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Epic Fails #1
The Wright Brothers: Nose-Diving into History
A hilarious nonfiction look at two of history's most epic "failures": the Wright brothers, whose countless crashes ultimately led to groundbreaking success.
Although Orville and Wilbur Wright are celebrated today as heroes for their revolutionary contributions to science and engineering—they are acknowledged as the first men to successfully achieve powered, piloted flight—their success was hard-earned. (Spoiler there were a lot of nosedives involved.) In fact, it took the self-taught engineers years of work and dozens of crashes before they managed a single twelve-second flight!
In this first installment of the brand new Epic Fails series, Ben Thompson and Erik Slader take readers through the Wright brothers' many mishaps and misadventures as they paved the way for modern aviation.
The Epic Fails series takes a humorous and unexpected view of history, exploring the surprising stories behind a variety of groundbreaking discoveries, voyages, experiments, and innovations, illustrating how many of mankind's biggest successes are in fact the result of some pretty epic failures.
This title has Common Core connections.
Although Orville and Wilbur Wright are celebrated today as heroes for their revolutionary contributions to science and engineering—they are acknowledged as the first men to successfully achieve powered, piloted flight—their success was hard-earned. (Spoiler there were a lot of nosedives involved.) In fact, it took the self-taught engineers years of work and dozens of crashes before they managed a single twelve-second flight!
In this first installment of the brand new Epic Fails series, Ben Thompson and Erik Slader take readers through the Wright brothers' many mishaps and misadventures as they paved the way for modern aviation.
The Epic Fails series takes a humorous and unexpected view of history, exploring the surprising stories behind a variety of groundbreaking discoveries, voyages, experiments, and innovations, illustrating how many of mankind's biggest successes are in fact the result of some pretty epic failures.
This title has Common Core connections.
122 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2018
15 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 9, 2019
The authors, Slader and Thompson, immediately draw student-readers into a conversation in the first two sentences of the introduction to the book--“If at first you don’t succeed…you’re not the only one. In fact, you’re in pretty good company.” They quickly move into narrating an epic fail of the Wright brothers which includes the following –
As the bystanders watched, Wilbur Wright and his wooden glider face-planted into a sandy dune. Undeterred except for a slightly bruised ego (people laughing at you is never all that much fun), Wilbur got back up, dusted himself off, and got ready for another try. P. 2
Chapters 1 & 2 review the history of failure in the area of aviation and then Chapter 3 returns to the Wright brothers, beginning with their childhood.
I’d recommend this as an independent read to savvy 3rd grade readers, readers in grades 4-6, and striving readers in middle school. It’s part of series that might “hook” some readers.
Recommendations for BOOK TALKING –
• Read aloud the first p. 1-3 (first paragraph on page 3) and leave students hanging. What will happen next?
• Ask questions that pique students’ interest like -
o How many years would you spend trying to make something work? Ten? Twenty?
o Would you be willing to jump off a building to try out a new plane-like contraption? Before we knew about planes even?
o Would you be willing to camp on the beach so you can try out a new invention?
Some strong THEMES that might be worthy of students writing responses to as they read this book –
• Change takes time.
• Failure can be an informative experience.
• Tenacity is a characteristic of innovators.
• The work of a team can lead to big innovations.
• Think partners are a critical part of inventing.
Two down points (but not deal breakers) -
1) The authors' acknowledgments do very little to reveal accuracy and authority in the book; there's one brief note about an assistant who did "fact checking." There is a bibliography included but no apparent primary sources are on the list; several of the books written are written by award-winning nonfiction authors but... Student-readers deserve a note from the authors about their research methods, what's fact and what's imagination (based on inferences made from factual information) in the book, and how the authors checked for accuracy.
2) The chapter 1-2 review of aviation history is Eurocentric. Wonder if there are other stories the authors could have chosen to expand young readers’ understanding of the history of curiosity about human flight at a global level. I did a quick search on the web that did not turn up much but I didn’t do the search justice.
