Tashi and the Forbidden Room    by Anna Fienberg, Barbara Fienberg & Kim Gamble Order:  USA  Can Allen & Unwin, 2007 (2005) Paperback     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Tashi and the Forbidden Room is twelfth in a chapter book series starring young Jack and his imaginary gnome-like friend. Tashi can be counted on for a tale - based on his exciting past adventures - for every occasion. In class, Jack is assigned the task of finding a pen friend. He asks Tashi about writing to his grandfather, leading to a chat about Tashi's scariest adventure, which happens to be with Bluebeard, who 'was so full of venom, he could kill a snake.' It all begins when Bluebeard buys the empty castle on the hill. Bluebeard asks Lotus Blossom's Elder Sister Ho Hum to marry him. Everyone is thrilled except for Tashi who's caught a glimpse of the darkness inside the wealthy man. While Bluebeard is away, Ho Hum takes Lotus Blossom and Tashi to see the castle. They explore all the rooms except for one that is locked - and forbidden. When Lotus Blossom persuades Ho Hum to open it up, a stolen treasure is revealed - as well as something more frightening. The girls are caught when Bluebeard shows up, but luckily Tashi came prepared to save the day. As always, Jack relates a shorter piece after the main story, this time about The Three Tasks Tashi carries out to save the bad Baron's dog, Pongo. And as always chapter book readers will enjoy these engaging tales. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews