The 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?) ( )

I liked this better than Emmy. Lots of action, good characters, funny lines. This would make a great movie! ( )

It was super fun for a J book. Up for a local Missouri award so I had to check it out.
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What a adventurous story it is! Music could save the inorganic people.

Christina 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. ( )