LEO, Inventor Extraordinaire
by Luke Xavier Cunningham
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Pub Date Apr 06 2021 | Archive Date Apr 12 2021
Zonderkidz-Books | Zonderkidz
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Description
In order to unlock his family’s past and how he became an orphan, Leo will need every skill and invention he has—even if his inventions don’t always work. This middle-school adventure mystery is perfect for puzzle solvers, as Leodiscovers a series of tunnels below his school filled with clues, riddles andpuzzles to solveabout his identity and his family.
A “lifer” at the secluded Academy of Florence, Leo has never met his parents ... or anyone in his family for that matter. His current “family” is his mechanical monkey and robot lion, who along with his charming best friend and fellow lifer, Savvy, only get him into trouble. But after Leo’s latest experiment goes catastrophically wrong, he finds a mysterious clue that opens an underground maze—one that seems to have been created for him to solve.
Leo hopes the tunnels will help him discover the identities of his parents and the reason he’s an orphan in the first place. Instead, he finds that his past and possibly even his future is somehow linked to the innovative Wynn Toys company, whose genius president mysteriously disappeared years before.
Leo must use his creativity and scientific know-how to revive the toy company, oust its dastardly leader, and discover the fate of his real family.
LEO, Inventor Extraordinaire:
- Is perfect for kids 8 to 12 who enjoy action, adventure, humor, and mystery
- Is likeThe DaVinci Codefor kids, with robots, wacky inventions, and puzzles to solve
- Contains almost 60 pieces of original black and white artwork
- Encourages imagination and the development of STEAM skills
LEO, Inventor Extraordinaire is a Northern Lights Book Awards Winner in the Middle Grade Fiction category for 2021 -- The Northern Lights Book Awards
A Note From the Publisher
Ask to see the amazing the artwork!
Marketing Plan
•Author Luke Cunningham has written for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Comedy Central
•This book includes hilarious content
•Smart content hidden in an action/adventure story
•Near future fantasy story with STEAM themes
•Perfect for fans of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and The Copernicus Legacy series
•Embossing on the cover
Meant for the general market, from Zonderkidz, not faith-based
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780310770008 |
| PRICE | $16.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 352 |
Featured Reviews
Faith O, Reviewer
LEO is a fun-filled, fast-paced, middle-grade adventure with a prodigy protagonist with a love of science and discovery.
Leo is an orphan living at a secluded boarding school, he is known as something of a troublemaker, with inventions known to have wreaked havoc on the school. Leo and his friend Savvy discover a network of underground tunnels with secret passwords and codes needed to unlock them. Leo hopes to discover the truth about his family and how he ended up at the Academy of Florence.
Leo finds himself swept into a dangerous world of espionage and innovation, joined by his created pets as well as new friends Beatrice and Rocky, as they fight to uncover the answers to Leo's identity.
This is a fun read, plenty of action, with quirky characters and plenty of humor. Rocky was one of my favorite characters, as he is something of a pokey older gentleman who tells it like it is. Leo is a genius inventor, but he is still a thirteen year old boy, which I thought that the author did a great job making clear. This book has twists and turns that kept me guessing, with short chapters that kept the plot rolling steadily throughout.
Overall, this was a wholesome read, with some gross out humor, and action-movie type violence for the most part against robots. It was an entertaining read, incorporating real science formulas, and pop culture. While published by Zonderkidz it isn't an explicitly Christian book, with a couple of references to Scripture mentioned on a similar level as that of a Beatles song, a passing phrase name dropping Job, and a few vague mentions of prayer, which overall was disappointing as I was hoping for more overarching themes of faith. An exciting middle-grade adventure, it also leaves the door open for a sequel, so it will be fun to see where it goes.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
