Living at Langster Motel Book Review and Author Interview

In 2017, a movie called The Florida Project was released, and it was one of the most underrated movies of the year. The film is about a group of kids living in a motel practically next door to Disney World. While well off families with money to burn vacation at “the happiest place on Earth,” these kids have fun just exploring the stairwells and lobbies of their temporary home while their parents scrape together the weekly room fees in order to keep a roof over their heads.

So, when I heard about Cindy Sabulis’ middle grade novel, Living at the Langster Motel, I was immediately intrigued. It sounded like The Florida Project for teens, and in many ways it is. But unlike the five-year-olds in the film who are oblivious of their circumstances, the protagonist in this book is well aware of the reputational damage that living in a motel can inflict on a teenage girl. Below is my review of Living at the Langster Motel along with an interview with Sabulis about her writing history and her books.

Living at Langster Motel book summary

Thirteen-year-old California “Cali” Jarvis has been living with her mother and two sisters at the Langster Motel ever since her parents separated a few months prior. Cali is starting the eighth grade with her best friend, Rivka, whose father owns the motel.

Although the Langster is home to many displaced families and has become its own tight-knit community, Cali knows that her current address will do nothing for her social status. She’s determined to fit in with the popular girls who she and Rivka call, The Royals.

But it’s hard to fit in when your bus stop is situated in front of a dive motel, you have no money for clothes, makeup, or activities, and the only work you can get is when your mom volunteers you to watch the younger kids at the motel for free. Still, Cali is dead set on becoming a Royal at any cost, and this determination tests her loyalty, trust, and self-respect as she must choose between being popular and being just another long-term resident at the Langster Motel.

The characters

Cali is a layered, flawed, but ultimately likeable hero of her story. Her situation invokes sympathy, but she’s not a character to pity. She is well-adjusted despite her circumstances, sharing a room with her mom, older sister, Phoenix, and younger sister, Georgia. She misses her dad but not the fighting that went on while her parents still lived together. And her best friend, Rivka, helps to distract her from her family life.

It was nice to drop in on Cali a few months into her stay at the Langster Motel rather than have to follow her on her journey to adjust to the routine of motel life and befriending Rivka upon their arrival. Sabulis catches up the reader fast, and the setting and relationships are so quickly and strongly established that the story is able to proceed head on without a slow, expository build up.

Rivka’s situation is permanent, but she doesn’t have the broken home situation to deal with. Meanwhile, Cali is an experienced public school student and is able to help Rivka learn about the social hierarchy of middle school. Unfortunately, it blinds her to the way the popular girls use her tendency to idolize them to their advantage.

These girls are your typical stuck up, rich, superficial villains. They make Cali do their homework, throw out backhanded compliments, and give her ultimatums that separate her from Rivka. Of course, not all popular girls are as evil and self-absorbed at these girls, but these are the girls that Cali blindly decides are the ones to befriend. They draw the most attention by the way they dress and the authoritarian way they decide what, or who, is worthy of their time.

Motel life

School life directly contrasts with life at the Langster Motel, where everyone is in the same boat. This motel is a stepping stone to more permanent housing. Some have lost their jobs. Others have lost their homes. Then there are those like Cali’s family who simply left their major breadwinner and have to save up for their next home.

As a result, everyone helps out everyone else. Unfortunately, Cali and Rivka’s ages make them prime candidates for free babysitting services. With few places to hide to escape these impromptu jobs, they are often found in the parking lot keeping an eye on everyone who is younger than they are.

In return, the families work together to celebrate holidays, buy gifts, or raise money for those in need at the motel. These selfless actions contrast with the self-centeredness that is middle school life. Cali tries to straddle both, helping to raise money for a family who lost their home in a fire and setting up a scavenger hunt for the kids at the motel.

At the same time, she tries her best to dress and act like the popular kids while at school. It’s an exhausting dual life that causes her to make rash, and even harmful, decisions.

Keeping the plot light but interesting

While it’s not deeply explored, it’s hinted that the desire to fit in goes beyond just wanting to climb the social ladder. These popular girls represent stability and normalcy that Cali hasn’t had since moving to the motel.

At one point, she snaps at Rivka for not acknowledging the fact that she’s from a broken home. Rivka is taken aback by this. So much of Cali’s energy is poured into her self-image that it buries the deeper issues and life changes that have turned her world upside down.

However, I like the fact that Sabulis chooses not too get too brooding or moody with these darker plot points. Being in a tough situation doesn’t mean that life is bad all the time. There are some advantages to living in the Langster. It just takes her time to realize and embrace it.

My recommendation

The plot of Living at the Langster Motel is fairly predictable, but this doesn’t take anything away from the lessons or the characters. The story stays concentrated on its central conflict. It doesn’t resort to a sensational climax or storybook ending in order to keep the reader interested. It’s the premise, the characters, and the universal message that keep the reader interested.

This book is for young teen girls, or anyone who has lived through those teen years, who could use a reminder about the importance of self-worth and the value of friendship and community over social status. It’s an easy concept to forget, especially this day and age when we’re all trying to depict a sugar-coated, glamorous lifestyle. This manufactured mirage is even more believable at thirteen but can be even more damaging to our developing self-image at this age. Sometimes it takes seeing someone in a stripped down, unglamorized situation to remind us that life is more complex than the branded image of “normalcy” to which we’re expected to conform.

Some of us don’t make it through the gates of Disney World, no matter how close to it we live, but that doesn’t mean our lives are any less fulfilling. Chasing the high of a dream vacation can take away from the natural happiness of simple things that we don’t have to fight so hard for.

Author Interview with Cindy Sabulis

Author links

Website

Facebook – Living at the Langster Motel

Goodreads

Facebook – Garage Sale How To Guide

Book Titles

Living at Langster Motel (middle grade novel)

In addition, authored four doll collecting reference guides and an advice and tips book on holding a garage sale:

The Garage Sale How-To Guide

Tammy Rarities From Around The World

Collector’s Guide to Dolls of the 1960s and 1970s, Volumes 1 and 2

Collector’s Guide to Tammy “The Ideal Teen”

Genres: Middle Grade Fiction, nonfiction reference guides

Living at the Langster Motel book summary

Thirteen-year-old Cali Jarvis isn’t really homeless, she just doesn’t live in a normal home. Instead, she lives in single room with her mother and two sisters at Langster Motel. In addition to her family, there are plenty of other people who live at the motel. Living there is no vacation for anyone, but when you’re in middle school, it’s downright embarrassing. Living in Langster Motel is about a young girl’s embarrassment of living in a motel and her journey towards acceptance of the unique community where she lives.

Book excerpt

Rivka Christianson and I have only known each other since the beginning of summer, but it’s like we’ve been best friends forever. The night my family arrived at the motel, Rivka was sitting outside the office watching us unpack our car. I assumed she was about my age, so naturally, I was curious and snuck peeks over at her. After the car was unloaded and my sisters were in the room calling dibs on which bed they got, I hung outside making sure nothing else was left in the car. Rivka came over and plopped herself down in the patio chair near our room. She had curly blond hair that ran wild on her head and freckles splattered over every visible part of her body.

“Six months,” she said.

I waited for her to say something else, but when she didn’t, I asked, “What’s six months?”

“I predict you’ll be here for six months.”

“We’re only here for the night,” I informed her, smoothing my own hair to be sure it didn’t look anything like the roll of tumbleweed that had landed on her head.

“Trust me,” she said. “I have this sixth sense about guests who stay one night and those who end up staying for a year.”

“Does this sixth sense have anything to do with how much stuff people remove from their cars and carry into their rooms?”

She folded her arms. “What? You don’t believe me?”

I shrugged. “No, it’s just we’re definitely not going to be here six months.”

Review excerpts

“This is an enjoyable and accessible story for middle grade readers that speaks of friendship and belonging in a way that is not often done. It is a recommended addition to libraries for children.” – Mary R. Lanni, MLIS

“This is a charming story that deserves a solid four stars. I adore the message, and many of the characters’ interactions are fun. There’s just enough drama to keep you interested, but it doesn’t weigh down the lighthearted nature of the story. I recommend it for anyone looking for an easy, pleasant read.” –  Kitiera Morey

Talking Shop

What do you want readers to take away from your book?

My story is about a girl who is living in a motel after her parents’ separation. Right now, there are many kids like my main character who are living in motels because their parents lost their homes for some reason, maybe from foreclosure, a divorce, or a natural disaster.

These families aren’t thought of as homeless, yet like homeless people they don’t have a permanent place to live. The children who live in motels usually attend local schools and try their best to fit in with kids who live in more traditional homes.

My hope is that Living in Langster Motel will give some of these children a character they can identify with. For those kids who have never been in that situation, it will introduce them to a different living situation they might not have known about before.

The idea for Living at Langster Motel came from my own experience of living in a motel for seven months when I was eleven years old. Back then, very few people lived in motels. Now days, it’s much more common.

What’s the best review/compliment that you’ve received about your book?

There have been a number of instances that stand out, but one of the best compliments I received with any of my books was when a woman came up to me after my first book was published and told me my book changed her life. She was in tears as she told me her story and how my book played a part in her healing. That moment when she came over to me with my book clutched to her chest and told me how the book affected her is something that will stay with me forever.

What is a fun or strange source of inspiration that ended up in your book?

In my book, the boys at the motel have a clubhouse that they built behind the building where they like to hang out. When I lived in a motel, some of my motel friends and I decided to try to build a clubhouse. It probably was the first time I ever held a hammer in my hand, and it’s amazing I still have any thumbs left after all the nails (and fingers) we pounded as we attempted to get four sheets of plywood to stand up in a square. Unlike the clubhouse in the book, our own attempted clubhouse didn’t last more than a few hours—I think a breeze or someone sneezing blew it down.

How long did it take to write your book from the day you got the idea to write it to the day you published it?

Honestly, it’s taken me a lifetime to write Living at Langster Motel. I started writing it as an autobiography when I was just eleven years old while I was living in a motel. Then I added to it as a teenager. Then I changed it to a fictional story when I was in my 20’s. I kept changing the story and making it a different story for many years, and a lifetime later it morphed into the story it is now.

How long have you considered yourself a writer? Did you have any formal training, or is it something you learned as you went?

I started writing seriously in the 1980’s when I bought a word processor for a ridiculous amount of money. I had to justify that purchase, so started submitting and selling pieces to magazines and newspapers to pay for it.

Some of my formal training can be credited to the numerous English classes I took in college (not by choice). I was a computer science major, but used to joke that I should have majored in English since I ended up taking so many courses in that area.

I transferred colleges three times, and whatever new college I entered wouldn’t accept my English or literature credits from my old college because they had their own required courses that were prerequisites to other courses. In order to fulfill my required English courses at each new school I attended, I kept having to take different English courses.

I think all those English classes helped me learn the rules of grammar and writing which a writer should know (and know how to break effectively). However, most of my real writing training was done on-the-job when I started getting assignments from publications and while I was working as a contributing editor for a newspaper.

If you don’t make a living exclusively writing, what is your day job? How, in any way, does it relate to your life as a writer?

Most of my working life I’ve been juggling multiple careers. Currently, I have two “day” (and night) jobs. I have my writing career, which goes in spurts, and my husband and I own and operate Toys of Another Time, which deals in vintage dolls, toys, and collectibles.

The two jobs tend to overlap because my first four books that I wrote were doll reference guides, so the subject of those books naturally tied into the products our company sells. When we are selling at doll or toy shows, the people who go there are often collectors who own my doll books, so writing reference guides and selling vintage collectibles are closely tied.

Switching into the middle grade genre is a whole new ball game from writing reference guides for adult collectors. Time will tell if being a novelist will somehow tie in with my other day job.

What were your expectations for writing and publishing your first book? Have they changed now that you’ve written your book?

