The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow (Vincent Shadow, 1) - Hardcover

Kehoe, Tim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316056650 ISBN 13: 9780316056656

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009

Synopsis

Vincent Shadow isn't particularly good at sports and is constantly being picked on by his classmates at Central Middle School. But it is Vincent's unusually creative mind that truly separates him from other kids his age.

Vincent's top secret attic lab is crammed with toy prototypes --from Liquid Superballs to Bullz-I Basketballs and Sonic Snorkelz--and he has a sketch book filled with drawings of toys he still wants to build. So when a chance encounter with an eccentric toy inventor offers him the opportunity to go from unknown weird kid to toy inventor extraordinaire, Vincent realizes that playtime is over: it's time to get serious about toys.
* Now retitled as Vincent Shadow: Toy Inventor in paperback!

About this title

About the Author:

Tim Kehoe is the inventor of numerous toy products, including the world's first colored bubbles, called Zubbles, and he was recently named one of America's 100 Best by Reader's Digest. In 2005, Zubbles was awarded Popular Science's Grand Prize for Innovation. This is Tim's debut children's book. He lives with his wife and children in Minnesota. Visit him online at www.timkehoe.com.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4–6—Eleven-year-old Vincent Shadow has a gift so unusual and problematic that he's always had to hide it. Much like his idol, eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla, his ideas come to him in the form of blinding, fully formed, and intricately detailed visions. Unlike Tesla's, Vincent's visions are all of fantastic toys: windless kites, everlasting squirt guns, and 3-D ink, among them. Being a boy genius was easy when Vincent's supportive mom helped him build a secret home laboratory, but following her death and his father's remarriage, things change. The family is about to move from New York to Minnesota, and Vincent's inspiration level is fading fast. Just as both his genius and morale seem to be bottoming out, he learns of a promising toy-invention contest sponsored by legendary toymaker Howard G. Whiz. If Vincent wins it, he'll earn an apprenticeship back in New York—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to utilize his gift. As the contest nears, renewed inspiration comes from newly discovered Tesla artifacts and the surprising support of his stepsister. The question is, can Vincent overcome the last-minute sabotage by a rival in time to realize his dream? This is a solid, whimsically illustrated writing debut from a real-life toy inventor. It begs for a quick follow-up.—Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI
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About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0316056650
• ISBN 13: 9780316056656
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192
• Illustrator: Wohnoutka Mike, Francis Guy