This sequel to the popular The Sixty-Eight Rooms (2010) begins just a few months after the first book ended. Sixth-graders Ruthie and Jack are just coming down from their adventure at the Art Institute of Chicago's minature Thorne Rooms. Well, really, inside the Thorne Rooms, as a magic key allowed them to shrink and enter the dollhouse-proportioned spaces. Now the key once more leads them back in time til it's stolen. The tension is cranked up even higher as the kids try to help a Jewish girl in 1937 Paris escape the Holocaust and also meet a slave girl in pre Civil War Charleston. These events may be one too many, causing the magical machinations to become more complicated than ever. Still, there's a respectable villian, plenty of action, and a nice dose of art and history to keep readers involved. Oh, and magic. Don't forget the magic.

In this sequel, Ruthie and Jack use the Thorne Rooms to time-travel for commendable purposes, like convincing a Jewish family to leave Europe before the Holocaust. But the sixth graders must stop an art thief with selfish designs on the rooms. Innocent in tone, this return to a magical Art Institute of Chicago combines a kid-empowering mystery with glimpses into history.

Mystery abounds once again in the miniature Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. Though their first adventure is over (The Sixty-Eight Rooms, 2010), Ruthie and Jack still possess the magical key that can shrink them down to fit into the tiny rooms at the museum. They know they should return it, but it's difficult to walk away from that kind of power. Suddenly, objects start disappearing from the rooms. There is also a real-life art thief striking the city. Could the two be connected? Having established the magical premise in the first volume, this story jumps right into the action--but one would be hard pressed to say the narrative is action-packed. In this light read that tumbles along pleasantly enough, the pair also visit the World's Fair in 1937 Paris, meeting a girl who may not escape the horrors of World War II, as well as the antebellum South, where they meet a young enslaved girl. These junkets provide a hint of tension but are quickly, and neatly, resolved, leaving readers poised for the next comfortable outing. A blend of magic, history and mystery for patient readers who want to catch the crook but don't necessarily need a good chase. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Gr 4-6 A magical romp infused with mystery, this sequel picks up just hours after the conclusion of The Sixty-Eight Rooms (Random, 2010). Sixth-graders Ruthie and Jack return to the Thorne Rooms, the 68 miniature rooms in the Art Institute of Chicago, where Ruthie once again shrinks to explore the rooms using her magic key. They discover that someone has responded to the note they left in Jack's shrunken Bento box. To further complicate matters, the friends realize that items are missing from the rooms and they make a connection between them and a spree of art thefts. Ruthie and Jack put their detecting skills to the test, encountering more enchantment that transports them to 1800s Charleston, SC, and 1937 Paris in their quest to find the thief and help people they meet in their travels. Explanations of previous plot points detract from the story; they are too detailed for those who read the original and not quite enough for those who have not. Secondary characters are fleshed out and become more prominent than they were in the first book. Black-and-white full-page illustrations are scattered throughout, and, although lovely, they don't enhance the plot. An author's note helps readers differentiate between fact and fiction. This book will appeal to established fans. Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL