Spending the summer in a strange, dilapidated hotel run for and by disabled people is the last thing that teenager Reggie wants. What about a beachfront? Or sunshine? And why does everything have to revolve around Luke's needs (Luke – who has cerebral palsy – is Reggie’s brother)? Handsome, rich and normal, the boy across the street might offer her the perfect escape. Until, that is, Reggie begins to understand that all that glistens isn’t gold. This fine and entertaining novel by Clayton Lister tracks the ability in all of us to dismiss and demean others, and it also flags up the failure of systems of support. But ‘The Broke Hotel’ is also about the importance of community. Throughout, there are dark moments as Reggie's journey in growing up involves confronting her own ableism and discrimination. And the reader is taken on the same journey as they discover more about the characters and themselves. KM

Published by Stairwell Books