Molly Moon’s Incredible Book of Hypnotism

AUTHOR: Georgia Byng

ISBN: 0-330-39985-3

1st PUBLISHED: 2002 by MacMillan Children’s Books

GENRE: Under 18/ Kids’ Stuff

SYNOPSIS:

Orphan Molly Moon was found as a baby in a box marked ‘Moon’s Marshmallows.’ For ten miserable years she’s lived under the cruel rule of Miss Adderstone in grim Hardwick House. But her life changes overnight when she finds a mysterious book on hypnotism and discovers an amazing talent- the power to make people do anything she wants them to. Escaping from the orphanage, Molly flies to New York in search of fame and fortune. But her adventures in hypnotism lead her into the clutches of a dangerous enemy…

EXCERPT:

Sometimes, when bad luck comes your way, you think it will never end. Molly Moon often felt this way about her luck, which wasn’t surprising since she was so often in trouble. If only she’d known that her luck was about to change, she might have enjoyed the following day, for at the end of it Molly would feel that all sorts of wonderful things were going to happen to her. But that morning, from the moment she opened her eyes after a sound sleep on her lumpy orphanage mattress, Molly’s day started to go wrong…

ARPITA SPEAKS:

With Christmas just round the corner, this is the book that matches perfectly the spirit of the season. Very subtly, such that you might not even notice it initially, Georgia Byng brings to light the miracle of kindness in the story of a little girl who hated her life, and dared to change it.

Molly Moon’s life at the orphanage is as pathetic as one can imagine, with Miss Adderstone’s pet Hazel and her gang bullying her at every possible opportunity. Of course, things are not always so bad when kind Mrs. Trinklebury comes to visit, or when Molly and her best friend Rocky find a few stolen moments of joy with the adorable younger children. It is when Rocky gets adopted by an American family that Molly decides to break her ties with the inhabitants of Hardwick House, for the only person she could call family left her forever.

Molly’s emotions, not just at this point but throughout the novel, are wonderfully easy to relate to; her search for an identity, her craving for a family, her sense of insecurity and bouts of jealousy, her dreams of making it big and the delight at actually making it big, as well as the impact that fame and fortune have on little Molly are incredibly realistic. The twist in the story comes with the entry of the formidable Professor Nockman:

He smiled. Perhaps it was a good thing that this girl had found the hypnotism book. Maybe she was better at it than he could ever hope to be. So when he found this M. Moon, all he need do was control her. After all, she was only a child. She could give him a ride to the top…

The narrative of this book- originally meant for children- is elementary, but the storyline is engaging enough to interest readers from all age groups. The novel is full of unexpected surprises and the little nuggets of humor make it three hundred and thirty pages of pure pleasure.

RATING: 4 on 5

PRICE: Rs.238/- (Flipkart)