Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Lyons Public Library | JR ROD | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | J Fic Rodda, E. 2008 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
There are three rules to the old painted, music box: Wind the box three times only. Never shut the box when the music is playing. Never move the box before the music stops.Leo wouldn't dream of breaking these rules, but does his stubborn cousin Mimi listen? She winds the box four times -- and suddenly the paintings on its side come to life and a powerful witch is released. Now its up to Leo and Mimi to stop the witch, if only they can find the key to the music box -- and the magical world it controls.
Author Notes
Australian author, Emily Rodda grew up in Sydney, Australia. She attended the University of Sydney and graduated in 1973. Her degree in English literature brought her a career in publishing until she wrote her first book, Something Special, in 1984. She has since gone on to write numerous fantasy series including the Deltora Quest series and the Raven Hill Mysteries. She has won several awards in her native Australia and an anime series has been created based on Deltora Quest.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-When Leo's annoying cousin, Mimi, and her dog arrive for an extended visit, she encourages him to break the rules that accompany the family music box left to him by Great Aunt Bethany. Overwinding the box opens the gate to Rondo, and the Blue Queen jumps into their world and kidnaps Mutt. Mimi insists on rescuing him and follows her back into the fairy-tale world of the music box, and Leo is dragged along as he attempts to stop his cousin. The two children travel over the sides of the box from the town market scene, to the Flitter wood full of pixielike creatures guiding them, to the Dark Forest, and finally to the palace of the Queen. Along the way traditional characters from nursery rhymes and fairy tales appear to help or hinder their progress, from Old MacDonald to Grandma, who was once tricked by the wolf. The ground is infested with "dots," gingerbread men who are kept away by a sly fox and a brave pig (who went to work after her house was blown down). While the characters and writing are neither complex nor literary, children will get a thrill from identifying the familiar tales referenced. The rollicking, action-packed plot moves along quickly and twists keep readers guessing. Not quite as well crafted as Cornelia Funke's Inkheart (Scholastic, 2003), this story will likely appeal to a less-experienced, less-sophisticated audience.-Kelly Vikstrom, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
At the start of Rodda's (the Deltora Quest series) proficient, old-fashioned fantasy, Leo's great-aunt Bethany has bequeathed him the Langlander family treasure: a music box with minutely painted details of a realm populated, as Leo discovers, by fairytale and nursery rhyme characters. Specific rules govern the music box, as all Bethany's relatives know, and dependable Leo plans to obey them strictly. But when his much-loathed cousin Mimi arrives for an extended stay, she seizes the first opportunity to break them. Suddenly figures on the box seem to have moved from their spots-and could it be that its butterflies now fly in Leo's room? Before long the children have summoned a sorceress, who lures them into Rondo by returning there with Mimi's dog in tow. This novel offers many elements characteristic of classic children's fantasy: an alternate world, a magical object that bridges worlds, two unsupervised child protagonists on a quest, tension about the protagonists' ability to get home again. Rodda's embellishments-the children find Langlander relatives in Rondo and discover that in Rondo their family history serves as fairytale-add some texture as well as originality. Ages 9-12. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Overwinding an inherited music box sends Leo Langlander and his cousin, Mimi, into a world where fairy tales are history and the Blue Queen rules despotically. A band of adventurers helps rescue Mimi's dog from the queen, but are they really who they seem? Rodda overdoes the double-agent schtick, but inventive settings and comic characters keep readers involved in the story. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Rodda liberally sprinkles nursery-rhyme references and fairy-tale motifs among her own fresh details to create a splendidly vivid world. Leo and his "least-favorite second cousin" Mimi have seen each other annually at Great-Aunt Bethany's prim afternoon teas. When Great-Aunt Bethany dies and leaves Leo a finely painted music box, he plans to obey its strict rules--"Turn the key three times only," etc.--but Mimi comes to visit and immediately the music box is overwound. The tiny, delicately bold paintings on its sides come to life, springing into Leo's bedroom. An evil queen snatches Mimi's dog back into the music-box world, and Leo and Mimi are off in pursuit. Despite clashing temperaments, the two stick together through their frightening and colorful travels, while adults seem to constantly flip-flop in trustworthiness. Many references are inexplicit and connections left until the satisfying end; Rodda trusts her readers and gives them sweetness and real emotion with zero sentimentality. A perfect companion to Lyn Gardner's Into the Woods (2007). (Fantasy. 9-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Sensible, rule-conscious Leo Zifkak inherits a family heirloom music box from his great-aunt Bethany along with directives on its use: only three turns of the key and never turn the key, close the lid, or move the box while it is playing. When Leo's willful cousin Mimi arrives for a visit, the pair experiment with the device and find themselves transported to Rondo, the magical kingdom depicted on the box, where they attempt to rescue Mimi's dog from an evil sorceress. Rodda, the author of the Rowan of Rin series, has created another appealing fantasy, this one populated with familiar fairy-tale characters and long-lost relatives of Leo and Mimi. Rodda keeps the pace brisk and the plot turns frequent as the children try to figure out whom they can trust and negotiate an alternate reality where fairy tales are accounts of members of their own families. A good choice for fantasy buffs or fans of Lyn Gardner's Into the Woods (2007).--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2007 Booklist