Molly Moon Stops the World by Georgia Byng

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Georgia Byng's mind-bending heroine makes a California-bound comeback, this time heading to L.A. to stop a power-hungry businessman from hypnotizing his way into the presidency of the United States.

When Molly learns that Lucy Logan has a dangerous job for her -- stop multibillionaire (and ultra-strong hypnotist) Primo Cell in his tracks -- the orphan thinks this task might be more than she can handle. Thankfully, she has Rocky and other characters along for the trip, and Molly soon finds herself hobnobbing with Hollywood stars. But Molly learns that Primo has the power of permanent hypnotism that can only be broken by a secret password -- how can she reverse his effects? Molly discovers a startling surprise -- she has time-stopping powers of her own -- and after Primo's son saves them from near death, she finds out that her problems have only just begun.

Glittering with even more action and adventure than Byng's first book, Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism, this sequel will have readers starry-eyed for more. Plot-twisting turns of events keep coming throughout, and with all of Molly's personal revelations, fans will feel like their world has stopped, too, until the last page. Shana Taylor

From the Publisher

You are about to embark on an incredible journey to Hollywood with the dazzling young hypnotist

But be warned: this trip is very dangerous, and evil lurks at every turn.

Molly Moon is back -- and this time she's hypnotizing her way to the Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Along with Rocky and Petula the pug, Molly is tracking the sinister activities of American billionaire Primo Cell, who wants to become president and take over the world. He has all the Hollywood celebrities in his power, but Molly Moon has an amazing power of her own, which even she doesn't know about ...

Georgia Byng grew up by the River Itchen in Hampshire, England, in a large family. After leaving school, she studied drama and worked as an actor and children's entertainer. Byng lives in London with the artist Marc Quinn, her daughter, Tiger, and two-year-old son, Lucas. She is also the author of Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism.

Performed by Clare Higgins

Publishers Weekly

"The author offers more hypnotic high jinks in this sequel to Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism," according to PW. "This time, Molly travels to Los Angeles to stop a powerful hypnotist businessman who is trying to take over Hollywood-and then the world." Ages 8-12. (Apr.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Quinby Frank - Children's Literature

Spunky heroine Molly Moon is back in this exciting sequel to Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism. Now Molly and her best friend, Rocky, must outwit the evil hypnotist Primo Cell who is trying to take over the world. Orphan Molly has gained control of her earlier miserable life at the orphanage by means of her special hypnotic powers, and she has rescued her fellow orphans as well. Now arch villain Cell must be stopped. Peopled with wonderfully quirky stock characters like Forest, an aging hippie Yogic mediator; kindly, daft old Mrs. Twinkleberry who is obsessed with movie stars; Roger who communes with trees; and Petula the pug who takes herself to the dog beauty salon, the book reels from one madcap calamity to another. Byng's creative use of hypnotism as a device to move the plot along allows for wildly improbable scenarios and a great deal of humor. Although the book is long, the generous use of white space in the format makes for easy reading. A wickedly clever magpie-like guillotine almost finishes off our heroes, but, of course, good triumphs as Molly uses a Medusa-like trick to defeat her supposed enemy and bring events to a satisfyingly chaotic conclusion. Despite some awkward writing and an occasional bizarre metaphor, Molly Moon will delight fans of the Lemony Snicket series as well as devotees of Dido Twite in The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken. An entertaining romp. 2003, HarperCollins, and Ages 8 to 12.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-A lighthearted sequel to Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism (HarperCollins, 2003). In this adventure, Molly discovers from her mentor Lucy Logan that a man named Primo Cell is trying to take over the world and that she is the only one who can stop him. The girl goes to California, gets into the Academy Awards, swanky Hollywood parties, and more, all in an effort to discover how to stop Cell. She finds out that he has mastered the art of casting permanent hypnotic spells and must find out how to break them before he becomes president of the U.S. Readers are likely to enjoy this fun fantasy; as long as they don't delve too deeply, they won't notice the contrivances and the many holes in the story. This title will appeal to fans of the first story and may garner a few new ones-if they are willing to turn off their reality buttons.-Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Molly Moon's back, ready to save the world in this much-improved sequel to Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism (2003). Molly and the children of Happiness House orphanage have been living splendidly since Molly returned wealthy from her American adventure and hypnotized all the unpleasant adults into kindness. Now Molly's old friend, hypnotist librarian Lucy Logan, has a dangerous quest for her. Swathed head-to-toe in bandages from a mysterious accident, Lucy describes a terrible tale of hypnotized media personalities compelled into celebrity endorsements. With the wealth from his endorsed products, Lucy explains, wicked Primo Cell might soon rule the world. Molly must head back to America to stop Cell's dastardly plot. In Hollywood, Molly discovers that both she and Cell have power to stop time, and she must use her newfound power to prevent him from becoming president. Chock-full of classic B-movie adventure-from shocking revelations of parentage to a deus ex machina escape from an overly elaborate evil-genius deathtrap: an enjoyable over-the-top page-turner. (Fiction. 8-13)

