One of the books I'm reviewing this month for Children's Literature is Molly Moon and the Morphing Mystery released in May, 2010.  It's the fifth in the series.

Now that I've read it, I wonder how I missed out on the fun!  (I suspect I saw the pug on the cover and thought the books were about a dog; alas, I was wrong, though the pug -- named Petula -- is a darling character in the books.)

Molly Moon is an orphan deemed "unlovely and unlovable," the child taunted by the other orphans and tortured by the people to manage the orphanage.  She escapes her real world at the local library, where she discovers (in the first book) a book on hypnotism.  She soon discovers she has a knack for hypnotizing people and making them do whatever she wants, including launching her to fame as a child star. Subsequent books lead her to discover she has other amazing talents, such as time traveling and mind reading.  Byng is a vivid writer, and includes many sensory details and specific descriptions to bring the stories to life. Though not adverse to the occasional use of profanity and toilet humor, on the whole good triumphs over evil.

As for this particular title, Byng includes elements from previous stories (characters, skills, etc.) yet launches Molly on a new adventure that will take her into the bodies of other creatures (morphing) as well as distant places in her attempt to literally save the world from evil.  Environmental overtones toward the end seem a bit heavy-handed for the story, and certain coincidences felt contrived, but it's all in fun and likely wouldn't be noticed by young readers.  I enjoyed escaping for a while into Molly's over-the-top world.

If you go to the HarperCollins site , you can read about Molly Moon, and even read the first books in the series online!  If you'd like this book once I'm done writing my review, drop me a note in the comments and it's yours! 



Molly Moon & the Morphing Mystery