The Sixty-Eight Rooms (The Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures) (edició 2011)

I found the writing uninspiring and boring. The book simply seemed to lack character development.
A museum in Chicago holds a miniature display of 68 rooms. Called the Throne rooms, and housed in the Art Institute, two youngsters go on a class trip and become enthralled with the display. Finding that one can shrink herself and fit in the rooms.

One Star ( )

Ruthie, sixth grader at a private school in Chicago, feels like her life is utterly boring. She longs to be one of those people to whom something special happens. When her best friend Jack finds a strange key on their visit to the Thorne Rooms at the Chicago Art Institute, Ruthie gets her wish. She gains the ability to shrink and explore the sixty-eight fantastically detailed miniature rooms, but finds more than she bargains for inside.

This book was a fun, quick read (probably I say that often, but most middle grade doesn't take long to get through). Ruthie was a very relatable character (despite my being about 16 years older than her) - she yearns for adventure and upon seeing the miniature rooms the first time, desperately wishes she could explore them. Not only was young Millie likely to feel the same way at her age, had I visited the Thorne Rooms, but as an adult I would still want to explore the tiny rooms! I would absolutely jump at the chance for some sort of magical adventure. Jack and Ruthie exploring the museum after hours reminded me of a book I read (and loved) in middle school, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and gave me a wonderful sense of nostalgia. Malone did an excellent job of describing the rooms and their different time periods, and I really did feel like I was part of the story.

My one real critique would be that I felt there was nothing really at stake. I thought their adventure might involve the pair taking more risks or facing real danger, and I was a little let down. But I still enjoyed the book and I will be purchasing the next three in the series!

Also the cover design is fabulous, as well as the decorative font selection and the key elements throughout the book. There are a handful of full page illustrations and those were alright - nothing mind-blowing, so I could take them or leave them. ( )

This was a fun audio. While the book was not showered with glowing reviews, I really enjoyed the story, especially as it is great fantasy for 3-5 grades, which can be a hard age for good literature. Kids LOVE the Magic Treehouse books, and this is a perfect next step, blending mysterious magic and time travel (Magic Treehouse) with the special appeal of miniaturization (The Borrowers), and the secrets of a museum (From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler). Even better: the miniatures and museum in question are real: the setting is the Thorne Rooms of the Art Institute of Chicago (http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/thorne).

One criticism of the book is that the main characters -- 6th grade best friends Jack and Ruthie -- do not act their age. While this may be true, that's part of what makes the book so appropriate for, say, 3rd graders. It also adds something of an old-fashioned vibe to the book. Jack and Ruthie discover a magic key that allows them to shrink down to miniature size so that they can go in the Thorne Rooms. The two friends contrive to spend the night in the museum, exploring the rooms, and examining the artifacts inside. They discover that the windows and doors -- and the realistically painted scenes outside -- are actually real, so they are able to visit French Revolution-era Paris and Salem Witch Trials-era Massachusetts. They also discover that they are not the first magically miniaturized visitors to the Thorne Rooms, and that previous visitors may have left behind important treasures. A fun, light read for younger readers that also explores historical time periods -- again, a next step for Magic Treehouse lovers.

I really enjoyed this fantasy, especially the mostly uninterrupted "exploration" aspect of it. This is a great book for anyone who ever wanted to live in a dollhouse! I'd never heard of the Thorne Rooms before and now I'll be sure to look them up if I'm ever in Chicago. ( )

Uninspired fantasy about a magic key that shrinks a girl down so she can fit into dollhouse rooms. There are authors who could have made a great book out of that premise, but this one didn't. The kids seemed very young for their ages, and the writing style made me feel like I was being talked down to. I always hate that -- as though the text had to be dumbed down in order for me to understand it. I've read my obligatory 50 pages and I don't plan to read any more. ( )