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| Book | Searching... Buffalo Creek Memorial Library at Man | MAL | Juvenile | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Gallaher Village Public Library | MAL | Juvenile | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Fans of magic, mystery, and adventure will love the third The Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure-- a perfect next step for kids who love the Magic Tree House series , and just right for readers who love Chasing Vermeer, The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and Wonderstruck. Sixth Graders Ruthie and Jack return to the Art Institute of Chicago's magical Thorne Rooms. During a school presentation, Ruthie and Jack discover that their classmate Kendra is descended from Phoebe Monroe, the young slave they befriended when they traveled to 19th-century South Carolina. Kendra tells them that long ago her family lost their good name and their business selling herbal remedies when mobsters accused them of stealing the recipes! Only Ruthie and Jack know the truth--because only they know about the secret ledger that Phoebe wrote the recipes in long ago! Ruthie and Jack's mission to clear Kendra's name takes them back to the Thorne Rooms, where a mysterious old coin leads them to 1753 Cape Cod and to Jack's own ancestor . . . the pirate Jack Norfleet! But playing with history can be dangerous ! Suddenly, Jack's very existence is in jeopardy! Can Ruthie and Jack find the proof they need to help Kendra? And can they fix the past and save Jack's future . . . before it's too late?
Here's What People Are Saying about The Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures!
The New York Times:
"Irresistible."
Chicago Sun-Times:
"Exhilarating."
Chicago Tribune:
"Marianne Malone has tapped into a fantasy that is . . . completely universal."
Author Notes
MARIANNE MALONE is the mother of three grown children, a former art teacher, and cofounder of the Campus School Middle School for Girls in Urbana, Illinois. She is currently working on the fourth Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure. For Teacher's Guides (including common core tie-ins) and more, visit MarianneMalone.com.
Reviews (3)
Horn Book Review
Sixth graders Jack and Ruthie, able to shrink and use the Art Institute of Chicago's miniature Thorne Rooms as time portals, clear a friend's family name with evidence from her slave ancestor and almost negate Jack's existence through an encounter with his pirate ancestor. Full of coincidences and sweet resolutions, this series continues to provide adventure for readers unready for more intense scenarios. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Sixth-grade sleuths Jack and Ruthie are no strangers to the magic of the miniature Thorne Rooms, but this time, changing the past may do more harm than good. Through a school genealogy project, Jack and Ruthie learn that a fellow student is distantly related to Phoebe Monroe, the young slave girl whom they met in the previous adventure (Stealing Magic, 2012). As a result of a scandal, later generations of Phoebe's family lost their fortune and their good standing in the community. Jack and Ruthie can clear the family name, but it means shrinking down and locating hidden documents inside the Chicago Art Institute's miniature rooms. Meanwhile, Jack's family history is also intertwined in the Thorne Rooms. An old coin--a piece of eight--leads him to travel back in time to 1753 and meet his ancestor, pirate Jack Norfleet. But suddenly, Jack begins to disappear! Changing history can bring disastrous results. Keeping track of all the magical restrictions, along with the spatial logic required to follow air ducts and specifically placed ladders, can be enough to make readers' heads spin. Add in all of the great-great-great-great-great-great ancestors, plus two parallel yet unconnected storylines, and this magical adventure slows to a crawl. Dedicated Sixty-Eight Rooms readers will have the patience to sift through, but if newcomers to the series start here, they just might abandon ship. (Fantasy. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
The Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure series blends multiple topics of fascination to many a reader: miniaturization (think The Borrowers), time travel (think the Magic Tree House), mystery (think Hardy Boys), and secretly trawling a museum behind the scenes (think From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler). In this third outing, Jack's ancestor, from whom he inherits a gold coin, was apparently a seagoing man, and the coin appears to be connected to the adventures the kids have when they make themselves small enough to stroll though the doll-sized, historically decorated Thorne Rooms at Chicago's Art Institute. The mystery of the coin, and another involving Phoebe, a slave girl the friends met in a previous outing, reveal a new facet of the rooms' importance: as repositories for vital artifacts. Retrieving one for a classmate related to Phoebe becomes the duo's mission, even as they discover unwanted consequences. Intriguing, and with enough loose ends to entice readers to further installments, this remains a standout series.--Cruze, Karen Copyright 2010 Booklist