Again - not a deal breaker, but points we might help student-readers notice, ask questions about, engage in further research regarding... I'd still recommend this for independent reading.
As the bystanders watched, Wilbur Wright and his wooden glider face-planted into a sandy dune. Undeterred except for a slightly bruised ego (people laughing at you is never all that much fun), Wilbur got back up, dusted himself off, and got ready for another try. P. 2
Chapters 1 & 2 review the history of failure in the area of aviation and then Chapter 3 returns to the Wright brothers, beginning with their childhood.
I’d recommend this as an independent read to savvy 3rd grade readers, readers in grades 4-6, and striving readers in middle school. It’s part of series that might “hook” some readers.
Recommendations for BOOK TALKING –
• Read aloud the first p. 1-3 (first paragraph on page 3) and leave students hanging. What will happen next?
• Ask questions that pique students’ interest like -
o How many years would you spend trying to make something work? Ten? Twenty?
o Would you be willing to jump off a building to try out a new plane-like contraption? Before we knew about planes even?
o Would you be willing to camp on the beach so you can try out a new invention?
Some strong THEMES that might be worthy of students writing responses to as they read this book –
• Change takes time.
• Failure can be an informative experience.
• Tenacity is a characteristic of innovators.
• The work of a team can lead to big innovations.
• Think partners are a critical part of inventing.
Two down points (but not deal breakers) -
1) The authors' acknowledgments do very little to reveal accuracy and authority in the book; there's one brief note about an assistant who did "fact checking." There is a bibliography included but no apparent primary sources are on the list; several of the books written are written by award-winning nonfiction authors but... Student-readers deserve a note from the authors about their research methods, what's fact and what's imagination (based on inferences made from factual information) in the book, and how the authors checked for accuracy.
2) The chapter 1-2 review of aviation history is Eurocentric. Wonder if there are other stories the authors could have chosen to expand young readers’ understanding of the history of curiosity about human flight at a global level. I did a quick search on the web that did not turn up much but I didn’t do the search justice.
Again - not a deal breaker, but points we might help student-readers notice, ask questions about, engage in further research regarding... I'd still recommend this for independent reading.
January 7, 2022
An amusing, brief and interesting look into the history of the Wright Brothers. Their story was told in a fresh and funny way and while I knew I was learning something, it didn't feel like it. Not only did I learn things I'd never known about the Wrights, I also learned a lot I hadn't known about the history of aviation as a whole.
December 12, 2018
Conversational in tone, this book tells the story of the Wright Brothers and their struggles to create the first airplane. It teaches the power of persistence quite overtly, explaining the problems that the Wright Brothers encountered and how they overcame them. In addition, it covers the early attempts at flight and why they failed. It also explains the basics of aeronautics, showing how the Wrights engineered their Flyer. These are interspersed with relatable analogies for the intended audience, which is grades three through seven. After the main text, there is a timeline, bibliography, and index. Black-and-white photographs and line illustrations are liberally used.
Nevertheless, there are some inaccuracies in the account. It is claimed that Thaddeus Lowe was the first to use a balloon in warfare. That distinction actually belongs to the French Aerostatic Corps, which first used balloons for military observation in 1794. The book also states that the book Around the World in 80 Days takes place in a balloon, though the novel doesn’t feature that as a mode of travel at all.
Still, the book has its merits. The text is easy to read and fun. While the errors mentioned above may seem trivial, it indicates that there may be other errors that have been overlooked by this reviewer. Therefore, I cannot recommend this book for purchase. (Reviewed by Charles Ross Hughes)
Nevertheless, there are some inaccuracies in the account. It is claimed that Thaddeus Lowe was the first to use a balloon in warfare. That distinction actually belongs to the French Aerostatic Corps, which first used balloons for military observation in 1794. The book also states that the book Around the World in 80 Days takes place in a balloon, though the novel doesn’t feature that as a mode of travel at all.
