The Greatest Inventor by Ben Brooks
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