Product Description:
Title:Mysteries of Cove: Fires of Invention
Author: J. Scott Savage
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Publish date: Sept. 29, 2015
ISBN13: 9781629720920
Hardcover: 370 pages
FTC, FYI: I was given a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Book Description:
Trenton Colman is a creative thirteen-year-old boy with a knack for all
things mechanical. But his talents are viewed with suspicion in Cove, a
steam-powered city built inside a mountain. In Cove, creativity is a
crime and “invention” is a curse word.
Kallista Babbage is a repair technician and daughter of the notorious
Leo Babbage, whose father died in an explosion—an event the leaders of
Cove point to as an example of the danger of creativity.
Working together, Trenton and Kallista learn that Leo Babbage was
developing a secret project before he perished. Following clues he left
behind, they begin to assemble a strange machine that is unlike anything
they’ve ever seen before. They soon discover that what they are
building may threaten every truth their city is founded on—and quite
possibly their very lives.
My Review
When I first heard J. Scott Savage telling me and my kids about a new book he was writing, we were all excited. The words Steampunk and Dragons stuck in my mind, but the thought that being creative was considered a crime was the thing that blew me away. In this society found in Fires of Invention, the first Mysteries of Cove book, all inventing has been outlawed and considered bad and staying within the norms was the safe and right thing to do. As a teacher I felt stifled by this idea. I love when my students are creative and come up with wild ideas. This is why I immediately fell in love with main character Trenton Colman. He doesn't fit in with the "average" kids at Cove because he has many ideas running through his head and he can't leave them alone. He knows he shouldn't consider building anything, and when he does this is where the fun starts. Along the way he meets a fellow inventor, Kallista Babbage, and their friendship starts off quite rocky with some kicks and punches. I laughed at the tension felt by these early teens and how they eventually get together to do something very important. I will be giving away no spoilers here because it is too much fun finding out what happens on your own!
J.Scott Savage is such a wonderful story teller that this story came to life so easily in my mind. I know that this book's main audience is the Middle school/teen crowd, but honestly, as an adult I loved it! This book won't let you down, because it hooks you at the beginning and has a wonderful end that made me laugh and cry. It has a fabulous starting point for book two. I recommend this book for solo readers, teachers to read to their class, and for parents to read with their kids. You know you are always in for a great entertaining read when J. Scott Savage is the author. Well Done!!
Here is the author J. Scott Savage with my kids,the day we first heard about this new book coming soon that combined Steampunk and Dragons!
How did J.Scott Savage come up with this awesome idea? Here is what he had to say about that:
Author Note:
"Like many of my books, the inspiration for my new series
Fires of Invention came
from the collision of two ideas. The first time the story occurred to
me was while I was watching the musical Wicked with my wife. The moment I
walked into the theater and saw the huge mechanical dragon above the
stage, I
thought, Wow! I have to write a story about that! A few weeks later, I
was talking with my nephew, who is probably the most creative kid I
know, but whose inventiveness often gets him into trouble, and I
thought, What if a kid who had the talents of my nephew
lived in a world where creativity was against the law? What if the kids
were building . . . a steam-powered dragon? Bam! I had my story.
Powered
by great feedback from my agent, Michael Bourret, my good friend and
author James Dashner, my publisher, Chris Schoebinger, and the song
“Warriors” by Imagine Dragons, I wrote the entire first draft of the
first volume in the series,
Mysteries of Cove in four weeks. This book is unlike anything I have
ever written. There are elements of City of Ember, Dragon Riders, and
Hugo in it all mashed up together in a world I fell in love with from
the moment I started writing.
I
think what’s most exciting to me about this book is that it’s about
giving yourself the freedom to imagine. To take chances. Too often we
limit ourselves by only trying things we’re confident we can succeed at
when what we need to do
is give ourselves permission to fail. Often it is when we attempt
things with no idea of how we can possibly pull them off that we achieve
our greatest successes."
Add this book to your goodreads list!
Meet the Author: J. Scott Savage
Author Bio:
J.
Scott Savage is the author of the Farworld middle grade fantasy series
and the Case File 13 middle grade monster series. He has been writing
and publishing books for over ten years. He has visited over 400
elementary schools, dozens
of writers conferences, and taught many writing classes. He has four
children and lives with his wife Jennifer and their Border Collie,
Pepper, in a windy valley of the Rocky Mountains.
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