'She was screaming, she was sliding, she was moving with terrible speed . . .' Christina lives with her father in an old stone mansion on the edge of a forest. The mansion is surrounded by barbed wire and has signs posted that read TRESPASSERS WILL BE BOILED. Christina's father is the head scientist at the Loompski Laboratories which is located deep in the forest. Her mother was supposedly blown to bits at the same laboratory years ago. Zoom is an ore that is mined from the Starkian Mountain. Taft becomes Christina's friend and the two of them have adventures which lead to a fantastic discovery. The author's brisk narrative and well-defined characters keep the story moving with plenty of quirky imagination. With just a touch of fantasy and humor this story keeps the reader fully engaged. I think it would be a great book to read aloud to a group.
Similar books: Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls by Lynne Jonell;
Camille McPhee Fell Under the Bus by Kristen Tracy
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