Molly Moon: A Hypnotic Series

Molly Moon - just another random pick up at the library. The cover was shiny, it had a dog on it - I was mesmerized, apparently. That hypnotism stuff must work. Ha!

My favorite types of kids books are the ones with just that smidge of the fantastic to them, where the real world gets turned on its head for them when the magic hits. In this case, it's hypnotic powers Molly find deep inside her. The powers mean release from her wretched existence and the ability to have and get anything she wants. But, enter the villain, who wants to use Molly's powers for evil and leaves Molly with some sticky choices and moral dilemmas.

This story definitely lends itself to great reading out loud and a fun and rollicking good time. I wasn't really sure I was going to like Molly when we got started; she seemed overly self-centered in her reaction to the use of her powers. In fact, there's an interesting discussion to be had there with your kids - just how would they use such powers if they got them? And is Molly making good choices at the end when she agrees to do what the bad guy wants? What would be the right thing to do in that situation? By the end of the book, I was proud of how Molly managed the mess she found herself in and was looking forward to picking up the next book in the series. (And was proven justified because Molly makes a great turn around, becomes quite responsible, although still makes some unwise choices. She is a kid, after all.)

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