In the Chicago Art Institute there is a collection of 68 amazingly detailed historical miniature rooms made in the 1930s by Mrs. Julia Ward Thorne. The Thorne Rooms are the basis of this story. Ruthie and Jack visit the Thorne Rooms while on a field trip with their sixth grade class. While there, Jack finds a mysterious key which allows the children to shrink down to the size where they fit in the rooms. The pair find a way to hide in the museum and spend the night exploring the different rooms. They discover that there is more to the rooms than just the details. They are able to travel back in time to the periods that the rooms were modeled after. The premise of this story is terrific. I read this book hoping to select it for my 4th-6th grade book club. However, I was disappointed in the book. Too much time was spent on the logistics of planning the museum expedition and not enough on the actual adventures in the rooms. It was a wonderful premise that didn't live up to its potential.
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