The Pink Motel

Book excerpt: Travel Back to a Time of Innocence and Adventure "Until Kirby Mellen was ten nothing very exciting had ever happened to him or his father or his mother or his little sister Bitsy." All of this changes very suddenly with the death of far-distant Uncle Hiram, who leaves his Florida motel-painted pink-to Kirby's mom. People like the Mellens, from Minnesota, do not paint their buildings pink. And these seven buildings are not just quietly pink-they are outrageously PINK. "It was pinker than Kirby's necktie or Bitsy's hair ribbon. It was pink, pink, PINK." It isn't long after the Mellens arrive at the motel that things go even more off kilter with regulars (and some irregulars) taking up residence in the cottages. There's old Miss Ferry who talks to crabs and other beach creatures, Marvello the magician, the two gangsters Locke and Black, and jolly Mr. Carver, who has a knack for uncovering the secrets left by Uncle Hiram. Carol Ryrie Brink's classic children's tale evokes a time of innocence and adventure in the lives of the Mellen children and their friends. Written long before the introduction of the internet, it speaks of people solving problems through understanding and coming together. With delightful illustrations by Sheila Greenwald, this story will capture the imagination of children of all ages.