Product Details

• ISBN: 0060514159
  
• ISBN-13: 9780060514150
• Format: Paperback, 416pp
• Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books
• Pub. Date: April 2005
• Edition Description: Reprint
• Sales Rank: 16,487
• Age Range: 8 to 12
• Series: Molly Moon Series, #2

• Table of Contents
• Read a Sample Chapter

Table of Contents

Read a Sample Chapter

"Child superstar Davina Nuttel," she read, "is back on Broadway in the hit show Stars on Mars. After surprise newcomer Molly Moon quit the part and left New York, Miss Nuttel was the obvious choice for the lead." Davina fumed. She was sick of Molly Moon's name being mentioned in the same sentence as hers. She hated that bug-eyed, skinny nobody.

"Stop at the ice-cream parlor on Madison," she snapped at her driver.

He nodded and negotiated his way across four lanes of noisy New York traffic.

Davina was feeling particularly rattled. She needed a big, sweet ice cream. It had been a bad day at the Broadway theater where she was rehearsing a new Stars on Mars song. To begin with, she'd had a sore throat and couldn't hit the high notes. Then had come the horrible incident that had completely unnerved her. Davina angrily scraped her nail down the cream leather upholstery. She didn't often need her parents, but tonight she was glad they would be at home for once.

How dare that weird businessman barge, uninvited, into her dressing room? How he'd got past the security guards she didn't know. And what nerve to suppose that she would want to advertise his ugly line of Fashion House clothes. Didn't he know he should talk to her agent?

The creepy Mr. Cell had given Davina the shivers, and she couldn't erase him from her mind. His eyes seemed to have etched themselves behind Davina's, in the way that staring too long at the sun burns its image into a person's vision. Every time Davina shut her own eyes, she saw his two mad eyeballs staring at her.

The car stopped outside her favorite ice-cream parlor. Davina fastened her black mink coat and put on the matching gloves. She stepped out into the cold night and waved condescendingly at her chauffeur. She would walk home. Enjoying the sound of her high-heeled boots on the pavement, she swept into the parlor.

Inside, she ordered the house specialty. It was called the Mondae-Tuesdae-Wednesdae-Thursdae-Fridae-Saturdae Sundae. Determined to banish all thoughts of the strange businessman from her mind, she pulled out her gold-plated fountain pen and began practicing her autograph on a paper napkin. Should she stick to her curly writing or change her style?

When her enormous sundae arrived, she ate it all.

Twenty minutes later, she was walking home, feeling sick. She realized that a cold March evening wasn't really the best time to eat a large, freezing-cold ice cream.

In the distance, her grand apartment building towered over the street. That was odd, Davina thought-normally the outside of it was lit with green lights. Were they broken? The building really did look drab, all dark. She would complain as soon as she saw the doorman. She could see him now, standing by the front door with his taxi-calling light baton.

She crossed the broad avenue. The building entrance was only a hundred yards away-but now it was a dark hundred yards, lit up at only one point, where a streetlamp cast an oval pool of yellow on the pavement. Davina walked toward it. She liked spotlights.

Something white and rectangular lay on the ground under the light-garbage, Davina suspected-another thing to complain about. However, as Davina approached, she saw that the white rectangle wasn't garbage. It was an envelope. And when she got nearer, she saw something very strange. The envelope had her name on it.

A fan letter! Davina thought with pleasure.

She took off her glove, picked up the envelope, and pulled out the letter. It read:

Dear Davina, Sorry about this, but you know too much. Suddenly a heavy hand grabbed Davina's arm. She looked up to see a familiar face smiling down at her. Davina felt petrified with fear. Her body went winter cold. Her ears suddenly seemed to stop working. She could no longer hear the sounds of New York. It was as if the cabs and traffic, sirens and horns no longer existed. All Davina could hear was her own voice-her screams as she found herself being dragged toward a parked car. She looked beseechingly up at the uniformed doorman in the distance. "Help! Help me!" But the doorman did nothing. He stood motionless, looking the other way. And desperately kicking and struggling, Davina found herself being pushed into a Rolls-Royce as unceremoniously as a stray dog might be forced into a pound van. She was driven away into the night.

(Continues...)

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