Molly Moon's Hypnotic Time-Travel Adventure

11-year-old Molly’s hypnotic powers are tested to the full when her beloved pug, in the company of a mysterious elderly man, vanishes into thin air. Joining forces with best friend Rocky and ageing hippy Forest, she sets out to retrieve her pet and discover the identity of the stranger. Her quest brings her face-to-face with an evil, time-travelling maharaja, jealous of her hypnotic gift and bent on destroying her. He sends her and her friends back in time, where she bumps into several versions of her younger self. To survive, she must master the art of time travel and free her younger selves from the Maharaja’s grip.

The story, for the most part set in India, is steeped in history and a landscape that encompasses natural beauty and majestic architecture with bustling markets and shimmering colours. As in all good adventures, characters are well defined, either wholly good or totally bad. The story is filled with suspense, with twists and turns on every page. At a deeper level, it raises interesting questions about the fragmentation of time, space and the self.