First published 2016
Celeste and Melisande arrive tired in the medieval city of Bruges with their father. They check into a hotel marked by its golden basket perched on the roof. The cobblestone streets and ancient buildings surround them as they settle in for the night. Morning brings excitement as the sisters wake to explore their new surroundings. They befriend Jan, whose father runs the inn, and Monsieur Carnewal, the kind maître d'hôtel who works tirelessly to help guests. The hotel becomes a playground of discovery, while outside the picturesque city offers canals where swans glide gracefully and a lamplighter tends his route each day. The girls find joy in both the intimate world of the Old World hotel and the broader medieval landscape of towers and waterways. Their adventure captures the wonder of childhood discovery in a foreign place.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, adventure
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Bruges
Period: medieval
96 pages · Paperback · Dover Publications