What do you think?
Rate this book
Sixty-Eight Rooms #2
Stealing Magic: A Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure
Ruthie and Jack thought that their adventures in the Thorne Rooms were over . . . until miniatures from the rooms start to disappear. Is it the work of the art thief who's on the loose in Chicago? Or has someone else discovered the secret of the Thorne Rooms' magic? Ruthie and Jack's quest to stop the thief takes them from modern day Chicago to 1937 Paris to antebellum South Carolina. But as more items disappear, including the key that allows them to shrink and access the past worlds, what was once just an adventure becomes a life and death race against the clock. Can Ruthie and Jack catch the thief and help the friends they meet on the way before the magic—and the rooms—are destroyed forever? Fans of magic, mystery, and adventure will love this rollicking sequel to Marianne Malone's The Sixty-Eight Rooms.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
50 people are currently reading
715 people want to read
About the author
Marianne Malone
13 books51 followersI was born and raised in the Chicago area. I was not a nose-in-the-book sort of kid, like many authors. Rather, I could be found climbing trees or building forts, or making something with my hands. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy reading, it’s just that it was hard to squeeze it in with all the other things I wanted to do in a day. My mother was an artist – lucky me! – who taught me all kinds of wonderful ways to make art and to live a creative life.
She also took me to the Art Institute of Chicago frequently, which is where I fell in love with the Thorne Miniature Rooms. Many years later, after I’d studied art in college, began raising my family, co-founded a middle school for girls, and became an art teacher, the Rooms still captured my imagination. In fact, they turned me into a writer when I could no longer ignore the stories they planted in my head.
I wanted to create the kinds of books I would have loved when I was young, the kind of books that would have made me stop what I was doing, the kind of books I couldn’t put down. I had to work hard to learn how to turn these stories that lived in my head into books that young readers would enjoy. But that was half the fun of it – learning a new way to be creative!
She also took me to the Art Institute of Chicago frequently, which is where I fell in love with the Thorne Miniature Rooms. Many years later, after I’d studied art in college, began raising my family, co-founded a middle school for girls, and became an art teacher, the Rooms still captured my imagination. In fact, they turned me into a writer when I could no longer ignore the stories they planted in my head.
I wanted to create the kinds of books I would have loved when I was young, the kind of books that would have made me stop what I was doing, the kind of books I couldn’t put down. I had to work hard to learn how to turn these stories that lived in my head into books that young readers would enjoy. But that was half the fun of it – learning a new way to be creative!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
November 14, 2024
Tiny Craig and I adored this book! Can’t wait for #3 to start!
March 15, 2017
This is a solid sequel to the first book and while I forgot some of the details, I fell right back into the world and some major points are helpfully recapped.
My main issue with this book is that it isn't as realistic as it could be. No, I don't mean the part where kids shrink with the help of a magic key to explore miniature rooms and the worlds beyond them. I mean where they're smarter than adults and easily arrange the arrest of the villain. Or how the adults who know about this magic are fine letting a couple of kids run the show and solve potentially major problems on their own.
That aside, I love reading about the tiny rooms and the worlds they lead to. This book has a slightly more serious tone as it lightly (very lightly) touches on the nazis and slavery when the kids travel to 1930s France and pre civil war America. Could be a good way to get young readers interested in history and asking questions about big events.
Read it in almost one sitting and I'll be on to the next tomorrow!
My main issue with this book is that it isn't as realistic as it could be. No, I don't mean the part where kids shrink with the help of a magic key to explore miniature rooms and the worlds beyond them. I mean where they're smarter than adults and easily arrange the arrest of the villain. Or how the adults who know about this magic are fine letting a couple of kids run the show and solve potentially major problems on their own.
That aside, I love reading about the tiny rooms and the worlds they lead to. This book has a slightly more serious tone as it lightly (very lightly) touches on the nazis and slavery when the kids travel to 1930s France and pre civil war America. Could be a good way to get young readers interested in history and asking questions about big events.
