jradtke's review against another edition
5.0
Saw this new into the library and thought we would give it a try. Great read! Fun and engaging. You have met people pretty close to the characters in the book and that makes it all the more entertaining.
It's a great underdog story. And it encourages a knowledge of history. It inspires you to want to learn more in more details.
I know my daughters will all enjoy this book and I think you will too.
It's a great underdog story. And it encourages a knowledge of history. It inspires you to want to learn more in more details.
I know my daughters will all enjoy this book and I think you will too.
mrjesse's review against another edition
5.0
Cragbridge Hall ranks up there with Hogwarts in 'Schools I'd Like To Attend'- it really does! And what's even better is Cragbridge Hall is a lot more realistic. All of the technology Morris invents feels like it really could (and probably will) be invented. (The only thing that is maybe pushing the limits is the time-traveling. More on that later.)
The book takes place in 2074. Twins Abby and Derick Cragbridge are the grandchildren of famous scientist and inventor Oscar Cragbridge, for whom the school was named. The academy is the best junior high in the world, and the kids who attend are all crazy talented and smart (think entrepreneurs, TV stars, published authors, etc.)
Derick is pretty much a genius (or so it's said; I didn't see a whole lot in the book that made me think that...but we don't see a lot of academics anyway, so maybe he is a whiz at math and stuff.)
However, Abby isn't a supergenius, or a valedictorian, or a champion athlete, or a prodigy musician. She's average. And what I like about Abby is she really is ordinary, not like Harry Potter where he feels like he doesn't fit in- but that's because he's The Chosen One. She's not like most main characters, where they have special powers, or are really smart, or something.
Anyway, the other thing I really liked is the time-traveling. And not just the actual going back in time (but that was pretty cool.) The scientist characters actually had real debates on the ethics of time travel in the book. Their stances seemed pretty legit, and I have to say I agree with Grandpa Cragbridge. His whole point was 'If we go and change things in the past, there's no telling what effect it might have on the future.' And the 'bad guy' (Charles Muns) was countering with, 'If we change the past, millions of lives will be saved.' And so on.
The characters also have to do a sort of scavenger hunt through time, you might say, and I learned some things about history. So, definitely a worthwhile book, if you're into science fiction, I would say. But even if it's not your genre- it might surprise you.
The book takes place in 2074. Twins Abby and Derick Cragbridge are the grandchildren of famous scientist and inventor Oscar Cragbridge, for whom the school was named. The academy is the best junior high in the world, and the kids who attend are all crazy talented and smart (think entrepreneurs, TV stars, published authors, etc.)
Derick is pretty much a genius (or so it's said; I didn't see a whole lot in the book that made me think that...but we don't see a lot of academics anyway, so maybe he is a whiz at math and stuff.)
However, Abby isn't a supergenius, or a valedictorian, or a champion athlete, or a prodigy musician. She's average. And what I like about Abby is she really is ordinary, not like Harry Potter where he feels like he doesn't fit in- but that's because he's The Chosen One. She's not like most main characters, where they have special powers, or are really smart, or something.
Anyway, the other thing I really liked is the time-traveling. And not just the actual going back in time (but that was pretty cool.) The scientist characters actually had real debates on the ethics of time travel in the book. Their stances seemed pretty legit, and I have to say I agree with Grandpa Cragbridge. His whole point was 'If we go and change things in the past, there's no telling what effect it might have on the future.' And the 'bad guy' (Charles Muns) was countering with, 'If we change the past, millions of lives will be saved.' And so on.
The characters also have to do a sort of scavenger hunt through time, you might say, and I learned some things about history. So, definitely a worthwhile book, if you're into science fiction, I would say. But even if it's not your genre- it might surprise you.
ryanjamesburt's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a little while to get into this book. But when I did I really enjoyed it. Uses technology and history to enhance the mystery.
I looked at this book a couple of times in the store but never bought it. But then the author came to my wife's school and the whole school got excited about it. I am glad he visited the school and I am glad I read it.
I looked at this book a couple of times in the store but never bought it. But then the author came to my wife's school and the whole school got excited about it. I am glad he visited the school and I am glad I read it.
plumpages's review against another edition
5.0
This was an incredible book! It completely drew me in from the start and the longer I read the deeper I was pulled into it. I finished it in half a day and enjoyed it so much I didn't even feel sick. Wonderful future here with an incredible touch on learning and history.
I cannot wait for the sequel.
I cannot wait for the sequel.
imzadirose's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderfully enjoyable middle grade book. Good characters on a great quest. A fun book with clues they followed and a lot of heart. I enjoyed it tons!
emiged's review against another edition
3.0
In The Inventor's Secret, the fifth and final Middle Grade Whitney Award finalist, there's a fun, fascinating, futuristic invention around every corner, but almost to the extent that they overshadow the characters and story.
Abby and her twin brother Derick have been admitted to the prestigious school Cragbridge Hall. While Derick fits right in with the other brilliant and overachieving students, Abby feels out of place and just plain ordinary, especially since she knows her application was initially rejected before her grandfather, the founder of Cragbridge Hall and a famous inventor, intervened.
Unfortunately, her roommate Jacqueline discovers this nepotism and refuses to room with her, locking her out of their dorm room the first night at school. The other girls likewise reject her, since they all had friends who didn't get in to the school and blame her for taking a spot from a more deserving student. Finally one girl, Carol, befriends her and life starts looking a bit brighter.
And then her grandfather is kidnapped, her parents go missing, and only Abby and Derick have the clues to rescue them.
