Vincent Shadow: Toy Inventor

Vincent Shadow #1

by 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.
* Now retitled as "Vincent Shadow: Toy Inventor "in paperback!

Genres: Childrens, Juvenile, Middle Grade, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Science Fiction, 2nd Grade

Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Tim Kehoe is the author of the Vincent Shadow series and the upcoming Furious Jones series. Tim is also the inventor of numerous toy products, including the world's first colored bubbles, called Zubbles, and he was recently named one of America's 100 Best by Reader's Digest. In 2005, Zubbles was awarded the Popular Science Grand Prize for Innovation.

Reviews

[Stacy Mozer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This year have 25 bright, rambunctious 3rd graders and as soon as I read this book over the summer I knew they'd love it. I was right. What middle grader wouldn't want to read a book about a boy who invents unusual toys? They connected with Vincent immediately, hated his stepmother Vibs and her girls, and howled everytime Vincent stole their stuff for his inventions. The book was the perfect shared reading experience and now they all want their own copy. Great for any middle grader.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5

I found this book at the library and thought it looked really fun. So I grabbed it and read it to see if I could use it at school. The good news: I can! The bad news: I wasn't that impressed with the book.

It started out alright. Classic story about a kid with an evil step-mom. He's misunderstood by his family because the only one who did understand him was his mom (who, in this case, is now deceased). Vincent has a secret inventing lab him and his mother built in their house and he invents toys. Pretty neat. He gets these blinding visions of toys and they all sound pretty awesome. But as the story progressed, there were a few really random chapters that I wondered why they were even in the book (because they did not add to the story... I guess they didn't take away from the story but I raised my eyebrow after a few and thought "And that mattered because?"). And then the ending. Um...what? Could that ending have been more rushed? The word length of the last page was the same length as a regular page so I turned it thinking there was more to the story only to find it was the end of the book. I was really surprised at how abruptly it ended. Kind of a bummer.

One thing I really did enjoy was Vincent's Notebook that was stashed in the back cover of the book. The reader got a chance to look into some of his inventions not mentioned in the book and see drawings and descriptions. I really enjoyed that!

I have a feeling there might be more Vincent Shadow books (if there aren't already some out) coming out in the future. If there are, I hope they have a better, more drawn out ending. That really threw me off :-(

[Dominique · Rating 2 out of 5]

The kids and I listened to the audiobook as a random find at the library, and I thought it had a good premise and would be interesting for the boys. But the narrator’s voice drove me nuts, and I wouldn’t have finished the book if the kids hadn’t wanted to. And as for the book itself, it was just okay. There was a lot of loose ends and weird stuff that wasn’t believable. I think the idea of the book was cool, but the actual book fell flat. And then it ended. I wouldn’t recommend this one.

[Liana Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

vincent shadow is a kid who has a step mom and three step sisters. his dad is always working and vincent has a secret nobody knows about except his mom who died.two of his sisters are mean to him but one of them is kind and nice to him.

[K James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t particularly like how it skipped around as far as a timeline goes, it was okay and I would not read it again. I think it’s intended for very small children (below second grade)

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun kids book. My 8 year-old liked it.

[Maximilian Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because I like art and making things. I also liked this book because I like bubbles and water guns.

[Amanda Vance · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this book that feels like the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory of invention books. Vincent lives in New York with his father, step-mother and step-sisters. His lab is a secret and hidden away in his closet, even his father doesn’t know about it. The book finds him inventing all kinds of crazy toys that I wish we had when I was younger! They all sound like a lot of fun. He enters a competition to work in a toy factory and there’s a switch up part way through.

One of the best parts about the book is the sketches in the back. I read the ARC so the actual book may have changed a bit but there are great fun sketches of all of the inventions mentioned in the book. If this book ends up being one I book talk in schools in the spring, that will be a fascinating part for the kids, making this book even more interesting. With Diary of a Wimpy Kid being as popular as it is, kids love books that feel similar. This one will be a good reference to go to when they’ve run out of Greg Heffley books!

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[Margo Tanenbaum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel, written by a real-life toy inventor, focuses on Vincent Shadow, a nerdy, 11-year-old kid who is bullied at school but who secretly is a brilliant toy inventor. His inspiration comes to him in blinding flashes that seem like migraines but are really visions of fantastic new toys. When Vincent has an opportunity to compete in a world-wide toy invention competition for kids, it’s his dream come true. But when an opponent destroys his fabulous kite that flies without wind, can Vincent still come out on top?

This is a delightfully imaginative middle reader that will appeal to fans of fantasy fiction, especially kids who like underdogs as heroes. And the book comes with a removable top-secret invention book, that includes such wacky ideas as “biting beast balls,” and “bounce n’ bubbles.” The cut-out cover, which allows the reader to see into Vincent’s invention laboratory, is also very clever and will grab children’s interest.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vincent Shadow is no ordinary boy-he has an extraordinary secret! He is literally blinded by toy invention ideas that come to him fully formed. Before his mom died she helped him set up a hidden laboratory is his house in New York City to work on his inventions. Unfortunately much has changed since her death, he now has a stepmother and 3 stepsisters, and to make matters worse the family is getting ready to move to Minnesota. Once there he finds out about a toy contest that just might be the answer to his problems, but he hasn't had a toy vision since the move! Time is running out for Vincent to perfect an invention and get back to New York to present it to the greatest toy company of them all.

While the premise was interesting the story lacked complete closure and came to a rather abrupt end with only one of his problems solved.

[Eduardo Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow, was a crazy, imaginative book. The plot surrounds Vincent and his step-family, Stella, Anna and Gwen and his evil stepmother Vibs. I could connect to this book because Vincent has so many drawing notebooks filled with imaginative drawings and I have that too.
Unfortunately, Vincent has to go live in Minnesota, leaving all his plans, drawings and books behind in his house. If you want to know more about this book, read it! It's really good. If you like to invent things or learn to invent things or just see inventions, you will read the right book. Throughout the book, Victor Idolizes Nikola Tesla, a famous scientist that rivaled the great Wizard Of Menlo Park, Thomas Edison. He even names his pet bird Nikola Tesla! You will LOVE this book and I hope you will connect to this book as well as I did!

[Boni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book, but I think it has a misguided cover. It is cut-out and cartoony, and the text inside is fairly large with tons of white space, leading me to believe this was aimed at 8 and 9-year-olds (especially with an 11yo MC). However, I would say the target audience is more like 10-12-year-olds- some of the plot points and backstory are fairly convoluted and even I didn't understand the explanations of the inventions. My 14-year-old picked it up at his brother's baseball game (he was bored and it was the only book in the car) and enjoyed it- but felt silly reading it because of the cover. He could tell it was a little young for him, but it definitely held his interest (and mine- it's a fun read!)

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is actually a slimmer read than expected because the last quarter is Vincent's invention notebook. The plot is pretty basic: Cinderella-type boy (eg, dead mother, stepmother hates him, wicked stepsisters, father usually away) is an amazing inventor, finally gets appreciation and recognition for his work.

But beyond the basics, Vincent's story is fun. His inventions are, well, inventive, in a Willy Wonka-ish way. The "blue" episode alone is worth reading; unfortunately(? perhaps not for parents of similarly minded children) the actual inventing process is often glossed over.

Boys will particularly like this book, and I hope it becomes a series.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun to listen to... listened to it on CD in car... Vincent is a good protagonist. His mom died- and she was the only one who knew that those "blinding headaches were really sudden inspirations, inventions that he was working on. They had set up a secret inventors workshop hidden behind his closet. But now his father has married a new wife, he has 3 new sisters, and they are moving away... What will happen to Vincent? What of his ideas for a windless kite, or bubbles that pop to emit a sound, or even the forever water water gun? will anything really get off the ground, or will his dreams of being a toy inventor go away? check it out! it was good!

[VY · Rating 3 out of 5]

The version I read was actually entitled "Vincent Shadow: Toy Inventor," but I believe that this is the same novel. When I picked up this book, I thought that it would include more about how Vincent went through the process of designing, adapting, improving upon, and testing his inventions. However, I was disappointed to find out the "true origins" of his ideas. Although this book has some nice messages contained within, it didn't head in the direction I expected from my interpretation of the blurb on the back. I felt that more could have been done with the storyline, although the author did manage to keep me turning the pages to see what would happen next.

[Natasha Cacace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Vincent Shadow who looks up to an inventor named Nikola Tesla doing so he became an inventor. Before Vincent's mom died his mom and him had created a secret lab that only they knew about. They had created a lot of inventions, but when his mom died he didn't look at his inventions much. Then he entered a contest to show who had the best toy invention. Only 7 people were chosen and Vincent was one of them.

I would recommend this book to all grades because it shows that even if you move to another state or country that shouldn't stop you from following you dreams.

[Saede · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that the ending could have been just a tad longer, but other than that I thought that it was a very strongly written book. Although short, this book showed a lot of detail in the inventions and sculptures and such. I think that I might need to make some of the inventoins myself and try them out! The inventions were great, and although written by an adult, he brought in some things that kids really find cool and fascinating. I would almost rate this book a 9/10, but I will go for a 9.6/10!

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vincent is an inventor. He has headaches that reveal to him toys that are revolutionary ideas. He worked with his mom to create a lab where he could pursue his interest. But his mom has died and left him feeling hurt and uninterested in toys. His dad re-married and moves the family to Minnesota. Vincent has all but given up until he hears about a toy inventing contest. Now he has little time to prepare to win the prize. Grades 3 - 4

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will make a good 3rd/4th grade read, and is partly set in Minnesota.
Vincent gets inspiration for his inventions in flashes of light. He has a secret attic workshop that his mom helped him build the year before she died. Now that his dad has remarried a woman with 3 daughters, no one in his family know about the secret. His inventions are fantastic and whimsical - things that every kid his age can identify with.

[Jose Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good. I would recommend this book to my friends because it is funny. I like that Vincent Shadow was a relatable character. I am a fiction and fantasy reader, and I really like the ending because Vincent barely makes it to he contest with a little time to spare. I would recommend you read this book!i think the author is a creative writer. It is an enjoyable book to read.

[Tal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is rather real in the view of the family situation, but then again it is completely unreal. There were parts that seemed to drag on and then other parts that moved too quickly. The ending seemed to be cut as well. I liked the idea of doing what's in your heart to do and then a teacher believing in a kid and calling the talent in them forward.

[Alison]

Loved it!

I loved it because it tells the story of a boy who is smart. He is not always appreciated. Sometimes I feel like that. Most people tell me I'm smart but what good does that do if you don't have any proof? I would recommend this book to people like me, who don't always feel appreciated.

[pati · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Vincent Shadow, inspired by the ideas of the inventor Nikola Tesla, has always kept his many unusual toy inventions secret from his family until he enters a contest whose prize is to spend a summer working with the eccentric Howard G. Whizz of Whizzer Toys.

[Annajune · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read. Vincent invents toys in his secret lab until he moves away. He feels he is done with inventing until a challenge from a teacher to enter the toy invention contest. The book starts with him being blue from an invention gone wrong. Perfect for 8-12 year old boys.

[Mary Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended to me by one of my students. Great #geniushour book about a kid who invents toys.

Favorite quote: "There are lots of right answers. And if you fall in love with the one you have, you will close your eyes to all the other possible answers." p,83

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun light read that's perfect for reluctant readers--especially boys. The illustrations move the story along and the invention notebook at the end of the book is a hoot. Love to see more of Vincent Shadow.

[Mr. Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book! Written by an inventor of children's toys about a boy who is an inventor, it is a creative and fun book. Looking forward to Book 2!

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd give it to 4th-6th grade boys, especially. Someone who is interested in invention/science stuff - including making toys...

[Carlos bahamundi · Rating 5 out of 5]

if u want to do something that can change ur life for good i thimg u can do it.

[Debbie Shoulders · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovable geek finds a way to function in his world.