Book four in a gentle, charming illustrated series, reminiscent of Paddington Bear Life is certainly full of surprises at the Boubles Grand Hotel. When Mr Badger discovers a mirror that is anything but ordinary, he learns more about his favorite hotel than he would ever have dreamed possible. Leigh Hobbs is the author of the Mr. Badger series and the Old Tom series, which includes Old Tom and Old Tom Goes to Mars . Mr Badger and the Magic Mirror By Leigh Hobbs Allen & Unwin Copyright © 2011 Leigh Hobbs All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-74237-420-8 Contents 1 A Bedtime Story, 2 Tea and Toast, 3 Things to Do, 4 Mr Badger, Explorer, 5 Strange Reflections, 6 Boubles-land, 7 A Grand Tour, 8 Danger Lurks, 9 More Surprises, 10 Back at the Boubles Grand Hotel, 11 A Tale to Tell, CHAPTER 1 A Bedtime Story Whenever Mr Badger came home tired after a hard day's work at the Boubles Grand Hotel, Mrs Badger understood why – for every day brought with it new adventures. Mrs Badger looked forward to hearing all about them at dinnertime. No matter how exhausted Mr Badger might be, he always made sure he read a bedtime story to his darling daughter Berenice, and baby Badger, too. If Mr Badger dozed off in the middle of a story, Mrs Badger knew better than to rouse him from his early evening snooze. On this particularly wintry evening, though, it was going to take an extraspecial effort for Mr Badger to sit and read a story, for he felt absolutely worn out. His day at the Boubles Grand Hotel had been even more eventful than usual. Still, the last thing he wanted was to disappoint the little badgers waiting patiently for him. So, Mr Badger made himself comfortable in the special reading chair next to their beds and began. 'Once upon a time ...' said Mr Badger, as two small, eager faces peered up at him. He knew this part by heart, for every story seemed to begin this way. 'Once upon a time, there was ...' As he was reading, Mr Badger thought about his day. And what a strange day it had been – surely as strange as any story in the book he was holding between his paws ... CHAPTER 2 Tea and Toast Mr Badger's day had begun normally enough. After tea and toast, he had kissed Mrs Badger, darling daughter Berenice, and baby Badger, too. Then he had walked to work at the Boubles Grand Hotel while the moon was still high in the chilly sky. 'Good morning, Algernon,' said Mr Badger with a wave of his arm as he passed the big ape standing in the glass case in the foyer. Continuing along the corridor, Mr Badger noticed loud hammering sounds coming from the top of the stairs. Workmen were busy attaching a large mirror with a golden frame onto the wall at the top of the main staircase. Mr Badger recalled that Sir Cecil Smothers-Carruthers had requested a mirror be moved from one of his private rooms and hung above the stairs. He made a little note to himself to check on its progress later. Once in his office, there was the diary to be checked and mail to be read. A postcard from Miss Pims, Mr Badger's assistant, had arrived from Spain. 'Having a lovely holiday in the sun. Back soon,' it said. Lucky Miss Pims, thought Mr Badger. For a moment, he imagined how nice it would be to escape the cold London winter. Not that he thought about it for very long. He had things to do. (Continues...) Excerpted from Mr Badger and the Magic Mirror by Leigh Hobbs . Copyright © 2011 Leigh Hobbs. Excerpted by permission of Allen & Unwin. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. Used Book in Good Condition