Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Book Review- Edison's Gold

By Geoff Watson
Published by EgmontUSA
Released October 26th, 2010
Source- EgmontUSA
Ages 8-12 years old
4 Stars- A Great Middle Grade Read

Solving a centuries-old family mystery is Tom Edison's only hope to stop his family from moving to Kansas. but can the famed inventor's great-great-grandson pull off this whirlwind coup and discover Edison's secret formula for alchemy in time? Full of gadgetry, historical rivalries, secret societies, and bad guys galore, Geoff Watson's Edison's Gold is a thrilling quest for middle grade readers (quoted from the back of the ARC).

Edison's Gold is a fun, adventurous read for middle graders. Tom Edison is on a quest to find clues his great great grandfather left behind, and if he can find them in time, he can save his family from moving to KS, leaving behind the friends he's grown up. Not only that, he will be helping his family and restoring an honor to the Edison name. It won't be easy uncovering the clues and revealing the secrets that have remained hidden for years. Not knowing what the clues lead to, make the adventure that much more appealing.

This adventure is one that has lasted for decades, as a decedent of Thomas Edison's enemy is out to find what Tom is after. Now it's a race against time to make sure this formula and the treasure stay out of the wrong hands. What I enjoyed about Edison's Gold, is the historical fiction that is wrapped into this story, along with some great historical figures like Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, Babe Ruth and more. While the story is set in present day, I liked that there were a few scenes that included the historical figures, allowing the reader to see what brought these historical greats together.

The characters are great and I enjoyed going on their secret missions and trying to solve the riddles with them. Their adventures take them all over NY and into some historical parts of town, and to some well known parts of town, were hidden passages lead to clues. While I didn't make the smart kid club in school, I felt like I was part of it with this trio.

There's plenty of adventure, danger and of course bad guys in this great debut. I think this will be most appealing to middle grade readers, as there's a little bit of everything in this book that will have the most reluctant reader enjoying it. I am looking forward to reading the sequel and I recommend picking up Edison's Gold.

You can find more about Edison's Gold and purchase a copy of the book by visiting Egmont's site here http://tinyurl.com/26k5ntw

1 comment:

  1. This sounds like fun. I'll have to check it out for my second grader. :)

    Thanks for the review.

    ReplyDelete

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
~ Anonymous ~