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Jabari Tries

Gaia Cornwall

Jabari is inventing a machine that will fly all the way across the yard! But making it go from CRASH to WHOOSH will take grit, patience, and maybe even a little help from his sister.

Jabari is making a flying machine in his backyard! "It'll be easy. I don't need any help," he declares. But it doesn't work! Jabari is frustrated. Good thing Dad is there for a pep talk and his little sister, Nika, is there to assist, fairy wings and all. With the endearing father-child dynamic of Jabari Jumps and engaging mixed-media illustrations, Gaia Cornwall's tale shows that through perseverance and flexibility, an inventive thought can become a brilliant reality.

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Awesome Achievers in Technology

Alan Katz

 

 

 

Part of a super fun middle grade series, Awesome Achievers in Technology puts the spotlight on lesser-known heroes and their contributions in tech.Everyone has heard the name Steve Jobs, but what about Nolan Bushnell--Jobs's boss before the invention of Apple, and the founder of the first major video game, Pong? Many of the most relevant figures in tech history have remained in the shadows, but not any longer! From Alan Katz's new Awesome Achievers series, Awesome Achievers in Technology gives kids a look behind the scenes at 12 lesser-known inventors whose contributions to tech are personally relevant to their lives today. Each figure is given a traditional biography but is also subject to Katz's unique brand of silliness, with humorous elements such as imagined poems, song lyrics, and diary entries by and about the not-so-famous figure accompanying each bio.

Spot illustrations throughout add to the lighthearted and appreciative humor each figure receives. Reluctant readers and budding tech enthusiasts alike will delight in this imaginative and engaging introduction to a new series of laugh out loud biographies.

 

 

 

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Vincent Shadow: Toy Inventor

Tim Kehoe

Vincent Shadow isn't particularly good at sports and is constantly being picked on by his classmates at Central Middle School. But it is Vincent's unusually creative mind that truly separates him from other kids his age.
Vincent's top secret attic lab is crammed with toy prototypes --from Liquid Superballs to Bullz-I Basketballs and Sonic Snorkelz--and he has a sketch book filled with drawings of toys he still wants to build. So when a chance encounter with an eccentric toy inventor offers him the opportunity to go from unknown weird kid to toy inventor extraordinaire, Vincent realizes that playtime is over: it's time to get serious about toys.
* Vincent Shadow: Toy Inventor was previously titled The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow.

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Inventions that Could Have Changed the World ... But Didn't!

Joe Rhatigan

The fascinating stories of inventions that could have changed the world, should have made a difference, or would have astounded us all, but for one reason or another, didn't. Some inventions were too wacky, weird, or unwieldy. Other simply didn't work. And still others may be the next big thing . . . some day. Learn about the inventors, what they thought they would accomplish, and what--if anything--they did accomplish. Zany illustrations of the contraptions in use throughout.

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See Inside Inventions

Alex Frith

How did an untidy doctor change the world? Who really invented the radio? And what on earth inspired engineers to try to build a space rocket? Lift the flaps to discover the amazing stories behind some of the world's most ground-breaking inventions.

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How to Become an Accidental Genius

Elizabeth MacLeod

Don't be afraid to try! Make connections! Be persistent! Ask questions and never take no for an answer! Learn the secrets and amazing stories of successful inventors!

How to Become an Accidental Genius is full of inspiring tales of famous and lesser-known inventors who have changed the world, from George Washington Carver, Mary Anderson (inventor of the windshield wiper) and inventor and actress Hedy Lamarr to Frank Epperson (of Popsicle fame) and Mary Sherman Morgan (The Woman Who Saved the U.S. Space Race). Readers will be amazed at the inventiveness of these geniuses. The book focuses on inventors from North America but includes stories from around the world. Organized into eleven chapters that highlight the qualities inventors have in common, the book also features profiles of inventive kids and teenagers.

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What Color is My World?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball legend and the NBA's alltime leading scorer, champions a lineup
of little-known African-American inventors in this lively, kid-friendly book.


Did you know that James West invented the microphone in your cell phone? That Fred Jones invented the refrigerated truck that makes supermarkets possible? Or that Dr. Percy Julian synthesized cortisone from soy, easing untold people's pain? These are just some of the black inventors and innovators scoring big points in this dynamic look at several unsung heroes who shared a desire to improve people's lives. Offering profiles with fast facts on flaps and framed by a funny contemporary story featuring two feisty twins, here is a nod to the minds behind the gamma electric cell and the ice-cream scoop, improvements to traffic lights, open-heart surgery, and more - inventors whose ingenuity and perseverance against great odds made our world safer, better, and brighter.

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Genius!

Deborah Kespert

Genius! tells the stories behind the amazing inventions that helped shape our modern world. Young readers are introduced to the technologies developed by thinkers and inventors such as Archimedes, Leonardo da Vinci, Gutenberg, James Watt, the Wright brothers, and Tim Berners-Lee, and the creativity and determination behind their discoveries.

The book is divided into five key thematic sections: Pioneers, Communication, Technology, Transport, and Into Space. Read about how the innovators who brought us today's world of communications, the Internet, fast travel, space exploration, and entertainment faced challenges and dangers as they dared to create new machines and technologies.

Combining lively, entertaining stories with well-illustrated information on the inventions and their implications, as well as an activities section with mini-experiments for the budding inventor, Genius! brings all the excitement of scientific invention alive for children growing up in an increasingly technology-oriented world.

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The Book of Massively Epic Engineering Disasters

Sean Connolly

It’s hands-on science with a capital “E”—for engineering.

Beginning with the toppling of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, to the destructive, laserlike sunbeams bouncing off London’s infamous “Fryscraper” in 2013, here is an illustrated tour of the greatest engineering disasters in history, from the bestselling author of The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science.

Each engineering disaster includes a simple, exciting experiment or two using everyday household items to explain the underlying science and put learning into action. Understand the Titanic’s demise by sinking an ice-cube-tray ocean liner in the bathtub. Stomp on a tube of toothpaste to demonstrate what happens to non-Newtonian fluids under pressure—and how a ruptured tank sent a tsunami of molasses through the streets of Boston in 1919.

From why the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans to the fatal design flaw in the Sherman tank, here’s a book of science at its most riveting.

 

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Made by Maxine

Ruth Spiro

Meet Maxine, an inspiring young maker who knows that with enough effort and imagination (and mistakes), it's possible to invent anything.

Maxine loves making new things from old things. She loves tinkering until she has solved a problem. She also loves her pet goldfish, Milton. So when it's time for her school's pet parade, she's determined to create something that will allow Milton to march with the other animals. Finally, after trying, trying, and trying again, she discovers just the right combination of recycled odds and ends to create a fun, functional--and absolutely fabulous--solution to her predicament.

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125 Cool Inventions

National Kids

"The future is now! Supercool robots, amazing flying machines, floating hotels--this book is packed with 125 amazing inventions that will make you wish for things you never knew existed! Get the scoop on inventions of the future before they hit stores, like the fish tank that turns your toilet into an aquarium (but don't worry, your fishy friends will be just fine!), or the Cargonaut, a human-size robot that flies around picking up and delivering items just for you! These inventions are paired with incredible photos and loads of fun facts. Discover what the future will look like on every page!,"--back cover.

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