The Remarkable Inventions of Walter Mortinson
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
“Contains elements of Oz and Harry Potter with a healthy dollop of Willy Wonka thrown into the mix.” —Kirkus Reviews
In this sweeping and inventive debut novel that’s perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, Neil Gaiman, and Tim Burton, a prodigal inventor flees his home to find his destiny.
In the humdrum town of Moormouth, Walter Mortinson’s unusual inventions cause nothing but trouble. After one of his contraptions throws the town into chaos, Walter’s mother demands he cut the nonsense and join the family mortuary business.
Far off on Flaster Isle, famed inventor Horace Flasterborn plans to take Walter under his wing, just as he did Walter’s genius father decades ago. When a letter arrives by unusual means offering Walter an apprenticeship, it isn’t long before Walter decides to flee Moormouth to meet his destiny.
Walter runs away in the family hearse along with Cordelia, the moody girl next door with one eye and plenty of secrets. Together they journey through a strange landscape of fish-people, giantess miners, and hypnotized honeybees in an adventure that will not only reveal the truth about Walter’s past, but direct his future.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Walter Mortinson, 12, decides to run away from Moormouth, his bleak factory town, after an unfortunate funeral incident leads his mortician mother to demand that he destroy his many miraculous inventions. Joined by his onetime friend Cordelia, who has her own reasons for leaving, he steals the family hearse and embarks on a strange and wonderful road trip to find the famed inventor Flasterborn, mentor to his deceased father. The meandering plot relies on some tenuous connections and drops a few too many threads. Oddly, it's Walter's mother, not the young protagonists, who emerges as the most interesting character through the use of multiple timelines and points of view, Sosna-Spear skillfully alters both Walter's and the reader's perception of her as the book progresses. Striking scenes feature vivid descriptions of places such as a treetop city, playful and odd devices including a parade that travels in an endless loop, and characters who would be at home in a Roald Dahl novel. Despite the sparkling visuals and humor, loss and death are the real themes, explored effectively in many ways through this uneven yet thoughtful debut. Ages 8 12.
