Any young person who has visited the Art Institute of Chicago has seen the Thorne Rooms, 68 miniature rooms depicting European and American life from the 1400s to the 1930s. The rooms were conceived and designed by Mrs. James Ward Thorne, who collected many of the tiny pieces and commissioned several others from talented craftsmen: tiny books, their pages covered in tinier script, clothes, dishes, paintings, and more. Sixth-grade friends Ruthie and Jack find a key on a field trip, and then discover that the key enables them to shrink, small enough to walk around inside the Thorne Rooms! Which room would you most like to visit? How did a pink plastic barrette find it's way into a Colonial American cupboard? A gripping mystery full of stories, secrets, close escapes, and adventure.

Similar authors: Betty Ren Wright, Mary Downing Hahn

Similar books: The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright; The Doll in The Garden by Mary Downing Hahn

Reviewed by: donna

Date read: 7/27/2010

ISBN-10: 0375957103

ISBN-13: 9780375957109

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For as long as she can remember, Molly's father has told her the stories of her ancestors, the Mohawk Indians, and has instructed her to always listen to and trust her inner voice. One day, out of the blue, her parents vanish without a trace. While the authorities search for clues, they put Molly into the care of a man who claims to be her great-uncle. But he is scary and sinister, and she has never seen him before. He takes her to his creepy house to stay, where he locks her in her room at night and seems to be trying to fatten her up. Her instincts tell her that something is wrong, and as she watches him, the skin seeming to melt off of his bones, she is reminded of the Mohawk tale of the Skeleton Man. She confides in her teacher, who seems to believe her, but there is no evidence that he has hurt her, just a bad feeling, so she is trapped with him. Molly fears that her time is running out. Are her parents still alive? Will her inner voice save her? Find out in this one-of-a-kind tale of terror.

Similar authors: Neil Gaiman; Betty Ren Wright; May Downing Hahn

Similar books: Coraline by Neil Gaiman; The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright; Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn; Code Talkers by Joseph Bruchac; Return of Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac

Reviewed by: lauraf

Date read: 5/9/2012

ISBN-10: 0060290757

ISBN-13: 9780060290757

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Five very unusual short stories perfect for making you think and be just a little bit on edge - all by the award-winning Avi. Some are scary, some are funny, but all are tales of transformation. My favorite was about a boy who changes places with a cat. He's bored with school and wants the cats' easy life of napping all day. But what happens when he wants to become himself again and cat doesn't want to be a cat anymore? A wonderful example of 'be careful what you wish for'.

Reviewed by: ewl

Date read: 10/26/2009

ISBN-10: 0152057900

ISBN-13: 9780152057909

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Can you imagine how you would feel if you were tricked into selling your most valuable baseball card by a mean collector? Griffin Bing had this happen to him and he is not about to stand still until he recaptures the card. He and two of his buddies, all misfits of some kind or other, try to recover the card, but must go through several challenges to do so. Griffin is known as 'The Man with a Plan' so through his various 'PLANS' you find out if he is able to retrieve the Babe Ruth baseball card which he found in an old dilapidated house that was being torn down.

Awards nominated: Bluestem Nominee 2012

Reviewed by: cjones

Date read: 4/18/2011

ISBN-10: 0439903459

ISBN-13: 9780439903455

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Theodosia's adventures continue to revolve around ancient artifacts at the Museum of Legends and Antiquities. Who would have guessed that going to a magic show with her friend Sticky Will would lead to extraordinary events involving an emerald tablet, secrets about her birth place, a funeral, and the very interesting Great Awi Bubu? And how does Clive Fagenbush fit into all of this? The first book in the series is Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos followed by Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris and then this one.

Reviewed by: adf

Date read: 1/6/2011

ISBN-10: 054722592X

ISBN-13: 9780547225920

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