The Greatest Inventor by Ben Brooks

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Hachette Children's Books, 2020. ISBN: 9781786541123.
(Age: primary) Recommended. This is a quirky story, full of whimsy. Many children already know Ben Brook's books through the very popular Boys who Dare to be Different 1 and 2 and Kids who Dare to be Different. These books do not languish for long on shelves. Brook's new book The Greatest Inventor does not disappoint.
Victor, our hero, is a really good sort. In an unusual beginning the prologue is narrated by the story teller who has writer's block. The writer, lost in a forest in snowy Finland, is rescued by a boy who subsequently becomes the hero of the story. My class of ten year olds were captured after the prologue.
Victor feels that his little village is too boring and safe. He desperately wants adventure. The villagers have hard, honest lives and owe nobody anything. One day the self- styled . . . "greatest inventor ever to set foot in the land of King Marshalla" arrives and attempts to sell contraptions. The villagers won't buy. In anger he casts a malicious spell over the village. Victor must release the village from the spell. He travels with an unlikely companion a talking turtle (tortoise?) called Saint Oswald. As they follow the inventor, they come upon villages that are under the spell of the inventor's contraptions. Other children, intent on rescuing their villages, join them on their quest.
It becomes apparent that other villages have fallen into debt and are doomed to permanent servitude. A monumental battle between the children and the forces of evil ensures. In the end they all go home which is where all good stories should end.
This book is a satisfying, mischievous romp - pure escapism. George Ermos's black and white illustrations enhance the text. The children are grounded in solid values. Sanity is restored to a world that has lost touch with what really matters. Victor realises that he is part of a world much bigger than himself. A delightful, fantastical romp with a message.
Recommended for Primary aged children.
Wendy Jeffrey

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