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The Forest in the Hallway
The afternoon of the day before her fourteenth birthday, Beatriz comes home from school to find her parents missing without a trace. After a brief, futile search, she is shipped off from her home in Des Moines to her uncle’s New York apartment, where she finds a portal to a peculiar magical land, and the starting point of an even more peculiar journey. Beatriz forms unlikely friendships with Death, a family of people with wings, assorted innkeepers, and two nameless orphans. After hair-raising encounters with a malevolent witch and her unpleasant assistants, Beatriz discovers that she has been much closer to home—and to her parents—than she initially believed.
With writing rich in wordplay, literary allusions, and deadpan humor, Gordon Smith’s imaginative novel introduces an original fantasy world and its resourceful visitor. Perfect for readers who love stranger-in-a-strange-land classics like The Phantom Tollbooth and Alice in Wonderland, this enchanting story is certain to earn a new place of favor on their shelves.
With writing rich in wordplay, literary allusions, and deadpan humor, Gordon Smith’s imaginative novel introduces an original fantasy world and its resourceful visitor. Perfect for readers who love stranger-in-a-strange-land classics like The Phantom Tollbooth and Alice in Wonderland, this enchanting story is certain to earn a new place of favor on their shelves.
232 pages, Hardcover
First published November 13, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 12, 2013
Reminded me a little of Breadcrumbs: plucky young girl goes into a forest in order to find people she's lost, encounters strange and dangerous people in said forest, then, after getting what she came for, returns home all too easily.
For the record: I realized that .
I kept waiting for the winged family to turn traitor, but they didn't, which I confess (rather horribly) disappointed me a little, because it meant that Jim and Leo were also good guys. Revealing my continued childlike mental state, I confess: I dislike when in children's books adults play a large part in the resolution of the problem. As mentors, observers, they're fine; witness Harry Potter or the Young Wizards series. But my favorite parts of the book were when Beatriz was on her own. Such parts were too brief to fully develop her as a character, however.
Also: .
For the record: I realized that .
I kept waiting for the winged family to turn traitor, but they didn't, which I confess (rather horribly) disappointed me a little, because it meant that Jim and Leo were also good guys. Revealing my continued childlike mental state, I confess: I dislike when in children's books adults play a large part in the resolution of the problem. As mentors, observers, they're fine; witness Harry Potter or the Young Wizards series. But my favorite parts of the book were when Beatriz was on her own. Such parts were too brief to fully develop her as a character, however.
Also: .
September 27, 2012
The Forest in the Hallway is certainly one of the best books I have ever read! It is one-of-a-kind and immensely enjoyable. From the very beginning, you are drawn into the crazy life of Beatriz, the fourteen-year-old whose parents disappeared three months ago. Beatriz has bent sent to live with her uncle in New York City, but little does she know the crazy journey she's about to encounter. One day, she is staring out into the gloomy thunderstorm and a face out of nowhere appears. The face tells her to go to the 9th floor but gives no explanation. Curiously, Beatriz obeys the command and her life-changing experience begins. I won't tell you more, because I don't want to ruin it! This book is HIGHLY recommended for anyone in search for a good adventure!
July 29, 2009
This book left me feeling kind of annoyed. It had some nice elements, and it was interesting in a meandering kind of way, but it also felt very thrown together. The back page said that the author made the story up to tell to his daughter as he drove her to school in the morning, and it shows. The resolution is abrupt, there is no real explaination for much of what happened, and worst of all, when the villain reveals her motive, I was immediately sympathetic. I couldn't blame her a bit.
This might have been something special after a few rewrites, but as it is... ehn.
This might have been something special after a few rewrites, but as it is... ehn.
May 24, 2017
Beatriz is a little unusual in that she was living a perfectly usual life, right up until her parents disappeared. From there, she goes to live with an uncle she didn't know, and things start to get a little strange.
From an adult perspective, the whispering and weird sounds, sights etc were entertaining, but from a child's point of view, which our heroine is, they had to be frightening, especially as she has no one to go to with her fears and anxieties.
She does begin to explore, and gets lost in the Forest in the Hallway, where she meets strange and interesting beings, including a family of winged beings, sort of like an oversized Tinkerbell from the Peter Pan stories.
Overall it was a good read, but would have been better if the child was allowed to do the work to recover the people who were her parents (and could their identity have BEEN any more obvious?).
From an adult perspective, the whispering and weird sounds, sights etc were entertaining, but from a child's point of view, which our heroine is, they had to be frightening, especially as she has no one to go to with her fears and anxieties.
She does begin to explore, and gets lost in the Forest in the Hallway, where she meets strange and interesting beings, including a family of winged beings, sort of like an oversized Tinkerbell from the Peter Pan stories.
Overall it was a good read, but would have been better if the child was allowed to do the work to recover the people who were her parents (and could their identity have BEEN any more obvious?).