Read it in almost one sitting and I'll be on to the next tomorrow!
July 1, 2022
3.5 stars
Not quite as good as the first one in the series, but still a very enjoyable book.
Not quite as good as the first one in the series, but still a very enjoyable book.
November 13, 2015
Stealing Magic is another fun-filled book that returns the readers to the magical Thorne Rooms in Chicago, Illinois. Jack and Ruthie continue their exploration of the rooms with the magic key in their second book in the Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures series. This time, the two sixth graders must deal with the loss of the magic key that enables them to shrink down small enough to be able to enter the miniature Thorne Rooms and travel back in time to visit people from the past.
Dora Pommeroy is introduced as an interior designer that is very interested in the Throne Rooms. As an interior decorator, she has learned to draw and has become quite an artist. Jack, who knows art because of his mother, and knowing that Ruthie would like to be able to draw better, asks Dora to teach Ruthie how to draw. After one lesson, Ruthie decides that she can trust Dora and tells her all about the magic key and the Thorne Rooms. Ruthie does this because she wants to tell someone else about their secret and she feels like she can trust Dora after the lesson she has had. When the magic key disappears, Jack suspects, Dora, but Ruthie cannot believe it. If Dora is the one who took the key, Ruthie wonders how Dora could have betrayed her trust.
Marianne Malone has created another wonderful story in her second book in the Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures series. It is a story about trust and broken promises. I guess the moral of the story is that if you have a secret, you should keep it a secret. And you should never tell someone you don't know your secret, as you don't know how that person will react. The worst thing you can do is not telling someone else a secret that you share with someone else, it is the trust you break with the person you share the secret with. For instance, when Jack learns that Ruthie told Dora about the magic key, he is hurt and angry by what Ruthie had done. That is always hard on a friendship.
The artwork by Greg Call is very good and help enhance the story. Even though there are only around ten pictures in the book, I always found them quite entertaining.
Overall, Stealing Magic is another great story in a highly entertaining series. There are sixty-eight rooms, so there are tons of adventures for Jack and Ruthie to have. Some of the rooms are "dead," in other words, they don't seem to have any magic in them. Jack and Ruthie have figured out that this happens when the one magical item in the room has been removed. Anyway, Young Readers will fall in love with this series and instantly relate to both Jack and Ruthie. I highly recommend this magical series to Young Readers of all ages. I look forward to reading about Jack and Ruthie's next adventure in the Thorne Rooms. I'm sure it will be very thrilling.
I rated this book an 8 out of 10.
Dora Pommeroy is introduced as an interior designer that is very interested in the Throne Rooms. As an interior decorator, she has learned to draw and has become quite an artist. Jack, who knows art because of his mother, and knowing that Ruthie would like to be able to draw better, asks Dora to teach Ruthie how to draw. After one lesson, Ruthie decides that she can trust Dora and tells her all about the magic key and the Thorne Rooms. Ruthie does this because she wants to tell someone else about their secret and she feels like she can trust Dora after the lesson she has had. When the magic key disappears, Jack suspects, Dora, but Ruthie cannot believe it. If Dora is the one who took the key, Ruthie wonders how Dora could have betrayed her trust.
Marianne Malone has created another wonderful story in her second book in the Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventures series. It is a story about trust and broken promises. I guess the moral of the story is that if you have a secret, you should keep it a secret. And you should never tell someone you don't know your secret, as you don't know how that person will react. The worst thing you can do is not telling someone else a secret that you share with someone else, it is the trust you break with the person you share the secret with. For instance, when Jack learns that Ruthie told Dora about the magic key, he is hurt and angry by what Ruthie had done. That is always hard on a friendship.
The artwork by Greg Call is very good and help enhance the story. Even though there are only around ten pictures in the book, I always found them quite entertaining.
Overall, Stealing Magic is another great story in a highly entertaining series. There are sixty-eight rooms, so there are tons of adventures for Jack and Ruthie to have. Some of the rooms are "dead," in other words, they don't seem to have any magic in them. Jack and Ruthie have figured out that this happens when the one magical item in the room has been removed. Anyway, Young Readers will fall in love with this series and instantly relate to both Jack and Ruthie. I highly recommend this magical series to Young Readers of all ages. I look forward to reading about Jack and Ruthie's next adventure in the Thorne Rooms. I'm sure it will be very thrilling.
I rated this book an 8 out of 10.
March 12, 2012
Stealing Magic: A Sixty Eight Rooms Adventure
by Marianne Malone
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date January 24, 2012
I loved this book!! It's just a fun book to read! Imagine finding a key that allows you to shrink small enough to fit into a dollhouse. That's sort of what happens in this book.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. I have to begin by saying I did not read the first book in this series, The SixtyEight Rooms. That will soon be rectified. I think, however, this book can be read as a stand alone story. References are made to the first book, but all is explained.
Jack and Ruthie are two sixth grade friends. They have found a magic key which allows them to shrink and enter into the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. The book is much more involved than this. There is an art thief on the prowl. One who steals from the Thorne Rooms. You see, certain objects in each of the rooms allow the rooms to come to life. Magic. Yes, magic. These items are being stolen from the museum. The two kids must find a way to retrieve the stolen objects and catch the thief! Sound dangerous? You bet! But the book is a lot of fun. I think middle school kids will love the story and yearn for more adventures.
by Marianne Malone
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date January 24, 2012
I loved this book!! It's just a fun book to read! Imagine finding a key that allows you to shrink small enough to fit into a dollhouse. That's sort of what happens in this book.
But, I'm getting ahead of myself. I have to begin by saying I did not read the first book in this series, The SixtyEight Rooms. That will soon be rectified. I think, however, this book can be read as a stand alone story. References are made to the first book, but all is explained.
Jack and Ruthie are two sixth grade friends. They have found a magic key which allows them to shrink and enter into the Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. The book is much more involved than this. There is an art thief on the prowl. One who steals from the Thorne Rooms. You see, certain objects in each of the rooms allow the rooms to come to life. Magic. Yes, magic. These items are being stolen from the museum. The two kids must find a way to retrieve the stolen objects and catch the thief! Sound dangerous? You bet! But the book is a lot of fun. I think middle school kids will love the story and yearn for more adventures.
September 21, 2019
Like any good series this second books adds more layers to the story. You get to learn more about how the magic in the rooms works. There is also the added element of a mystery in the form of an art thief. While you think you have it figured out early on, the ending surprised you. Another great installment in the series and I can't wait for the next book.
December 28, 2019
Fun series to listen to.
January 17, 2012
After Jack and Ruthie realize that they can shrink and enter the 68 rooms in the Thorne Museum, their lives change. In the first book, they find missing photos and become local celebrities. They think their time in the rooms are over, but it turns out that's not true. In this book, they visit the museum and look at the rooms (from the outside, this time) and discover that a few of the rooms have missing objects. So...who's taking them? And how?
I love this series so much! I want to go to Chicago and see the actual rooms (there are apparently 68 miniature rooms, as described in these books, and they are sort of like dollhouse rooms, but much cooler). I love the idea of this kind of magic, too.
I still love Ruthie and Jack. They're sweet kids. In both books, they meet people from the past (in this case, a slave named Phoebe and a Jewish teenager in Paris during World War II) and they figure out ways to help them.
My only problem with this story is that it's incredibly obvious very early on who's stealing this and Ruthie and Jack don't figure it out at all until it's too late. But this is a middlegrade book and I am an adult, so maybe that's not even a fair point to make.
If you like stories that are magic, absolutely check this out. I think this would be perfect for elementary-age children, too. These two books are just amazingly fun, and they'd be perfect for even reluctant readers. Who wouldn't want an experience like this?