I can't quite put my finger on what felt off about the book. I liked it. It was entertaining for sure, the inventions were creative, there was adventure and time travel and intriguing puzzles to figure out. But I was annoyed that Abby thought boys acting in women's roles in Elizabethan England was "gross" and I was a little taken aback by how consistently vicious Jacqueline's bullying of Abby was, though Abby triumphs in the end. The characters in the book, with the possible exception of Abby and Derick, seemed fairly flat, like two-dimensional stock characters. There were a couple who started out antagonistic toward Abby and Derick and then suddenly flip-flopped and were on their side and that's just an awfully convenient plot device.
To read the rest of this review, visit Build Enough Bookshelves.
Abby and her twin brother Derick have been admitted to the prestigious school Cragbridge Hall. While Derick fits right in with the other brilliant and overachieving students, Abby feels out of place and just plain ordinary, especially since she knows her application was initially rejected before her grandfather, the founder of Cragbridge Hall and a famous inventor, intervened.
Unfortunately, her roommate Jacqueline discovers this nepotism and refuses to room with her, locking her out of their dorm room the first night at school. The other girls likewise reject her, since they all had friends who didn't get in to the school and blame her for taking a spot from a more deserving student. Finally one girl, Carol, befriends her and life starts looking a bit brighter.
And then her grandfather is kidnapped, her parents go missing, and only Abby and Derick have the clues to rescue them.
I can't quite put my finger on what felt off about the book. I liked it. It was entertaining for sure, the inventions were creative, there was adventure and time travel and intriguing puzzles to figure out. But I was annoyed that Abby thought boys acting in women's roles in Elizabethan England was "gross" and I was a little taken aback by how consistently vicious Jacqueline's bullying of Abby was, though Abby triumphs in the end. The characters in the book, with the possible exception of Abby and Derick, seemed fairly flat, like two-dimensional stock characters. There were a couple who started out antagonistic toward Abby and Derick and then suddenly flip-flopped and were on their side and that's just an awfully convenient plot device.
To read the rest of this review, visit Build Enough Bookshelves.
1morechapterplz's review against another edition
5.0
Cragbridge Hall ranks up there with Hogwarts in 'Schools I'd Like To Attend'- it really does! And what's even better is Cragbridge Hall is a lot more realistic. All of the technology Morris invents feels like it really could (and probably will) be invented. (The only thing that is maybe pushing the limits is the time-traveling. More on that later.)
The book takes place in 2074. Twins Abby and Derick Cragbridge are the grandchildren of famous scientist and inventor Oscar Cragbridge, for whom the school was named. The academy is the best junior high in the world, and the kids who attend are all crazy talented and smart (think entrepreneurs, TV stars, published authors, etc.)
Derick is pretty much a genius (or so it's said; I didn't see a whole lot in the book that made me think that...but we don't see a lot of academics anyway, so maybe he is a whiz at math and stuff.)
However, Abby isn't a supergenius, or a valedictorian, or a champion athlete, or a prodigy musician. She's average. And what I like about Abby is she really is ordinary, not like Harry Potter where he feels like he doesn't fit in- but that's because he's The Chosen One. She's not like most main characters, where they have special powers, or are really smart, or something.
Anyway, the other thing I really liked is the time-traveling. And not just the actual going back in time (but that was pretty cool.) The scientist characters actually had real debates on the ethics of time travel in the book. Their stances seemed pretty legit, and I have to say I agree with Grandpa Cragbridge. His whole point was 'If we go and change things in the past, there's no telling what effect it might have on the future.' And the 'bad guy' (Charles Muns) was countering with, 'If we change the past, millions of lives will be saved.' And so on.
The characters also have to do a sort of scavenger hunt through time, you might say, and I learned some things about history. So, definitely a worthwhile book, if you're into science fiction, I would say. But even if it's not your genre- it might surprise you.
The book takes place in 2074. Twins Abby and Derick Cragbridge are the grandchildren of famous scientist and inventor Oscar Cragbridge, for whom the school was named. The academy is the best junior high in the world, and the kids who attend are all crazy talented and smart (think entrepreneurs, TV stars, published authors, etc.)
Derick is pretty much a genius (or so it's said; I didn't see a whole lot in the book that made me think that...but we don't see a lot of academics anyway, so maybe he is a whiz at math and stuff.)
However, Abby isn't a supergenius, or a valedictorian, or a champion athlete, or a prodigy musician. She's average. And what I like about Abby is she really is ordinary, not like Harry Potter where he feels like he doesn't fit in- but that's because he's The Chosen One. She's not like most main characters, where they have special powers, or are really smart, or something.
Anyway, the other thing I really liked is the time-traveling. And not just the actual going back in time (but that was pretty cool.) The scientist characters actually had real debates on the ethics of time travel in the book. Their stances seemed pretty legit, and I have to say I agree with Grandpa Cragbridge. His whole point was 'If we go and change things in the past, there's no telling what effect it might have on the future.' And the 'bad guy' (Charles Muns) was countering with, 'If we change the past, millions of lives will be saved.' And so on.
The characters also have to do a sort of scavenger hunt through time, you might say, and I learned some things about history. So, definitely a worthwhile book, if you're into science fiction, I would say. But even if it's not your genre- it might surprise you.
ghumpherys's review against another edition
5.0
What a fun middle grade story that involves cool inventions, time travel and even some history! I really enjoyed listening to the audio book and will definitely encourage my kids to pick this one up!