My first book was published in 1997, and the publishing world was very different back then, as was the genre I was writing in. It was a small niche field with only a handful of well-known publishers of collectible guide books, which is what I wanted to write.

I sent a proposal to my #1 choice publisher, tailoring it as much as possible to what I thought they wanted and they accepted it first time out. At that time, I went in with expectations that my proposal was good, the idea was good, and the collecting world was waiting for the subject.

When I got a publishing contract after only one submission, I was thrilled, but not completely shocked. I knew my proposed book was a subject that didn’t have a reference guide like the one I wanted to do and one that other collectors wanted.

With my current middle-grade book, my confidence level isn’t as high; the competition is much greater, and the odds of it succeeding are much lower. However, the targeted audience is much higher in numbers than the audience for my doll collecting books, so anything can happen. I’m going in with few expectations but keeping my hopes high.

Are any of your characters inspired by real life people?

Most of the characters are just my imagination working overtime, but there are a few characters in Living at Langster Motel who were inspired by people who were living in the motel at the time I lived there.

How well do you handle criticism, either while writing, editing, or reviews?  Do you ever use that criticism to change your story?

When I’m in the writing stages, I welcome criticism, critiques, editing, and any feedback good or bad and use it to improve my work. I usually don’t take it personally, even the bad stuff, because I know everyone looks at things from different perspectives so it’s good to get other opinions.

As for handling criticism in reviews, so far, I’ve been lucky, and I haven’t had to deal with that yet, but if it does happen with this book, after the tears dry (which will probably happen), hopefully it empowers me to do better the next time.

What is the most fun part about writing? The most difficult?

The most fun is after a book is done and you get to meet your readers. The most difficult part of writing for me is marketing. With my first three books, my publisher did most of the marketing for me, and I was quite happy to let them do it. These days writers must market themselves, and that’s a real struggle for me.

What skills have you acquired or information have you learned from writing?

In addition to all the research I needed to do for my reference books and the knowledge I gained from doing that, the whole process of getting my books published gave me a little insight into how the book publishing industry works.

“What If” Scenarios

If your book ever becomes a movie and you get final say over the cast, which actors would you hire to play your characters?

Living at Langster Motel becoming a movie would be a dream come true! I don’t have any particular actor(s) in mind to play any of my characters, so I’ll leave that to the casting professionals.

If you could have one person that you admire, living or dead, read your book, who would it be?

Well, going hand-in-hand with the previous question, I’d like some movie producer who produces this genre of movies to read it—and while I’m fantasizing about him or her actually reading it, I’ll fantasize that he or she will be thinking throughout the book, “THIS NEEDS TO BE MADE INTO A MOVIE!”

A wealthy reader buys 100 copies of your book and tells you to hand them out to anyone you wish. Who do you give them to?

That’s an easy answer. I would find motels where there are kids living, and give a copy to every kid there.

You are transported into your book for one day. What role do you play? How do you alter the events of the story?

I would be my main character, Cali, and I would try harder earlier in the game to reach out to the popular Phoebe, who in reality (fictional reality, of course), is hurting and needs real friends. Phoebe may come off like a tough kid she was originally intended to be when I first started crafting her character, but underneath that hard shell she’s not a bad kid.

Cali does reach out a little, but she’s intimidated by Phoebe so doesn’t really push the issue. As my main character, I would also not waste time trying to get in with the popular kids at school because that’s just not important to me like it is with Cali, and I probably wouldn’t care as much about keeping where I lived a secret like Cali is set on. Good thing I’m not the main character, because there probably wouldn’t be much of a story left by the time I got through altering all the events.

You’re given $10,000 to spend on marketing for your book. How do you spend it?

I’d use it to hire a dedicated PR person and tell him or her to go crazy promoting the book for me.

Your book becomes a best seller. What do you do next?

I’m going to Disneyland! Okay…kidding, just thought that sounded like the right answer.

If you inherited a library, what would it look like, and what kind of programs or events would you hold?  

