Review: Warren the 13th and the All-seeing Eye by Tania del Rio

Warren the 13th and the All-seeing Eye by Tania del Rio. Illustrated by Will Staehle. 220 p. Quirk Books, November, 2015. 9781594748035. (Finished copy courtesy of publisher for review.)(Had also previously purchased a copy for my library)

Happy Friday the Thirteenth everyone! What better way to celebrate than to meet Warren the 13th.

Warren comes from a long line of Warrens, all of whom have taken care of the family legacy, the Warren Hotel. Unfortunately the hotel has fallen on hard times since his father's death years earlier thanks to his lazy uncle. It is up to Warren to be the bellhop, the groundskeeper and errand boy. He tries his best but he's only twelve. To make matters worse, his uncle has recently married. Aunt Annaconda despises Warren and finds every excuse to punish him. She is also methodically trashing each room in the hotel. Warren learns that she's searching for the All-Seeing Eye, something Warren always believed was a myth in the family folklore.

As treasure seekers descend on the hotel, Warren desperately tries to save it from wreckage at their greedy hands and tries to figure out other strange doings, such as the mysterious resident of the boiler room and a pale girl creeping about the place. 

This slightly over-sized volume is quite eye-catching with its red and black and gold cover art.The story moves apace with plenty of humor, twists and turns, accompanied by black and red spot art and full- and double-page illustrations.

The mystery is resolved satisfactorily at the end but Warren is headed for new adventures, as promised by an * after the words, "the end." 

This series is sure to be a hit with your students/ patrons who are fans of Lemony Snicket. Give this quirky book to readers wishing a side of humor and a dash of the macabre with their reading.

Warren the 13th and the Whispering Woods is due to publish on March 21, 2017. This volume sports a green and black cover.

While Warren's toadish features are mentioned several times in book one, I wonder if they will be explained in book 2.