Possibly best of all, the story is left open for a third installment. I'd love to revisit this world again, and I hope Ruthie and Jack's adventures aren't over.
Highly recommended.
I love this series so much! I want to go to Chicago and see the actual rooms (there are apparently 68 miniature rooms, as described in these books, and they are sort of like dollhouse rooms, but much cooler). I love the idea of this kind of magic, too.
I still love Ruthie and Jack. They're sweet kids. In both books, they meet people from the past (in this case, a slave named Phoebe and a Jewish teenager in Paris during World War II) and they figure out ways to help them.
My only problem with this story is that it's incredibly obvious very early on who's stealing this and Ruthie and Jack don't figure it out at all until it's too late. But this is a middlegrade book and I am an adult, so maybe that's not even a fair point to make.
If you like stories that are magic, absolutely check this out. I think this would be perfect for elementary-age children, too. These two books are just amazingly fun, and they'd be perfect for even reluctant readers. Who wouldn't want an experience like this?
Possibly best of all, the story is left open for a third installment. I'd love to revisit this world again, and I hope Ruthie and Jack's adventures aren't over.
Highly recommended.
November 10, 2012
Ruthie and Jack discovered the magic of the Thorne Rooms located at the Chicago Art Institute in The Sixty-Eight Rooms. They made friends and solved mysteries, but their adventure didn't end with the discovery of Mr. Bell's photographs. Ruthie and Jack return to the Thorne Rooms only to discover a thief. Someone is taking objects from the Thorne Rooms!
Malone continues the magic of life in a museum. In Stealing Magic, a life-size mystery is revealed. She intertwines magical objects, art, technology, and student crime solvers. Characters from the first novel also make an appearance to assist Ruthie and Jack throughout the story. Stealing Magic was a faster read than the first novel. The first story lays out the magic and the basics of the Thorne Rooms. This second installment jumps right in, so it is faster paced. I would highly recommend listening (or reading) the first book before venturing into the second.
Cassandra Campbell returns to read Stealing Magic. I love it when narrators continue reading a series! Campbell is a mellow reader and shares the story well.
Reviewed from a library copy.
Malone continues the magic of life in a museum. In Stealing Magic, a life-size mystery is revealed. She intertwines magical objects, art, technology, and student crime solvers. Characters from the first novel also make an appearance to assist Ruthie and Jack throughout the story. Stealing Magic was a faster read than the first novel. The first story lays out the magic and the basics of the Thorne Rooms. This second installment jumps right in, so it is faster paced. I would highly recommend listening (or reading) the first book before venturing into the second.
Cassandra Campbell returns to read Stealing Magic. I love it when narrators continue reading a series! Campbell is a mellow reader and shares the story well.
Reviewed from a library copy.
November 9, 2015
Ruthie and Jack 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.
October 21, 2014
Stealing Magic is the second book in Marianne Malone’s SIXTY-EIGHT ROOMS adventure series for middle grade readers. When Bill and Kelly wrote about The Sixty-Eight Rooms, the first book in this series, four years ago, I was intrigued by the fascinating premise — two 6th grade kids find a way to explore the Thorne Rooms in the Art Institute of Chicago and discover that they can use the rooms to get into the world of the time period the rooms depict. This sounded wonderful to me, but Bill and Kelly were disappointed because there was too little time spent actually exploring the fantasy worlds (which would be the ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
June 21, 2024
This series is based on actual miniature rooms that the author is familiar with with some magic sprinkled on top. In this story, the sixty-eight miniature rooms in the art museum continue to attract a lot of visitors — and an art thief!
While the first volume took its time setting up the characters and their families and the sixty-eight room exhibit, the second volume dives headlong into the plot. Ruthie and Jack discover that some of the rooms have missing items, some of which magically animate certain room’s backdrop so that it’s possible for the children to visit certain historical periods. This time, rather than Revolutionary era France and Salem era MA, they travel to Paris in the late 1930s and the Southern US in the early 1800s.
