Mysteries of Cove: Fires of Invention (Book #1)
by
J. Scott Savage
Blurb:
"Trenton Coleman 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 build 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, who 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 lives"
My Review:
What a fun book! This story just comes to life on the pages. The characters are well developed and really great. I especially liked Trenton, Kallista, and Simoni. Trenton is the main character, and I feel so bad for him! He doesn't end up where he wants to end up, job-wise, and he feels like he's been betrayed and like he is missing a huge part of himself. However, he finds ways to use his......gasp! creativity (creativity is frowned upon in this story), and he might even make an.....gasp! invention or two (the word "invention" is considered profanity in Cove). He's a very likable character who is easy to relate to. He may make me nervous in some situations, because I'm definitely a rule-follower, but he has a cute personality and reminds you of your best friend growing up. Simoni is a cute character as well. She is more like me, a rule-follower, but she is a cute character. Kallista is a little more on the wild side, you may say. She is a bit of a rebel and is.....don't say it! creative. She may bring out a different side of Trenton, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. She is smart and thinks outside of the box, or mountain, in this case. The story line is fun and adventurous, and has enough action to satisfy the boys and enough girly stuff to capture the girls. Both Trenton and Kallista are strong characters, and each have their own abilities that they bring to the table. The history of Cove is interesting, and I enjoyed hearing how the whole city-in-a-mountain works. There's a bit of mystery to the story, and I liked how Trenton and Kallista worked together to solve each of the pieces of the puzzle. This is a fun middle-grader story, that I think both boys and girls will enjoy. I love the message of this book as well. Creativity and invention are wonderful things; learning to think outside of the box is an excellent skill to have.
I love that this is a great story, and it's completely clean! There is no profanity (thank you!!), no "intimacy" except for 13 year-old crushes, and very little violence. It is a fantastic middle-grader story that boys and girls will enjoy. I was hooked from the beginning! It's a fast, easy read, and I recommend it. It would make a great read-aloud as well.
Rating: PG (No profanity or "intimacy," and very little violence.)
Recommendation: 3rd grade and up.
Disclosure: I did receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
*This post was originally posted 9/28/15 and updated on 11/3/17.
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