swiftly told, with great illustrations. The weather-vanes are especially charming.

A lifelong favorite
Like others, I received this book when I belonged to the Weekly Reader Bookclub as a 4th grader. It is the first real novel I ever read and it gave me a love of reading that has lasted about 45 years. The easy fantasy, fun chatacters and secret of Uncle Hiram have lasted that long in my heart. I read this book 10 times, literally, before I ever read another novel. When it came as a book club selection even the hardback was pink!

My favorite book in elementary school
The Pink Motel was my favorite book in elementary school. That was back in the days before the Internet was so widely known and used, and therefore I never thought I could BUY the book. I would check it out from my school's library and try to painstakingly copy it by hand into a notebook. I gave up after a chapter or so. As an adult, I had to buy this book for nostalgia. I think the appeal for me is that it sets my imagination on fire...what an exciting book full of eccentric characters. I highly recommend this book!