Welcome to Wonderland: Home Sweet Motel is an adventure about middle school student Phineas Taylor Willkie, who prefers to be called P.T. Willkie.  P.T. learns that his nutty grandpa (founder of the Wonderland) took a big loan from the bank to help his motel, where P.T. lives.  He also learns that Wonderland has to pay it all back within a month.  To save his home, P.T. opens family attractions to boost the money they get. Next he teams up with a girl his age named Gloria, who is a total business whiz.

While watching television, P.T. learns about a theft of jewels at the Miami Palm Tree Hotel, forty years ago. Even though that hotel is long gone, the jewels are still missing. Apparently, if P.T. finds the jewels, he can save his own motel with the reward money. And wouldn’t you know it, the jewel thieves are staying at the Wonderland Motel!

The thieves call themselves Johnny and Bob, but their real names are Stanley and Sid.  They believe the jewels are hidden in a big fiberglass statue on the motel grounds, based on post cards that a woman they know from thieving alliances sent them from Wonderland. This is the same lady that grandpa used to see at the Wonderland Motel “back in the day.” The thieves are planning to cut into the statue to get the treasure, however, P. T. and Gloria get them into a jail cell for the night with a little trick!  That means P.T. and Gloria have first shot at the statue, but it turns out there is no treasure inside! Is someone else out for it too?  Will P.T. ever learn where the treasure is? Or will his precious motel be closed? Read this book to find out!