School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-The melodramatic tale of a much-abused orphan who discovers a hidden talent and escapes from a brutal home life may seem familiar, but author Georgia Byng has created a character who is much larger than the talent she unleashes (HarperCollins, 2003). Molly Moon's life at Hardwick House for Orphans is terrible. Things seem their darkest when her best friend Rocky is adopted and leaves for America. Molly ocassionally hides in the library, and one day she stumbles upon a book of hypnotism and learns that all of the qualities for which her classmates have teased her are actually assets to a hypnotist. Molly cleverly hones her skills and hypnotizes her way to Broadway, fame, and fortune. Evil Professor Nockman knows of the book's powers, and will stop at nothing to use the book and Molly to achieve his evil goals. Molly, a strong and principled character, never loses sight of what really matters in life, and the final chapters find her back at Hardwick House, bravely leading the other children to a better way of life. Kate Burton brings the rags-to-riches story to life with a broad range of voices and accents, from a cultured British tone to a gruff Chicago snarl. Her British pronunciations add genuineness to the text, and her soft and introspective voice of Molly makes her an even more sympathetic character, contrasting well with the other characters. Fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events and the Harry Potter books will appreciate this plucky little orphan, and will hope for a sequel. David Heyman, producer of the Harry Potter movies, has bought the book's motion picture rights.-MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann Elementary School, Binghamton, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Byng creates a lively symphony of hilarious escapades and madcap chases by adding some unexpected nuances to the time-proven theme of the mistreated orphan. The fun begins in a small British library, where desolate orphan Molly Moon stumbles across a book on hypnotism written by a local doctor. After successfully mesmerizing the spoiled pug dog pet of the orphanage mistress, Miss Adderstone, Molly sets out to change the course of her life-which has become even bleaker since her best friend Rocky departed for America with his new adoptive parents. First, Molly overpowers her enemies, the horrid Miss Adderstone, the equally nasty cook and assorted other bullies. Next, she wins an amateur contest by convincing the entire audience that she is the most talented child in Hardwick village; she uses the prize money to cross the Atlantic, in search of Rocky and further fame and fortune. Despite her "useless" tap dancing feet, Molly quickly rises to stardom as a Broadway actress, but evil Professor Nockman ("I'm no professor, well... a Professor of Crime, perhaps," says he) is watching her every move, anxious to snatch Molly's precious book and take control of her power. In the tradition of a Roald Dahl novel, this bigger-than-life tale offers delightfully dastardly villains, a sympathetic heroine who lives out every child's dream and plenty of fast-paced action. Both humor and moral lessons are played at a loud volume, reminding readers in a light-hearted way that instant success can be a burden as well as a blessing. Ages 8-12. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Living in a bleak orphanage in England, young Molly discovers she has a talent for hypnotism. Her newfound skill leads to fame and fortune in New York City. Though long, this fantasy novel is entertaining and contains humor, larger-than-life characters, and scenes of suspense. From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A how-to manual rescues Molly Moon from her orphanage and its vile inhabitants in an odd mixture of grotesque silliness and moral inspiration. For ten years, Molly has been the lowest of the low. Wicked Miss Adderstone orders her to scrub all the toilets with her toothbrush as punishment for having a bath with more than ten centimeters of water. Mean Hazel Hackersly and Gordon Boils (who eats snot sandwiches) torture her incessantly. Her only friend, Rocky, moved to America. But a book of hypnotism endows Molly with hope. With her huge eyes and droning voice, Molly soon hypnotizes everyone in town. She sets off after Rocky and hypnotizes her way into stardom and a room at the Waldorf. Alas, Molly acquired the book by tricking a wicked professor who will stop at nothing to get the riches hypnotism promises. Molly's solutions to problems are amusing and all evil is redeemed. The salvation of archetypically evil (and archetypically disgusting) villains is dissatisfying in a tale that seems otherwise to be drawing on Roald Dahl and Lemony Snickett. Clumsy, but amusing. (Fiction. 8-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.