January 14, 2018
A modern day Alice in Wonderland. Beatriz goes to stay with her uncle after her parents disappear and she goes looking for them down the hallway in an alternate universe where nothing is as it seems at first glance. Very imaginative and enjoyable to read. It would have been a great read to share with a grandchild if they didn't get frightened easily. I liked it a lot!
January 23, 2021
my absolute favorite book of all time. I've loved this since I was a little girl, and that hasn't changed. there are so many elements to this book that keep it interesting no matter how many times you read it. I discover something new about it everytime I read it. the perfect blend of mystery, humor, and contains plenty of relatable and whimsy characters.
April 29, 2023
What a weird whimsical story.
Beatriz gets transported to a magical world. I found its pregression style reminded me of Alice in Wonderland as Beatriz follows a gnarly path in a magical place meeting a lot of strange situations and characters as she goes. There is even a mad (malevolent) tea party.
It was an interesting and enjoyable journey. I wish I had stumbled across it as a child.
Beatriz gets transported to a magical world. I found its pregression style reminded me of Alice in Wonderland as Beatriz follows a gnarly path in a magical place meeting a lot of strange situations and characters as she goes. There is even a mad (malevolent) tea party.
It was an interesting and enjoyable journey. I wish I had stumbled across it as a child.
July 17, 2025
I loved this imaginative and slightly creepy adolescent read. Reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, very creative characters and settings, excellent descriptive writing and a plucky 14 year old heroine who doesn’t give up. Dreamlike in parts and realistic in others, and Death as a character does not disappoint!
November 27, 2017
I picked this one up because of the title and the cover art. A little disappointing but I'm not all that into Young Adult fantasy. There were some fun things but a lot of the story fell flat and I guessed the big mystery early on. A pretty book, though.
May 12, 2012
You know how sometimes really strange can be cool and different? That wasn't this book. It was weird from start to finish; one of those where I turned the last page and thought "what was the point?"
It started out promising with Beatriz walking down a little-used hallway in her uncle's apartment and ending up in a different place. Shortly after, she meets Death. Interesting, right? Well, Death was the most interesting part of the story and, sadly, he doesn't play a huge part.
There are some interesting characters and happenings, but they don't really make any sense. And by the time they do make sense, it just feels kind of lame. Of course, there's also the other "world" itself. It was basically Normal Land with some random things thrown in to make it feel a little different.
The Nutshell: Honestly, I didn't really care for The Forest in the Hallway. I was hoping for a magical story about a girl traveling to a magical forest/world on a search for her parents. What I got was a sometimes stupid/sometimes heroic girl traveling through a world similar to our own only with a witch, some people with dragonfly wings, and life-force vampires.
Miss
It started out promising with Beatriz walking down a little-used hallway in her uncle's apartment and ending up in a different place. Shortly after, she meets Death. Interesting, right? Well, Death was the most interesting part of the story and, sadly, he doesn't play a huge part.
There are some interesting characters and happenings, but they don't really make any sense. And by the time they do make sense, it just feels kind of lame. Of course, there's also the other "world" itself. It was basically Normal Land with some random things thrown in to make it feel a little different.
The Nutshell: Honestly, I didn't really care for The Forest in the Hallway. I was hoping for a magical story about a girl traveling to a magical forest/world on a search for her parents. What I got was a sometimes stupid/sometimes heroic girl traveling through a world similar to our own only with a witch, some people with dragonfly wings, and life-force vampires.
Miss
August 8, 2011
When her parents vanish, 14-year-old Beatriz is sent to live with her uncle in New York City. Lonely, bored, and miserable, she was sitting and staring out the window when she noticed a face in the grain of the window sash. When she stared at it, it winked at her. Then she heard a voice from a small crack, "Nineteenth floor!"
Her adventures continued when Beatriz cautiously ventured to the 19th floor, and found that the farther down the hall she walked, the more it seemed that she was walking into a forest. Like Alice in Wonderland, things then became curiouser and and curiouser. But Beatriz kept walking -- eventually into a magical world with some very entertaining characters, and a few very dangerous ones!
As others have said, not much point to things, but if you are willing to go along for the sake of the fantasy, you will find an entertaining, quick-reading novel for 9- to 14-year-old girls.
Her adventures continued when Beatriz cautiously ventured to the 19th floor, and found that the farther down the hall she walked, the more it seemed that she was walking into a forest. Like Alice in Wonderland, things then became curiouser and and curiouser. But Beatriz kept walking -- eventually into a magical world with some very entertaining characters, and a few very dangerous ones!
As others have said, not much point to things, but if you are willing to go along for the sake of the fantasy, you will find an entertaining, quick-reading novel for 9- to 14-year-old girls.
January 13, 2012
The day before her fourteenth birthday, Beatriz comes home from school and finds her parents gone.
Beatriz is sent to stay with her Uncle M in New Year until her parents are found. She gets invited to the nineteenth floor and she goes in hopes of finding clues about where her parents might be. That is where Beatriz strange journey begins.
I thought this was a pretty good book. It moved a little slow at times, but some parts were really interesting. And it had me wondering through most of the book about her parents and where they were. Then who the witch really is surprised me. Any book that keeps me guessing and surprises me is a good book.
And I also liked the characters. Beatriz, Rose and her children, even Death was fun when he make his appearances. Overall, I thought the book was a nice read.
Beatriz is sent to stay with her Uncle M in New Year until her parents are found. She gets invited to the nineteenth floor and she goes in hopes of finding clues about where her parents might be. That is where Beatriz strange journey begins.
I thought this was a pretty good book. It moved a little slow at times, but some parts were really interesting. And it had me wondering through most of the book about her parents and where they were. Then who the witch really is surprised me. Any book that keeps me guessing and surprises me is a good book.
And I also liked the characters. Beatriz, Rose and her children, even Death was fun when he make his appearances. Overall, I thought the book was a nice read.
December 22, 2009
I liked this book it was a fantasy book written for young adults that had some unique fantasy adventures. It wasn't the normal.. fight fire breathing beast, win back love/r... I liked the fact that the main characters who help the story along are most women figures. There seem to be very few strong female leads in books still to this date. They are usually still in distress, mothers, grandmothers, witches. Not strong adventurous girls or for that fact mothers. I thought the situations were unique and not too cliche.. thought the bewitched house in the woods does date back to Hansel and Gretel. Besides that it was a fairly well written young adult fantasy.
February 12, 2008
April 22 review:
I liked this book a lot! It was about a girl named Beatriz that comes home one day and finds that her parents have vanished. Beatriz then gets take to her uncles house after staying at her friends for a week awaiting her parents arrival. There she does nothing but sit in her uncles appartment all day, so one day she desided to explore. On the 19th floor she finds herself walking into a forest were she find an adventure and mystery to find her parents. I think this book had a bad ending but overall a good book.
I liked this book a lot! It was about a girl named Beatriz that comes home one day and finds that her parents have vanished. Beatriz then gets take to her uncles house after staying at her friends for a week awaiting her parents arrival. There she does nothing but sit in her uncles appartment all day, so one day she desided to explore. On the 19th floor she finds herself walking into a forest were she find an adventure and mystery to find her parents. I think this book had a bad ending but overall a good book.
March 16, 2009
Nope - disjointed and disappointing. Constantly leaves you hanging and there is no satisfactory resolution nor does our heroine experience any significant change. She merely goes along with the series of events until all cast and characters come to the end of the ride. You can skip this one unless you like short visual vignettes which exist like pieces of a dream -- never fully focused nor explained.
June 1, 2015
"The Forest in the Hallway" is an incredible, page turning book about a girl named Beatriz, it was her fourteenth birthday. In the afternoon, Beatriz comes home from school to find her parents missing. After lots of work being put into this mystery, she is shipped off from her home in Des Moines to her uncle’s New York apartment, where, in the hallway, she finds a portal to a weird magical land leaving the world she left behind with more coming ahead.
March 12, 2011
I liked it.. sort of. It seemed, as others have said, a bit thrown together. I didn't think there was enough character development and a lot of parts were just really random. I guess it's fine for a middle grade, but it's really not my thing. The blurb on the back definitely led to a disappointment for me.
November 13, 2007
This was a very good book! It had so many different adventures that are so odd that they keep you wanting to read, and makes it hard to put it down. It has a ton of fantasy in it, so anyone who likes fantasy would like this book.
January 26, 2010
Did this story make sense? No. And I wasn't wild about the main character, either. But it was imaginative and a quick, entertaining read. I'd like to see the author rewrite it with more editorial guidance.
February 16, 2011
A slightly obtuse adventure of a young girl looking for her lost parents. A little bit like "Alice in Wonderland." I was relieved to find out that everything works out in the end. I would recommend this book for teens or older.
November 9, 2007
Also a strange book. It takes place in an unknown world of imagination. It's very creative and includes all sorts of mystical creatures and some interesting adventures.
December 25, 2007
Weird but interesting.
July 3, 2008
This is a childrens book but I enjoyed it a lot. I was drawn into it and finished it in one day.
July 14, 2008
It was a good book, but it was kinda confusing.
Currently Reading
August 9, 2008This is an interesting book so far...I can't tell where it is going.
January 24, 2010
Good book, only problem I had was the concept was a bit similar to Narnia (a hallway becoming a forest) but nice fantasy from girl's point of view that isn't in the Vampire genre
February 9, 2010
It was vary good!
August 24, 2012
Cute :)
September 24, 2013
I like to much this books, has some parts that i don't like it, but it's ok. My favorite carscter is the grim reaper, he is in a few part but its amazing. I recomend this books for kinds.
December 16, 2013
This book was so confusing. The only part that I liked was Death and he wasn't very important. My advice if you want to keep your sanity DON'T read this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews