The Black Room

April 1, 2006
Gr 5-8 -A sequel to "The Dark Ground" (Dutton, 2004). Sheltered in an underground cavern, Lorn and her band of miniaturized humans struggle to survive in a cold, dangerous, and hostile world. Above their heads, Tom, a normal-sized human boy, walks his dog in a park near his home, observes Rob, and ponders his old friend's recent personality changes. As chapters shift between the small, vulnerable people and the young adults interacting above them, Tom learns that Rob had consciously entered a tiny double of himself, and that Lorn and her friends came to his rescue in a landscape made alien by Rob's relative size in "The Dark Ground" (Dutton, 2004). Back to his normal size, he is trying to help Lorn and her friends as best he can. Tom's chance encounter with a mentally retarded boy leads Rob and Tom to an underground black room, where the boy's horribly abused sister, Hope -clearly Lorn's double -is imprisoned. Shifting perspectives, cliff-hanger chapter endings, and fast-paced action paired with believable, sympathetic characters make this a compelling read. Hope's father is a terrifying antagonist, relentlessly pursuing the boys who seek to return his daughter to her rightful mind. Their quest is fulfilled in an unexpected way, but the rules governing the trilogy's fantasy elements are left unexplained. A mysterious blue-eyed man seems to be involved. This fantasy thriller amply satisfies readers' appetites, all the while arousing their hunger for the final volume. -"Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2006
Gr. 6-9. In this sequel to " The Dark Ground" (2004), Robert, who returned home at the end of the first book, tries to help his former Lilliputian friends survive the winter. He embarks on a desperate search to reunite Lorn with her human-size self. Unfortunately, his endeavors do little to advance the murky plot, and readers may be disappointed because so many questions remain unanswered. There's a lot to sort out in the final volume of the trilogy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)