But someone (not hard to figure out, but this is *not* a mystery story) has stolen the magic key needed to shrink a person to the right size to enter the rooms, and they know that person does not have good intentions.
The kids are brave and resourceful and kind, the periphery characters likeable ( Mrs. McVittie and Dr. Bell), and, as the story comes to an end, it seems as if the kids had had an unintentional major impact on another young girl, the slave they had encountered and to whom they had gifted pencils and a notebook, which I guess lies at the heart of many unanswered questions for the kids to explore next.
I enjoyed this book a little more than the first and look forward to the next two books.
While the first volume took its time setting up the characters and their families and the sixty-eight room exhibit, the second volume dives headlong into the plot. Ruthie and Jack discover that some of the rooms have missing items, some of which magically animate certain room’s backdrop so that it’s possible for the children to visit certain historical periods. This time, rather than Revolutionary era France and Salem era MA, they travel to Paris in the late 1930s and the Southern US in the early 1800s.
But someone (not hard to figure out, but this is *not* a mystery story) has stolen the magic key needed to shrink a person to the right size to enter the rooms, and they know that person does not have good intentions.
The kids are brave and resourceful and kind, the periphery characters likeable ( Mrs. McVittie and Dr. Bell), and, as the story comes to an end, it seems as if the kids had had an unintentional major impact on another young girl, the slave they had encountered and to whom they had gifted pencils and a notebook, which I guess lies at the heart of many unanswered questions for the kids to explore next.
I enjoyed this book a little more than the first and look forward to the next two books.
August 22, 2022
Ruthie awakens in a room that isn't her own. Panicked, she continues to look for a way out. When she realizes that she had been at the gallery opening the night before. No one would believe how Jack and Ruthie had found a sixteenth century key. Or that the key helped them shrink and explore the 68 Thorne Rooms at the Art Institute.
Of course who could have a key to 68 miniature rooms and not return for more explorations? While Jack is recovering, Ruthie begins art classes at the Art Institute. What she quickly discovers is that some of the rooms no longer have the "magic" of the surrounding areas coming to life. In the new, she learns that there are art dealers who are alarmed by a surge in art thefts.
Will Ruthie and a recovering Jack be able to find out what is happening in the 68 rooms? Is there a connection with the art thefts? Where did Jack put the key?
If you like mysteries, or better yet... if you like the worlds of miniatures... begin this series,
I'll be reading the third book in this series... 68 wonderous adventures...
Mrs.K https://mrskbookstogo.blogspot.com/
Of course who could have a key to 68 miniature rooms and not return for more explorations? While Jack is recovering, Ruthie begins art classes at the Art Institute. What she quickly discovers is that some of the rooms no longer have the "magic" of the surrounding areas coming to life. In the new, she learns that there are art dealers who are alarmed by a surge in art thefts.
Will Ruthie and a recovering Jack be able to find out what is happening in the 68 rooms? Is there a connection with the art thefts? Where did Jack put the key?
If you like mysteries, or better yet... if you like the worlds of miniatures... begin this series,
I'll be reading the third book in this series... 68 wonderous adventures...
Mrs.K https://mrskbookstogo.blogspot.com/
October 7, 2017
I loved the premise of the first book and was not disappointed by the sequel. I just wish when I was in Chicago last summer I had time to go to the Art Institute and see the actual Thorne rooms! Moving on to book #3.
"Ruthie and Jack thought that their adventures in the Thorne Rooms were over . . . until miniatures from the rooms start to disappear. Is it the work of the art thief who's on the loose in Chicago? Or has someone else discovered the secret of the Thorne Rooms' magic? Ruthie and Jack's quest to stop the thief takes them from modern day Chicago to 1937 Paris to antebellum South Carolina. But as more items disappear, including the key that allows them to shrink and access the past worlds, what was once just an adventure becomes a life and death race against the clock. Can Ruthie and Jack catch the thief and help the friends they meet on the way before the magic—and the rooms—are destroyed forever?"
