Millicent Marbleroller and the House of the Toymaker: A Girl's Magic Music Adventure Mystery Puzzle in a Haunted Mansion with Marbles, Toys, a Pipe Organ and a Glass Eyeball [Paperback]

Wayne M. Roseberry (Author)

Book Description

Millicent Marbleroller dreams that one day she will play a pipe organ like the one at church. She teaches herself to play music with a piano she draws on the kitchen table at home. This summer, she finds herself working in the giant mansion of the deceased toymaker General Horatio Crackerhead. Soon, she is locked in a contest with the General's brother, Admiral Algernon Crackerhead to be the first to find the General's last great invention, the Crackerhead Yo-yo. But all that Millicent really cares about is the big, beatiful pipe organ that sits in the heart of the mansion, just begging Millicent to unlock its secrets, unravel the mysteries of a mansion that is more puzzle than house and somehow figure out how it all ties together with the song that keeps racing through Millicent's mind. Millicent Marbleroller and the House of the Toymaker is a work of magical, music fiction that is unlike any childrens book before it.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (November 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440437599
• ISBN-13: 978-1440437595
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,599,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars review from the author, December 6, 2008

By 

Wayne M. Roseberry (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Millicent Marbleroller and the House of the Toymaker: A Girl's Magic Music Adventure Mystery Puzzle in a Haunted Mansion with Marbles, Toys, a Pipe Organ and a Glass Eyeball (Paperback)

Well, of course I like it. I wrote it.

I really wanted Millicent to be a funny book, full of different and unexpected ideas. I targeted kids about same age as mine - from 8-12 years old. I pushed for whimsy, a bit of mystery, and quite a bit of slapstick. I wanted unusual plot devices that would stay in your memory forever - kind of like the stories of Roald Dahl, A. A. Milne or Baum. I also tried for a pretty strong visual sense to the story. I am not sure if all readers will experience this, but for me, all the action in every scene forms a pretty crystal picture in my head. I surprised myself when reading it (about ten times now... proofreading) how much I actually enjoyed the story and the characters.

I read it to my kids. They were bugging me every night to read the next chapter. For me this was a real point of re-assurance. They got into the book really deeply. The argued about what the main characters looked like, how Millicent should be dressed and what color her hair was. They even started feeding me full-fledged plot ideas for a sequel.

So, if you don't mind basing your decision on a review from an obviously biased source, then I highly recommend this book. And, if you find reviews by authors of their own book highly suspicious... well... then maybe you should just take the chance and see for yourself!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Marbleroller!, June 26, 2009

By 

Jennifer Osborn Schmidt - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Millicent Marbleroller and the House of the Toymaker: A Girl's Magic Music Adventure Mystery Puzzle in a Haunted Mansion with Marbles, Toys, a Pipe Organ and a Glass Eyeball (Paperback)

If you are a fan of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory you will love this book. My daughter and I are picky when it comes to bedtime reading and we had a difficult time putting this one down. We both wanted to know "what happens next!". Millicent has everything we like in a book: atmosphere, a clever and curageous heroine, a nasty villian, an old mansion,secret passageways, a mystery to solve. The book is very imaginative and the imagery stays with you. We can't wait for more stories from Mr. Roseberry.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read for, January 22, 2009

By 

Andrew Tischaefer "Semi-pro father of two" (Sammamish, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Millicent Marbleroller and the House of the Toymaker: A Girl's Magic Music Adventure Mystery Puzzle in a Haunted Mansion with Marbles, Toys, a Pipe Organ and a Glass Eyeball (Paperback)

In the past I have found books by first-time authors to be at best a mixed bag, which makes me all the more excited to tell you that Millicent Marbleroller is a great read. Wayne Roseberry has conjured up a first-rate heroine in Millicent, and let her loose in a world full of unique touches, clever dialogue and a menace that strikes just the right balance between bumbling and threatening (perfect for the target age group). As an adult, I can say that I was never bored, and eager to find out what happens next. I can't wait until my kids grow up a bit, and I get a chance to read this to them, I'm sure they will enjoy it. I know I did!