Still, the book has its merits. The text is easy to read and fun. While the errors mentioned above may seem trivial, it indicates that there may be other errors that have been overlooked by this reviewer. Therefore, I cannot recommend this book for purchase. (Reviewed by Charles Ross Hughes)
October 31, 2018
The Wright Brothers: Nose-Diving into History (Epic Fails) by Erik Slader and Ben Thompson, 115 pages. NON-FICTION/CHAPTER BOOK. Roaring Brook, 2018. $7.
Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G.
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL.
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
This book covers the history of aviation, dating back before the Wright brothers, through the adventures of the brothers, and past that into the current state of aviation. The book marches through all of the failures that led up to the moment of flight, from small to large, by a lot of people. It connects each failure to what they learned and how they moved on from it to try yet again. There are photographs or illustrations about every third page.
My entire family enjoyed this book. It is so humbling to realize that just over a hundred years ago so many things that we take for granted now weren’t even possible. This book goes into enough detail that you feel like you are immersed in the history, but it doesn’t bog the reader down. The authors use humor throughout the book and the narrator takes on a personality. It did get a little hard to tell the difference from one failed attempt by the Wright brothers to the next, but it did effectively convey how they never gave up.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G.
BUYING ADVISORY: EL - ESSENTIAL.
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
This book covers the history of aviation, dating back before the Wright brothers, through the adventures of the brothers, and past that into the current state of aviation. The book marches through all of the failures that led up to the moment of flight, from small to large, by a lot of people. It connects each failure to what they learned and how they moved on from it to try yet again. There are photographs or illustrations about every third page.
My entire family enjoyed this book. It is so humbling to realize that just over a hundred years ago so many things that we take for granted now weren’t even possible. This book goes into enough detail that you feel like you are immersed in the history, but it doesn’t bog the reader down. The authors use humor throughout the book and the narrator takes on a personality. It did get a little hard to tell the difference from one failed attempt by the Wright brothers to the next, but it did effectively convey how they never gave up.
Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
November 21, 2018
Finding history books that young readers will pick up and read on their own can sometimes be a challenging task for me as a librarian. I am always thrilled when I find a book that is not only nonfiction, but has tremendous child appeal. Slader and Thompson's new series, Epic Fails, is one such work. The book is written in an appealing, narrative style that focuses on the most interesting aspects of the story they are telling. This helps the book move right along, which is important for most young readers who prefer lots of action. This volume in the series focuses on the Wright Brothers and their work on flight. After giving a brief introduction to the work done by many in trying to get humankind into the skies, Slader and Thompson focus on the actual physical experiments that the Wright brothers performed. While the background work the brothers had to perform to get their gliders built is described briefly, the flights the brothers attempted are the focus. The book ends up being an easy-to-read retelling of the many failures that occurred before the brothers finally found success. This is a great series for young history buffs and even reluctant readers. The photographs and illustrations break up the text nicely making for a much less intimidating read.
March 28, 2018
I received an ARC of this book from School Library Journal. I LOVED this book! It's short and sweet. Written exactly the way that our elementary-middle grade kids speak with phrases such as "straight up" and "Heck no!" It's a great example of failing epically but ultimately succeeding while making the Wright brothers more relatable instead of just "old, dead guys." I also really enjoyed the quotes that were at the start of each chapter. I would recommend this title for ages 7 to 12. Definite addition to your collection if you have a nonfiction fan or readers who love to read about epic fails (my two sons love to say "Epic Fail!"). Good introduction to nonfiction with the length and complexity.
December 23, 2018
This book presents lots of interesting information about the Wright Brothers and communicated how all the small, and large, failures worked to bring the brothers their great ideas. I loved how the book did not gloss over the "boring" moments of their work and showed that projects worth fighting for will take time and patience. Also, a good dose of humility does help when your project fails in front of your hero. A great and quick read to share with elementary-middle school readers.
August 10, 2018
Epic Fails is fantastic non-fiction. It is only 120 pages including the index, bibliography, etc., so it isn't’ too long. There are funny, factual stories about inventions that paved the way for aviation. The book also includes a the science behind flight and pictures (drawn and photographs). This series should do very well.
