Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Meet Molly Moon, an orphan living at Hardwick House with a bunch of other waifs and strays under the watchful eye of the harsh and hairy-faced Miss Anderson. Life at the orphanage is dismal (you know the routine), so Molly spends most of her time living through colourful daydreams. When she discovers a mysterious book on hypnotism in the local library she quickly learns that putting people into a trance can open doors to the most amazing adventures. First of all she hypnotises the entire audience at the local talent contest, bagging herself the prize money. With her winnings, she heads off to New York where her new-found skill enables her to become a Broadway superstar, with the world at her feet. But lurking in the background is sinister stranger with dastardly plans of his own...

Georgia Byng tells Molly Moon's story with a passionate flair that makes both the main character and the world in which she lives unforgettable. The "orphan makes good and beats the evil grown ups" theme is of course irresistible (after all, where would Harry Potter be if his parents had lived happily ever after?), but there is nothing formulaic about this book. Rather, readers are given the opportunity to let their imaginations run totally wild (be honest, who wouldn't jump at the opportunity to make absolutely everyone do exactly as you want them to?), allowing them to sneak a peak at a world where almost anything is possible.

Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism is a gem. Colourful characters, the bright lights of the big city, good versus evil, a little bit of magic and a definite moral to the tale: who could resist? The simple answer is don't even bother trying. Molly Moon will have young readers mesmerised before they even get to the end of the first chapter. Age 8 and over. --Susan Harrison -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.

Georgia Byng's debut novel has already swept to such success that it's due for translation in over 20 countries, with a movie version following close behind (produced by Harry Potter's David Heyman, natch). And with such a genuinely likeable (if straightforward) story and heroine, it's not hard to see why. Molly Moon struggles to survive in Hardwick House, an orphanage apparently run by and for caricatures--the beastly mistress Miss Adderstone and her bad-tempered pug, the muscly Gordon Boils (who tattooed "KING GORD" on the fingers of his fists with a compass and ink), creepy Roger Fibbin with his "sharp nose and cold, spying eyes." But as all wish-fulfillment adventures must go, Molly's life is changed one fateful day, as an arcane book draws out her special talent--she can hypnotize anybody to do anything she wants!

Byng makes good use of her otherwise mundane cast with plenty of wry asides (like Molly's fixation on the transformative promise of advertising), great running jokes (especially the metamorphosis of the orphanage's hard-boiled cook into a proud Italian capocuoco), some clever plot sleight-of-hand, and ample funny descriptions (as when Molly finds herself in the Royal Suite at the Waldorf: "She wasn't sure about the Jacuzzi. It was like ten monsters farting in her bath all at once."). (Ages 9 to 12) --Paul Hughes