The Secret of Zoom
By Lynne Jonell
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Can two friends foil a dastardly plan and save orphans from a fate worse than death?
Christina lives in a big, old stone mansion on the edge of a dark forest surrounded by barbed wire. Deep within the forest is the laboratory where her father works—and where her mother was blown to bits years ago. Christina's father knows just how dangerous the world can be, so he keeps her safe at home, forbidding her from talking to the very interesting orphans down the road.
But when an orphan boy named Taft talks to her, she's thrilled to help him search for a secret tunnel. But soon she discovers there's more to the orphanage, the lab, and the mystery of her mother's accident than she ever suspected. Sinister things are in the works—and the secret of zoom is the most dangerous secret of all!
“This exciting tale, with just a touch of fantasy and humor, is a winner. … Jonell displays pitch-perfect skills in an expertly crafted story that never flags and that includes plenty of heart-stopping situations to keep readers fully engaged.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review
Lynne Jonell
Lynne Jonell is the author of the novels Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls, and The Secret of Zoom, as well as several critically acclaimed picture books. Her books have been named Junior Library Guild Selections and a Smithsonian Notable Book, among numerous other honors. Born in Little Falls, Minnesota, Jonell grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis. She now teaches writing at the Loft Literary Center and lives with her husband and two sons in Plymouth, Minnesota, in a house on a hill.
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Reviews for The Secret of Zoom
7 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The ultimate child's fantasy: When adults are villainous, greedy, incompetent or otherwise useless, it's the kids who set the world right. Christina, who's been overly protected by her scientist father (she's never left the grounds of her home), leads a troop of abused and neglected orphans who have been forced to mine a lucrative energy substance called zoom. The story is quick-paced and engaging and almost every chapter ends in a cliff-hanger. A great book for gifted readers, reluctant readers, and fans of orphan-exploitation fiction. (Lemony Snicket, anyone?)
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I liked this better than Emmy. Lots of action, good characters, funny lines. This would make a great movie!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It was super fun for a J book. Up for a local Missouri award so I had to check it out.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Christina is isolated in a huge mansion on the edge of the forest with her math-crazed father and Cook and Nanny for company. Longing for companionship she befriends orphan Taft, and begins a mysterious journey through the tunnel they discover into the woods. Together they fight villainous Lenny Loompski to take back their town and the many orphans held as “slaves” to mine the mysterious “zoom” energy source. Good finally prevails, with some twists and turns, in a very unique story using “perfect pitch” and song as the catalyst for a new cheap energy. Written in the vain of “Lemony Snickett” with outrageous plot lines (fantasy-like) and character development, and a fairly predictable ending.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another story with an villain using kids (orphans, no less!) to getfame and riches, but this is well-written, entertaining, and creative. Christina is notan orphan, but her father is a scientist working for the evil Lenny Loompski. Hermother mysteriously died in an explosion long ago. Her father makes sure shekeeps well out of Lenny's way by keeping her out of school and away from otherkids, but her loneliness leads her to secretly make friends with an orphan and beginto understand what is really going on. Turns out that Christina and Taft, her friend,are the only ones who can stop Lenny and save the other orphans.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a very cute and humorous read. I thought it was a charming book; it reminds of many other books that involve child geniuses dealing with distant parents (Artemis Fowl, A Taste of Red, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and Theodosia).Christina lives in a old house on the border of a forest that is home to a secret lab that her father works at. Her father tries to be a good dad but is more concerned with mathematics and seclusion of his daughter (for her safety) than Christina's experience with the outside world. Christina's mother was "blown to bits" in her laboratory and her father has become overprotective since these events. Christina wants nothing more than to escape and find the secret tunnel that leads into the forest. With the help of an orphan boy she does. Then she finds out that nothing that is happening in her family or town is quite as it seems.This was a fun book. It had me laughing out loud a number of times. It was a quick read, the was fast paced and really drew you through the book. The characters were likable; even Christina's father is easy to identify with and understand. The plot itself it fairly predictable but this doesn't detract from a good story. Some of the ideas, mainly song and pitch being used to power things, are very creative and interesting to read about.As far as the age-group for this book, I think it could be read to younger children. There are some scarier parts but nothing too horrible.I don't have any major complaints. The story is pretty focused on a small series of events; so no huge attention to world-building. The real strengths are in characterization and writing a good mystery/adventure.Overall a good read. I liked the humor throughout and enjoyed the story.