Midnight at the Barclay Hotel

The invitations went out on Tuesday afternoon, because statistically speaking, that s the best time to offer someone a weekend getaway. Or that s what Mr. Barclay s advisors told him (he had a lot of those). These advisors took very expensive and extensive polling and did research (actually, it was mostly asking random people at the mall). The letters were printed on fancy, thick parchment, the kind of paper that adults use for Very Special Occasions like weddings, or birthday parties with lots of guests and bouncy castles and bands.

But this invitation was not for a party. It was for a weekend at the historic Barclay Hotel. Some said it was haunted, but there was no actual proof. Mr. Barclay owned the hotel, and he had a plan.

He wanted these invitations to be sent out on Tuesday. Five invitations only. No more, no less.

They were delivered by a courier which was even more expensive than those advisors and the research. This was so that Mr. Barclay could make the whole thing seem important and official. He didn t want anyone to think that this was some sort of scheme! Even though it was. His advisors told him that it s one thing to get a letter in the regular old mail, in the box, mixed in with the grocery store flyer and the electric bill. It s quite another to get a letter with a real embossed seal to close the envelope, delivered by a courier, where you have to sign for it. So mysterious.

Five envelopes, with five invitations. Mr. Barclay guessed that there would be some stragglers there always were. But the five main guests had been chosen carefully. A cowboy, a librarian, a CEO (that stands for chief executive officer which is a big deal), an actress, and a detective all got their invitations that Tuesday.

Dear [insert esteemed guest s name here],

Congratulations! You are a winner. What did I win? you might ask. An all-expenses-paid weekend getaway to the historic Barclay Hotel, from Friday, April 3,

Fleur Bradley is an active member of SCBWI and MWA, where she has judged for the Edgars. She regularly does school and Skype visits, as well as librarian and educator conference talks on reaching reluctant readers. Originally from the Netherlands, she now lives in Colorado, not too far from the historic (and haunted) Stanley Hotel, which partly inspired this manuscript.

Xavier Bonet is an illustrator and comic book artist who lives in Barcelona with his wife and two children. He has illustrated a number of middle grade books including Omnia by Laura Gallego; Michael Dahl's Really Scary Stories series; and the Keepers trilogy by Lian Tanner. He loves all things retro, video games, and Japanese food, but above all, spending time with his family. Visit him at xavierbonet.net and follow him on Twitter or Instagram @xbonetp.

Praise and Awards for Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradley:

Winner of the 2021 Colorado Book Awards for Juvenile Fiction
A 2020 Agatha Awards Finalist
A 2021 Reading the West Book Award Finalist
A 2021 Anthony Awards Finalist
A 2021-2022 Sunshine State Young Readers Award List
Featured on NPR's "Best of 2020" Middle Grade list

"My kind of mystery!  Quirky, fast paced, and full of fun!" Chris Grabenstein, New York Times bestselling author of the Mr. Lemoncello series.

"A madcap mystery that I couldn t put down!"  Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, New York Times bestselling author of The Book Scavenger series.

"Agatha Christie references abound, and the hotel setting shines. A quirky, kid-friendly introduction to the murder mystery." Kirkus Reviews

"A fast-paced, lightly spooky entrée to mystery fare." Publishers Weekly