February 3, 2019
This is a really good book. It was really interesting with all the dates and plans they had. They really set their mind to their accomplishment and succeeded with it. They had many trials and errors like me, but it worked out in the long run. The writing was very effective. I could imagine what they were talking about. I would suggest this book to anyone who is into aeronautics and history.
March 28, 2018
Really interesting read on the Wright Brothers (and others) and their quest to fly.
November 8, 2018
If you have an airplane obsessed youngster in your life, this chatty history of flight, inventions, and inventors would be a perfect read.
January 14, 2019
A well written, engaging look at two of America's favorite inventors.
March 13, 2024
3.5 stars.
August 14, 2021
With my commute getting back into swing, I am perusing available audiobooks and came across this small, quick read emphasizing the failures of the Wright Brothers as an insight into their success. It's a fun, podcast-type discussion of the first flight and everything that came before it. The authors do a good job highlighting just how frustrating and fraught flight research had been. Failure often resulted in death. Those that believed they had solved the riddle suddenly discovered new impediments, from auto-propulsion to unexpected weather to landing complications. Orville and Wilbur succeeded in large part because they were methodical in their approach, testing small models, building their own wind tunnel, getting to the fundamental laws of thermodynamics and airflow. This type of innovation is often underappreciated in the rush to focus on the piloted test flights.
Readers should not expect any dramatic insights or biographical color, but I appreciated the author's emphasis on failure. We do not celebrate mistakes enough, and that impedes innovation and curiosity. I was struck too by how rapid the advances of flight occurred after their initial discoveries. Orville lived to see Chuck Yeager break the sound barrier for crying out loud. It suggests to me there are chokepoints in our knowledge, key insights into fundamental laws that just require concentrated effort, failure, and innovation. And that gives me hope for the future.
Readers should not expect any dramatic insights or biographical color, but I appreciated the author's emphasis on failure. We do not celebrate mistakes enough, and that impedes innovation and curiosity. I was struck too by how rapid the advances of flight occurred after their initial discoveries. Orville lived to see Chuck Yeager break the sound barrier for crying out loud. It suggests to me there are chokepoints in our knowledge, key insights into fundamental laws that just require concentrated effort, failure, and innovation. And that gives me hope for the future.
July 30, 2022
Pretty good book. However, they have a substantial error. It states the second flight was “59 seconds covering an incredible 852 feet.” That was actually the fourth flight. The museum at Kill Devil Hills has markers showing the four flights. On the next page, there is a copy of the telegram stating there were four flights. Surprised with the research this error would be included.
May 29, 2018
This narrative nonfiction book chronicles the Wright Brothers' quest to build and fly the first airplane.
Future aviators, inventors, and engineers will enjoy this one.
I was fortunate enough to receive an Advanced Reader Copy from School Library Journal.
Future aviators, inventors, and engineers will enjoy this one.
I was fortunate enough to receive an Advanced Reader Copy from School Library Journal.
February 4, 2022
This was a fun and informative book to read with my 4th grader. It had some laugh out loud funny parts for him, along with facts and pictures that helped with his unit study. We'll be checking out the other books in this series.
February 27, 2022
Covers just the main details and has some cool art
April 28, 2022
Great view of history.
July 3, 2023
Very interesting and informative
July 4, 2023
Interesting
October 19, 2023
Great read and great information. Some things I knew, but some things were new to me. I'm looking forward to reading more about this subject, and it also made me want tot visit Kitty Hawk again soon.
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April 15, 2023Non fiction
History
Middle Grade
Children’s
History
Middle Grade
Children’s
April 19, 2022
A middle school book that discusses the early attempts of manned flight and the Wright Brothers struggles to succeed.
November 4, 2025
Another 5th grade read aloud- ask me anything about the Wright Brothers I am a GENIUS
November 20, 2019
Another fantastic book in this series.
July 3, 2023
Very interesting and informative
July 4, 2023
Informative
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews