'Fizzing with fun, friendship and fabulous inventions!' - Maria Kuzniar
WARNING: EPIC INVENTIONS AND SECRET SOCIETIES AHEAD . . .
Leonora Bolt spends her days creating incredible inventions in her TOP SECRET laboratory, under the watchful eye of her terrifying uncle.
Everything changes one day when a strange boy washes up on an inflatable lobster and reveals that Uncle Luther has been stealing her inventions and selling them on the mainland. Leonora, armed with her most important inventions, must leave Crabby Island for the first time EVER to embark on an unforgettable journey that will test her brainpower to its limits.
With the help of an otter with a special skilll, a questionable cook and a singing sea captain, can Leonora dream up an invention that will defeat her evil uncle once and for all?
Violet Baudelaire meets Peanut Jones in this epic STEM-themed adventure about believing in your brainpower - and yourself!
If someone - say a terribly smart little girl with phenomenal inventing skills - were to build a machine that could shake together Ada Twist: Scientist & A Series of Unfortunate Events' Violet Baudelaire to create hilarious and brand-spanking new character, then you'd have Leonora Bolt - a wondrously clever and brilliantly brave nine-year-old inventor, stuck on a secret island with her wicked Uncle Luther (a secret millionaire who has been exploiting Leonora's genius for his own gain).
When a boy called Jack washes up on an inflatable lobster, Leonora find's everything she thought she knew about the world thrown into question - like the fact that apparently you CAN eat sweets without being thrown in jail , and that maybe her parents aren't quite as dead as she's been lead to believe! And so, with the help of a the world's worst sea-captain, an utterly terrible chef, and an adorable otter called Twitchy, Leonora ventures off to the mainland to thwart her evil uncle and find out the truth about her past.
I accidentally binge read Leonora Bolt in a night because I couldn't tear myself away from this hilarious, face-paced adventure. The characters were so lovable and fun (aside from Uncle Luther, who is perfectly pantomime-villain detestable.... and fun) , and the jokes come so fast and thick I was worried I might wake my kids laughing at certain points.
The level of peril and tension is just perfect for lower Middle-Grade, although the mad-cap comedy and brilliant inventions will ensure this appeals to older readers too! Leonora is smart, resourceful and very relatable main character - and a tech-y genius, which is always a plus (more Girl-In-STEM please!!) The ending of the book wraps up the main adventure nicely, while leaving threads hanging for a sequel kids will chomping at the bit to read! I've adored this e-ARC, and cannot WAIT for my science-obsessed 8yo to read the physical book when it comes out in a couple of weeks.
Also - can we get a Leonora Bolt TV series please? I'd binge that too!
What a fantastic whirlwind invention-based adventure! I loved the inventors' world built in this, I loved the isolated lighthouse island setting, I loved the kooky inventions, but most of all I really liked Leonora. She's a star! And with her self-belief and super-inventing-brainpower she's bound for another adventure that I can't wait to read.
I finished the last... maybe 100-ish pages in one hour (more or less). That showed how much I enjoyed this book (and because it has illustrations and big fonts so it's faster to read them).
What made me intrigued with this book is the storyline and the quirky characters. I realized I enjoyed a few children's books I read this year. I love how this book brought up STEM themes in an interesting, unique, plot twists way. I also admire Leonora (the main character) who is so mature & wise for a 9 year old girl. I mean, when she knew that the person she trusted, lied to her, she didn't break down for days instead, she (kinda) understood and realized that she did all to protect her. To me, Leonora is wise and acts more mature than her age. I love how she relentlessly experiments with inventions even though her villain uncle always undermines and discourages her. I love all of her inventions here and wish they all could be illustrated here (also with the manual guide on how to use them all lol). Tbh I want to read the other books on this series.
Leonora isn’t just smart, she’s a total genius and her unique gift is creating intriguing inventions. She’s working on something that is going to be epic but she’s right to hide it from her nasty uncle as he’s not what he seems.
Featuring a bright & brave main character, this book will appeal to a lot of readers who look for someone they can admire and want to be friends with. The adventure zips along at a cracking pace with fun supporting characters, a dastardly villain and marvellous illustrations by Gladys Jose. It will have kids giggling away and hooked on the madcap adventure.
I received a copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I loved Leonora! What a fabulous and fun character, and a joy to read. An inspirational character for young readers.
