All the adventure that Ruthie wanted awaits her in the Thorne Rooms at the Chicago Institute of Art. A key, in Ruthie's hands, shrinks her and Jack down to the perfect size to explore the Thorne Rooms. And while inside the miniature rooms, they find that they have traveled to each room's time period! In just one night, they must unravel the mysteries that they face: How does the key work and why does it only work when Ruthie holds it? Who else has experienced the magic of the Thorne Rooms? And why are there objects in the rooms that don't seem to belong there at all? Oh, and they also need to fight a giant cockroach, scale a wall of duct tape, and escape the looming Salem witch trials!
Middle grade readers can rest assured that nothing bad will really happen to Ruthie and Jack. They fly through their adventure with extraordinary ease, shrinking and growing as often as needed without any major (or even minor) consequences. Everything gets wrapped up quite neatly as the story closes, and Ruthie and Jack remain thoughtful, cheerful kids from start to finish. While the sugary sweet ending is a bit much, the essence of The Sixty-Eight Rooms is an homage to art and its mysteries. Much like E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The Sixty-Eight Rooms will have kids thinking about the possibilities of art, its wonder and its allure.
288 pages 978-0375857119 Ages 8-12
Contributed by: Stacy Nockowitz, Librarian
