101 Things You Wish You'd Invented . . . and Some You Wish No One Had

by Tracey Turner, Richard Horne (Illustrator)

Would you like to have your leg chopped off without anesthetic? Or attend a party with no music? Or brush your teeth with a stick? The odds are, probably not. Perhaps it's time you marveled at the sheer brilliance of inventions. How did we ever end up Morse code? X-rays? Toilet paper? In this book, you will discover 101 of the most interesting, most dangerous, and most unnecessary inventions out there. Make something, invent something, or just impress your friends with your increased knowledge about where all those crazy contraptions came from. Increased braininess may be only temporary.

Genres: Nonfiction, Trivia, Childrens

224 pages, Paperback

Published August 19, 2008

About the author

Tracey Turner is a former editor and author of many non-fiction books for children, including Hodder's Disgusting Dictionary and titles for the Dead Famous series. Tracey lives in South London.

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’ve ever wondered about how Braille was created, when the skateboard first appeared, or why the time machine has yet to be invented, then you’ll want to check out this book! 101 inventions are given two page histories/factoids, accompanied by a worksheet for readers to complete. For example, the entry for Roller Coaster gives a history of the invention, including steep icy hills built in Russia during the 1700s, where people would ride down on seats made of wood or ice. The accompanying worksheet asks readers to list their favorite roller coaster, how many times they’ve ridden it, the types and amounts of loops, and the consequences of riding. Readers will find recommendations with each entry for other inventions they may enjoy. The book includes items that have yet to be invented (a teleporter, terraforming, anti-aging pills, etc.) and “If Only” items, such as a Know-It-All Hat, a Language Decoder, and a Weather Machine. This is a great book for tweens and teens, and is fun for just browsing. A concern for libraries may be that the book encourages readers to write in it, cut pages out, and use stickers to mark inventions that have been fully researched.

[Limau Nipis · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an interesting book.

I find it helpful, providing facts on the 101 things selected by the book. And surprise, surprise, sometimes or most of the times, fact is stranger than fiction.

How do we live without fork and spoon? Who invented map? And yet to be invented like time travel machine?

Amusing somehow.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not using my normal rating system as this is non-fiction.
Fun little book with 101 inventions from fridges to computers to x-rays to birthdays. Also includes a few "yet to be invented" and "if only."
Ten words for the author: Kudos to you for writing a fun, educational informative book.

[Shiu Ny · Rating 3 out of 5]

good and useful things to know.

[Amore Duzenski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fun to read and taught me a few facts that I did not know about certain inventions. I'd like to know more about useless inventions. I might buy a couple myself, lolz!

[Abraham Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice book about inventions & it has a lot of good projects that goes along with the inventions as well. The copy that I own still has the original stickers that come with the book.

[Chester Clement · Rating 4 out of 5]

facts overload! didn't know it was Einstein who invented the refrigerator.