This is a solid sequel to the first book and while I forgot some of the details, I fell right back into the world and some major points are helpfully recapped.

My main issue with this book is that it isn't as realistic as it could be. No, I don't mean the part where kids shrink with the help of a magic key to explore miniature rooms and the worlds beyond them. I mean where they're smarter than adults and easily arrange the arrest of the villain. Or how the adults who know about this magic are fine letting a couple of kids run the show and solve potentially major problems on their own.

That aside, I love reading about the tiny rooms and the worlds they lead to. This book has a slightly more serious tone as it lightly (very lightly) touches on the nazis and slavery when the kids travel to 1930s France and pre civil war America. Could be a good way to get young readers interested in history and asking questions about big events.

Read it in almost one sitting and I'll be on to the next tomorrow! ( )

Chicago sixth-graders Jack and Ruthie return to the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago and once again go back in time while trying to stop an art thief from endangering the miniature rooms. ( )

I got an eGalley of this book to review from the publisher. This book is a sequel to Sixty Eight Rooms, which I read last year and really enjoyed. This book was equally fun and I enjoyed the mystery and magic involved. It seems like there will probably be another book following this one.

Ruthie and Jack thought that their adventures in the Throne Rooms were over. But there are still mysteries to be solved. Historical items are being stole from the rooms and Ruthie and Jack are concerned that these disappearance might be connected with an art thief that is running rampant in Chicago. Now they have to figure out if there is an art thief involved or if someone else has discovered the magic of the Sixty-Eight rooms. On their adventure to solve this mystery they will journey to 1937 Paris where they try and save a girl and her family from Nazis and they will solve the mystery of the strange purse that Ruthie got in the last book.

These are such wonderful books. The story is a bit simple and predictable but it is well put together and well written. Ruthie and Jack are smart and fun kids who have a good relationship with their parents and get drawn into the most wonderful mysteries. I loved that they spend more time in the magic Throne Rooms in this book than they did in the last book.

In the course of their adventure Ruthie and Jack learn a lot about history; they get to visit Paris during the Nazi takeover and they get to visit the South when slavery was still in practice. They solve a wonderful mystery and I really enjoyed how a number of little elements from the first book were tied into this story; it was well planned out and well put together. I can't comment on the artwork throughout because the advanced copy that I had didn't have any artwork completed yet.

Overall I just really enjoyed Ruthie and Jack as characters. I love the mysteries that they get entangled in; and although the book was a bit predictable it was still very well woven together. I find the magic of the Throne Rooms to be absolutely intriguing and magical; I wish that I could go with Ruthie and Jack and go back in time to see all these awesome events in person. This book is a fun read, teaches some interesting history, and has a wonderful mystery. I recommend it highly to middle grade readers who love learning about history, love mysteries, and love a little magic in their stories. ( )

Stealing Magic: A Sixty Eight Rooms Adventure

by Marianne Malone

Published by Random House Books for Young Readers

Publication date January 24, 2012

I loved this book!! It was just a fun book to read! Imagine finding a key that allows you to shrink small enough to fit into a dollhouse. That's sort of what happens in this book.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. I have to begin by saying I did not read the first book in this series, The SixtyEight Rooms. That will soon be rectified. I think, however, this book can be read as a stand alone story. References are made to the first book, but all is explained.

Jack and Ruthie are two sixth grade friends. They have found a magic key which allows them to shrink and enter into the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. The book is much more involved than this. There is an art thief on the prowl. One who steals from the Thorne Rooms. You see, certain objects in each of the rooms allow the rooms to come to life. Magic. Yes, magic. These items are being stolen from the museum. The two kids must find a way to retrieve the stolen objects and catch the thief! Sound dangerous? You bet! But the book is a lot of fun. I think middle school kids will love the story and yearn for more adventures. ( )