Her fantastical inventions are such fun, and I love how she recycles things to create them too, a fab message for readers.
It has a brilliantly diverse cast of characters, that are so much fun, and are really brought to life with their dialogue, actions and gorgeous illustrations by Gladys Jose.
Leonora is a brilliant character, a feisty and strong minded young inventor. This is an action packed story, with fabulous inventions and twists and laughs galore, I loved it and can't wait to read more of Leonora's adventures.
It is brilliantly written. The story flows with lots of proper laugh out loud funny bits. The illustrations are wonderful and very engaging as part of the story. This is definitely a book I would recommend. For those younger children who are just on the point of moving from picture books to chapter books this would fit perfectly as it is a chapter book but it has many many illustrations which mean the chapters are short and fun! Leonora is a great role model and a genius inventor. Leonora is living with her uncle and his housekeeper as her parents are not around yet despite her life not being as good as it could be, she certainly knows what she wants and puts her talents to good use!
This one is for the older readers and just under 200 pages long. A tale of adventure, uncovered truths and pure genius inventions. Bound to set your imagination on fire with all these wierd and wacky food inventions, machines and gadgets. Leonora has only ever known the island she has lived on with her uncle and live in nanny, she was told her parents were lost at sea, presumed dead. However, when a boy finds himself stranded on her island after drifting away from the mainland Leonora wants answer, everything she has ever known was a lie and her uncle is an evil villian who has been lying to her and using her inventions as his own. Can Leonora find out the truth about her parents? Can she defeat her evil uncle? She is one strong, determined little girl. An adventure. A mystery. A well deserved four stars from me.
In all honesty, as sweet as the story is in representing a young intelligent girl of colour in science it is quite lacking on portraying her girlhood. The nuance and experience of black girlhood is completely ignored. It's not about colour, but about culture. Young black and brown girls know the feeling of a pick or comb used to detangle hair. Or "a hot comb as it hits your scalp on a Sunday morning and what it smells like" as Denzel Washington says. There is no mention at all of her navigating caring for her or inventing products or tools for her hair needs. This story feels inauthentic to black and brown girl readers without a combination of reality and magic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I received an advance digital copy in return for an honest review.
A brilliant book for inspiring inventors. Leonora is trapped on a distant island with her less the caring uncle. Her only escape is her inventions - but when Jack washes up on her beach her world is turned upside down and she is finally embarks in a dangerous mission to find the truth and stop her Uncle once and for all.
Adventure, humour, bold illustrations and manageable text make this an ideal book for reading aloud or reading alone.
A fun read about inventions and defeating a mean uncle who steals them. Leonora is an inventor, but her uncle continually puts her down and keeps her trapped on an island away from other people, but one day a boy called Jack washes up on the Island and spills the beans on what is really going on. Leonora was brave and I loved how she faced challenges head on, I liked her relationship with Millie the cook and how she made friends easily. This is a quick read for younger middle grade and has fabulous illustrations that add to the story so well.
Leonara Bolt was a quick and fun read about a quirky protagonist. The plot felt a little unoriginal but it was still fun to read about. The characters were realistic and great to read about! The writing was simple and quite funny at places. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger and I would love to read the sequel!
Overall this was a great book! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc!
What an utterly gorgeous debut! I’m fairly new to reading MG, but have been more than making up for it this year and Leonora Bolt is definitely one of my favourites of 2022! So well written, engaging, inventive and funny. It’s also inspiring to see a girl character with an interest in STEM. I’m really looking forward to sharing it with my niece when she’s old enough and have already snapped up the sequel, Deep Sea Calamity. I can’t wait to dive in!
Such a fun read! Fantastic inventions, disgusting food, a villainous uncle and a talented, inventive and courageous girl who goes on an adventure into the unknown. A story of family, friendship and fun. Gladys Jose’s illustrations are wonderful and really bring the characters to life. A great read aloud for Years 3-6.
Wonderfully warm & wickedly funny! Leonora was such a joy to read! An exciting adventure with Leonora & her wacky inventions at the helm. Delightful collection of characters all vividly described. Your girls will love her especially! Can't recommend this enough! X
Funny, fast moving junior fiction, another reviewer mentioned this being a cross between Ada Twist Scientist and a Series of Unfortunate Events Count Olaf which I agree with. Great read aloud for juniors, full of funny little details and characters that will make them laugh.
This was so much fun. Leonora is a superb inventor but is kept hidden away by her horrible uncle. Luckily, with the help of some new friends and armed with information, she makes a plan to change her life. She shows resilience and determination and it turns out that she is a good friend too.
I love this book because I love how she makes really cool inventions and how she makes them Leanora is very interesting her uncle is very mean But she keeps carrying on even though her uncle stops from making stuff -She doesn’t give up .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
When I grow up, I want to be like Leonora Bolt! This was a phenomenal book for young girls and boys alike. There's clever wordplay, an easy to follow story, and a very inspiring main character. Looking forward to sharing more adventures with Leonora in future books.
Σήμερα διάβασα καί σας παρουσιάζω το βιβλίο της συγγραφέως Lucy Brandt,με τίτλο ''Λεονόρα Μπολτ: Η μυστική εφευρέτρια" που κυκλοφόρησε πρόσφατα στην χώρα μας από τις εκδόσεις Μεταίχμιο σε μετάφραση της κυρίας Μαρίας-Νεφέλης Ταμία καί απευθύνεται σε παιδιά ηλικίας 8 ετών καί άνω. Το βιβλίο ''ανοίγει'' την σειρά βιβλίων με γενικότερο τίτλο ''Λεονόρα Μπολτ". Πρόκειται για μία εξαιρετική κι ευφυή σειρά περιπέτειας μυστηρίου που υπόσχεται να κρατήσει πολύ καλή συντροφιά στα μικρά παιδιά.
Η παιδική φαντασία δεν έχει όρια καί πολλές φορές οδηγεί τα παιδιά σε δημιουργικά μονοπάτια καί εξαιρετικές ιδέες γύρω από κατασκευές διάφορων παιχνιδιών κι όχι μόνο. Βέβαια,όλο αυτό είναι ενδεδειγμένο μέσα σε ασφαλή πλαίσια (τόσο για τα ίδια,όσο καί για τους γύρω τους) πάντα με την ορθή επιτήρηση από τους γονείς τους. Εγώ είμαι υπέρμαχος της άποψης να στέκουμε στο πλάι των παιδιών καί να τα στηρίζουμε στις προσπάθειές τους. Να μην τα μειώνουμε,αλλά να τα ενθαρρύνουμε. Καί κυρίως,να μην εκμεταλλευόμαστε τις έξυπνες ιδέες τους καί να μην τις παρουσιάζουμε ως δικές μας.
Περιγραφή:
To άκρως μυστικό εργαστήρι της Λεονόρας (ΜΕΙΝΕΤΕ ΜΑΚΡΙΑ!) είναι στην κορυφή ενός παλιού φάρου. Ο φάρος βρίσκεται στο νησί Κράμπι. Και το νησί Κράμπι είναι πεταμένο στη μέση του… απόλυτου πουθενά! Η Λεονόρα Μπολτ περνά τον καιρό της εφευρίσκοντας απίστευτα πράγματα στο εργαστήρι της, κάτω από το άγρυπνο βλέμμα του τρομακτικού θείου Λούθερ. Όμως, όταν τα κύματα ξεβράζουν στο νησί Κράμπι ένα αγόρι, τον Τζακ, το τρομερό μυστικό που της αποκαλύπτει για τον θείο της αλλάζει τον κόσμο της μια για πάντα! Έχοντας στο πλευρό της μια βίδρα με ιδιαίτερες ικανότητες, μια μαγείρισσα αμφίβολου ταλέντου κι έναν καλλίφωνο καπετάνιο, θα μπορέσει η Λεονόρα να εφεύρει κάποιο μαραφέτι που θα τη βοηθήσει να νικήσει μια και καλή τον μοχθηρό θείο της;
Θετικά στοιχεία βιβλίου: - Ευνόητη καί ψυχαγωγική ιστορία, - Τα παιδιά μπορούν να ταυτιστούν με την πανέξυπνη μικρή ηρωϊδα, - Οικείο λεξιλόγιο καί ρεαλιστικοί διάλογοι που πείθουν πως μιλάει ένα παιδί αυτής της ηλικίας, - Τέλος,όμορφη ασπρόμαυρη εικονογράφηση από την κυρία Γκλάντις Χοσέ.