"Ruthie and Jack thought that their adventures in the Thorne Rooms were over . . . until miniatures from the rooms start to disappear. Is it the work of the art thief who's on the loose in Chicago? Or has someone else discovered the secret of the Thorne Rooms' magic? Ruthie and Jack's quest to stop the thief takes them from modern day Chicago to 1937 Paris to antebellum South Carolina. But as more items disappear, including the key that allows them to shrink and access the past worlds, what was once just an adventure becomes a life and death race against the clock. Can Ruthie and Jack catch the thief and help the friends they meet on the way before the magic—and the rooms—are destroyed forever?"
May 9, 2017
Ruthie and jack have stumbled upon a special type of magic that allows them to shrink and walk through the small sixty eight rooms. Each room is in miniature and depicts a different time in history. Some of the rooms have extra magic in them and the kids can steak into that time period. Here they visit world war 2 era Paris and pre civil war America. Along the way they meet kids there age and see what there lives are like. Love some of the history that is mixed in here.
In this book some of the objects in the rooms are disappearing and Jack and Ruthie set out to find who the culprit is before all the magic disappears.
Nice crime caper with history thrown in for upper elementary readers.
In this book some of the objects in the rooms are disappearing and Jack and Ruthie set out to find who the culprit is before all the magic disappears.
Nice crime caper with history thrown in for upper elementary readers.
August 6, 2018
Very nearly as good as the first book -- and that's saying something! -1 star simply because I felt it dragged a bit in the middle when I had figured out the antagonist and it took a long time for the protagonists to catch up.
But I loved the interesting way it was wrapped up, and the way these two children are working more and more with the adults around them. Marianne Malone leaves no plot holes, which is rare and refreshing in a juvenile magic adventure book.
But I loved the interesting way it was wrapped up, and the way these two children are working more and more with the adults around them. Marianne Malone leaves no plot holes, which is rare and refreshing in a juvenile magic adventure book.
October 31, 2017
This story starts where the first one left off. They are exploring the Thorne Rooms and soon discover items go missing. They are trying to catch the thief before the rooms all disappear. It is a great book that I reccomend you read.
May 13, 2019
Another delightful and charming read- this is a great middle grade series. Historical fiction, fantastical elements, mystery- it’s such a great mix. And I love that ruthie and jack are normal kids. It’s awesome.
July 19, 2021
Another great book in the series, and this one has a villain! A series of art thefts has been occurring, and Ruthie has been having bad dreams about the rooms. They discover some of the rooms are not as alive as they once were. It's up to Ruthie and Jack to catch the thief and restore the rooms!
March 19, 2025
Super cute middle school read!!! I have recommended it to both of my kids. I love the blend of history, fantasy, and mystery, and it totally made me want to go check out the Thorne rooms in real life.
May 16, 2025
Wow! The second book in a series of four lives up to the first with an exciting, well-paced plot; likable characters; the captivating Thorne miniature rooms and the magic of miniaturization and time travel.
July 15, 2017
This book was actually better than the first and that's hard to do. I loved the mystery and I loved the cleverness of the kids to reel her in and catch the thief. How fun!
August 18, 2018
The 1st book was better. I was bored with this one. Hopefully if there is a 3rd it will be better.
May 29, 2020
finished 2020-05-29
Want to read
November 29, 2020Note: I received a paperback copy of this book at ALA Midwinter 2020.
April 27, 2022
Book #2 in the series - Another Great Adventure - I Loved It
Read
February 14, 2025I’m dying of plague and this was the upper level of my reading comprehension
December 1, 2021
Delightful!!!
December 17, 2020
This was a good sequel wasn’t as good as the first book though. It was a real mystery. Who wanted to steal things from the Thorne rooms?! Read to find out who stole the rooms.
March 7, 2017
Second in the 68 Rooms series, this book doesn't disappoint! Again read with the children and we are all enjoying the adventures of Ruthie and Jack!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews