Please don't read this review if you haven't read the first book, Floors. There are some unavoidable spoilers for it that I don't want to inadvertently force on someone reading this!

3 Below is just like Floors, except with more craziness, less of a storyline, and a big bang ending that mostly makes sense, but tries too hard to throw you for a big a loop as the last one did.
Anyone from the age of eight (or even some very smart kids younger than that) will like this book, but I can't really see adults falling for it as much. It has absolutely nothing innappropriate in it, there is exactly zero romance (except for a wedding at the very beginning between Remi's mom and Leo's dad - not a spoiler because it's the very first thing that happens). However, there is a fair amount of potty humor. The wonderful, almost magical drink that everybody loves tastes delicious and makes you burp. Really loud. For a long time.
The characters are reasonably well-developed, but you have to accept that it's the wonderful, mysterious Whippet hotel that really matters, ducks and all. This is a very fun read, a mix between [b:Charlie and the Chocolate Factory|6310|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket, #1)|Roald Dahl|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309211401s/6310.jpg|2765786]and [b:The Gollywhopper Games|2540640|The Gollywhopper Games|Jody Feldman|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348206044s/2540640.jpg|2548169]. It's fun, it's short, but it's not as good as Floors and it won't leave you clammering for more. ( )

This is a continuation of "Floors"..... Ms. Sparks the ousted Hotel manager has returned w/ a sinister plot to take over the Whippet Hotel for default of taxes.....

She hires a mysterious man to keep an eye on Leo (the young boy who now owns the Hotel) & his friend/half-brother, Remi.

In order to save the Hotel from default, Leo & Remi have to travel in the Duck Elevator to # Floors below the Hotel.....

The book lacked character stories & sub-plots. It was mostly about the adventure of the two boys.... The adventure was just too fantastical for my liking. ( )

3 Below by Patrick Carman is the sequel to Floors. Leo's father and Remi's mother are married on the roof of the Whippet Hotel. Before they can even cut the cake, they are whisked away by Merganser D. Whippet for a surprise honeymoon. Meanwhile, Leo and Remi are facing a massive tax bill.

The Whippet Hotel, set in an undisclosed Manhattan block is known for its unusually themed rooms. Floors gave readers a tour of its inner workings. In 3 Below, the solution to the tax problem lies in the three subterranean levels.

And here's where my suspension of disbelief is severely challenged. It's probably because I'm a property owner and therefore a payer of property taxes. They are predictable and timely bills. But they also have some wiggle room Ñ both in paying without penalty, and with paying an extra percentage as penalty. Now take a world famous hotel that everyone has heard of and think of the land it sits on, which by its own value would more than pay for the taxes of one overdue bill.

But no, the taxes have to serve as an artificial deadline that forces the two boys to explore the "dangerous" bits of the hotel. Remi and Leo are sent with a shopping list of things they need to complete their quest and pay the tax bill.

3 Below reads more like a Roald Dahl novel than Floors does (including lots of BFG reminiscent bodily noises). There's magical monkeys, an incredibly stinky cat, and a whole lot of burping.

The final act though makes up for the unnecessary silliness. Finally the potential danger manifests. It's also the closet thing to an explanation for all the secrecy to the three basement floors.

There's a third book, The Field of Wacky Inventions which concludes the adventures of Leo and Remi. ( )

Floors #2, or as it's known as 3 Below, is the sequel of Floors. Leo, the main character, is the new owner of the Whippet Hotel. In the beginning of the book, there is a wedding in the Whippet. The bride and groom is Clarence Fillmore, Leo's Dad and Remi's (Leo's best friend) mum, Pilar. Merganzer D Whippet (the previous owner and creator of the hotel) comes to the wedding for a short while with his best friend George Powell. Before they leave, Merganzer reveals that he has paid for a honeymoon for Clarence and Pilar at the Mexican Rivera for a week on a cruise. Merganzer writes a letter to Leo and Remi saying he needs the help as he has forgotten to pay his taxes for the past few years. He gives them instructions and they go to find the money AND save the hotel....Do you want to know what happens next? Read the book, I might've said too much!! It's a really good book. You will like it if you have read Floors. And now I'm going to read Floors #3: The Field of Wacky Inventions!

PSC REVIEW: Fans of Floors (2011) will want to read 3 Below, the second book in the series by Washington state author, Patrick Carmen. Leo has inherited the Whippet Hotel only to discover his benefactor, Merganzer D. Whippet, has forgotten to pay taxes for many years. Mr. Whippet arrives with clues and leaves Leo and his best friend, Remi (now his step-brother) to solve the problem. Armed with clues and the help of Betty the Duck, they find new floors beneath the hotel. Strange monkeys and new inventions and people are discovered as they search for the money. Of course, old nemeses are there to gain ownership of the hotel. And in the end, everyone discovers that Marganzer D. Whippet has had everything under control from the beginning while Leo’s adventures get crazier and crazier. ( )