My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Source: Received from Publisher to Review
Genre: Middle Grade Steampunk
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 thoughts: An underground community committed to stop innovation and creativity is where this book takes place. They left the world above when they felt threatened by pollution, machines, technology, etc.
Trenton is a boy who has mind that can't help think of new ways to make things better. He can calculate math in his head and see's possibilities all around him. An unfortunate incident threatens his creative mind and he is reminded to conform. He discovers a curious object that has technology he is unfamiliar with and begins to ask questions.
The book is so well written it captured my attention from the beginning. Trenton is a great character and getting to know his friends and enemies was a treat. This book has so much imagination that it is sure to do well with it's target middle grade readers.
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About the Author: (Taken from Goodreads) J. Scott Savage is the author of the Farworld series, the Case File 13 series, and the Mysteries of Cove series. He grew up in Northern California and now lives in Utah with his wife and four children.
Scott has held too many jobs to count, including: a mall Santa, French chef, CEO of a dot com, plumber, radio station talk show host, and the guy who sits in the little photo developing booth. He has completed one marathon and hopes to complete another when the memories finally fade away. He loves reading, writing, camping, playing games with his family, and especially hearing from and meeting his readers. To e-mail him or schedule a visit, come to his website www.jscottsavage.com
This sounds so good...I think I am going to have to get this for me to read with my son!
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