Funny you should ask this question. I’ve been volunteering for something like 14 or more years at my local library, helping with the planning and running of a number of programs, so there’s absolutely no stretch there. Primarily, I help run their twice-a-year used book sales, which takes a lot of work and many volunteers to pull off.

If I inherited a library, I’d definitely host a used book sale there because seeing how much the community comes out for ours tells me there is a need. The book sales are where I put the most effort, but I’ve helped with many different library events and programs over the years, so I do have a leg up on possible programs to run if I happen to inherit a library. As for what “my” library would look like, the main library building where I volunteer is more than 100 years old, and the old sections are what you’d imagine an old library to be, but some amazing renovations and updates are being done to it right now, so if I were to inherit that particular library, the bulk of the work’s already been done for me.

You have the means to hire a full-time assistant to help you with your writing. What tasks do you give them to do?

Ha! Forget the writing tasks, I’d have her or him cook and clean my house for me. However, if we’re keeping it on a professional writing level, I’d have them be my dedicated PR person to do all the grunt work of promotion I don’t enjoy.

Just for Fun

What legacy do you want to leave behind?

When someone is in need of help, I try to be there for them. I hope I pass that trait on to others.

An item from your past that you’d like to have back.

My 20-year-old body.

One bucket list item you’ve completed and one that’s still on your list.

Completing Langster Motel was on my bucket list.  Having it listed on the New York Times best sellers list or winning a Newbery Medal for it is high up on my probably-isn’t-going-to-happen- but-I-can-still-dream bucket list.

A book that you recommend everyone reads.

Living at Langster Motel, of course!

Your favorite book format.

Paperback. Hard covers tend to be too heavy to hold. I’ve yet to get into audio books.

Your favorite genre to read.

YA and MG.

Old books or new books?

Old.

The activity you’re doing when you’re not writing.

Running my vintage doll and toy business.

Your most unrealistic dream job.

I have a bunch (guess I dream a lot). One is that I’ve always wanted to be the voice of a cartoon character, but I don’t have a particularly interesting voice, so that’s probably not happening.

Another is I’ve always figured being one of the characters at a theme park like Disney World would be fun, but since I don’t live near any theme parks, that also isn’t happening.

And another dream job would be to play Santa Claus, but as a petite female, I’m just not that believable in the role. I was a very believable elf in my younger days for a company’s yearly Christmas party, and I’m at the age where I could play Mrs. Claus, but I can safely say the job of playing Santa is almost as unrealistic for me as being an astronaut.

Favorite Halloween costume ever.

Growing up, most of our Halloween costumes were put together from things we had around the house, and they were never very creative or particularly interesting. However, one year, my oldest sister and some of her friends decided to be Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and they recruited me and my other sisters to be some of the dwarfs.

The older kids helped us younger kids put together our costumes, and we looked great when we were all in a group–everyone knew right off who we were supposed to be. However, come trick-or-treating time when all the older kids abandoned us, one of my fellow dwarf-sisters and I hit the trick-or-treat road as a dwarf duet.

When we were by ourselves, no one knew who or what we were supposed to be. I was wearing red pants, a green hat, and sporting a long white beard. Some people assumed we were elves of some kind, but with our coats covering up most of our costumes, they couldn’t be sure. Some thought my white beard and red pants meant I must be Santa Claus and they assumed my “Dopey” sister who didn’t have a beard was one of Santa’s elves. A few people thought we were pixies. Some thought the green hats we had on meant we were Robin Hood or Peter Pan (???!).

Without the other five dwarfs and wearing our not-as-impressive-as-we-thought costumes, we had no identity. That costume wasn’t necessarily my favorite, but it definitely was one of my most memorable.

A talent you have and a talent you wish you had.

I’m pretty good with a Kazoo, not so good with a piano. My whole life I’ve wanted to be a good piano player, but it didn’t happen. I do play the piano a little—just enough to impress people who don’t play, but not enough to fool those who do.

When time travel is achieved, do you go forward or backward?

Definitely backwards, and I’m taking a large suitcase with me. If I ever have to come back to the future, I’m bringing back that suitcase full of goodies from the past.

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