When Everything Went Wrong: 10 Real Stories of Inventors Who Didn't Give Up!

by Max Temporelli, Barbara Gozzi, Agnese Innocente (Illustrator)

Did you know? Some of the world's greatest inventions started off as failures! Inventions like Coca-Cola, shoes, and vacuum cleaners were actually mistakes. Told in a mixture of comic panels and prose, this gorgeous book shares the stories of 10 of these fabulous inventions.
Thomas Edison famously said, “I have not failed once at making a light bulb, I have simply found ninety-nine ways of not making ones.” In When Everything Went Wrong , readers will read about 10 inventors who persevered. Making mistakes doesn't mean you failed . . . it's all part of the process!

Inventors included in this book Kids will love all the fun facts and true stories in this book, told in both prose and comic form!

Genres: Nonfiction

96 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2023

Reviews

[donna backshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars!

I wish there were a way to cross-label some children's books, so adults would also find them and feel like they were meant just as much for the older crowd. Not all would appeal, but books chock full of historical anecdotes like Max Temporelli's When Everything Went Wrong: 10 Real Stories of Inventors Who Didn't Give Up! have so much to offer people of any age, it seems a shame to see them relegated to the elementary-middle school section of local libraries across the world.

That said, I learned so very much reading this treasure trove of entrepreneurial perseverance. Everyone from age 6 to 106 could learn something from these featured scientists and inventors who never took "no" for an answer, because they understood that every wrong brought them one step closer to right. No one gets burned at the stake for having outrageous ideas anymore, but they do still get criticized and even ostracized. The realization that no great advances happen without these ambitious and admirable geeks, swimming against the tide toward a vision only they can see, should be an inspiration to us all.

Great books make you think, and inspire you to greatness. This is exactly what When Everything Went Wrong: 10 Real Stories of Inventors Who Didn't Give Up! offers, in the most approachable and entertaining way possible.

[itselv]

يحكي الكتاب ١٠ قصص عن اكتشافات أخذت وقتًا وجهدًا وعدة محاولات حتى ترى النور، فيخبرك أنه لا بأس في أن تفشل، كرر المحاولة مادمت ترغب وتقدر.
أسلوب الرسم ظريف، والكتاب غني بالمعلومات المكتوبة بطريقة بسيطة وماتعة لتناسب الأطفال. وأنا شخصيًا استفدت واستمتعت جدًا بقراءته(:
مشكلته أنه يحتاج بعض التنويع، فمن بين العشرة يوجد امراتان فقط، ورجل أسود واحد، والسبعة المتبقية كلهم رجال بيض.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book! What a pleasure to read, and so filled with really interesting facts that I hadn't previously known —even about big name inventors and inventions I use every day.

For example, my favourite: I didn't know that Thomas Edison was partially deaf! (An exciting thing to know as I'm hard of hearing!) I'm always thrilled to have disabled rep in the books I read, especially in nonfiction, and it's even more exciting to me that this is a kids book which casually accepts disabilities as a part of life, without sad implications or an inspirational angle. The way Edison's mother accommodated for his hearing issues is written like a seamless and integral step in him becoming the inventor we know.

Another of my other favourite moments: this book casually mentioning that inventor of the teddy bear, Margarete Steiff's legs were paralyzed by polio, which led to her using a wheelchair and having chronic pain in her hand —while emphasizing that she was energetic, ran her own tailoring business, and had a flourishing creative, independent life! I'm disabled and experience chronic pain in my hands and it's even made me think that I should try to get back into crocheting, because the book conveys so beautifully how much joy sewing the toys brought Margaret and her community.

The aim of this story —that these important inventors who revolutionized our lives made mistakes along the way and were not discouraged by them, but in fact leaned into them, to understand what went wrong, and found success by following that mindset— is conveyed fantastically! There are highlighted quotes making the messaging clear. I found those quotes encouraging and motivating, and think they would make great notes to write down and stick up on your kid's wall if they have a tendency to worry or fuss over their mistakes.

This is such an excellent collection of stories that I'm for sure calling my local indie bookstore tomorrow to preorder a copy for my dad, an over-60 year old man who has a fascination and passion for these kinda of stories and would absolutely love this book, too. When Everything Went Wrong would also make a great conversational coffee table book for family holiday trips or gatherings with friends of any age. I learned so much fun history here, and it's taken me down some super cool Google rabbit holes to learn more.

All the illustrations are so charming with tons of personality and lovely textures, while still being clear and easy to understand. The balance between substantial text with pictures feels perfect. The format of this book makes it an awesome fit for kids with an interest in inventions who enjoy graphic novels, because for each person there's an intro page of text about who they are and what they invented, followed by a few pages of explanation about how they figured their invention out —and the explanations are told in graphic novel style, which is really fun and easy to follow!

These stories really are incredibly interesting, and lots of fun to talk about! I can't tell you how many times I stopped reading just to excitedly relay what I'd just read to my family. This book would be a wonderful gift for a kid who would enjoy reenacting what they've just read —which would also make a great comprehension exercise with an entertaining twist!

Only two things I think could be improved on: I would have loved for there to be more women and people of colour featured among the selection, of which I know there is no shortage of incredible inventors with stories to tell. Secondly, while the majority of the text is super clear and simple to read with no trouble, there's one cursive font used in smaller parts that is a bit difficult to read as an adult, so I imagine it may be even more tough for a kid to decipher.

I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Emma Filbrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book to my three school children for our science one week, a couple of chapters each day. They loved hearing the stories about people using their mistakes to learn what to do right and how people made something useful out of their mistakes. Parts of each chapter are simple prose, an interesting story about the person who invented something, and parts of the chapter are graphic, telling more of the story in comic-book style. My children loved these parts especially, and wanted me to read extra each day. Though we read a digital edition of this book, this is one I would love to have on our shelf.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Andrews McMeel, for the advance reading copy.

With amazing comics and lust art sequences alongside brief introductions of each scientist who worked hard despite repeated failures and attempts, this book serves as a great teacher to tell us what it is like to work towards something greater if we believe in what we do.

The book has the stories about Edison, Marconi, and eight other scientists which we haven’t heard much about.

Love it. I would highly recommend this one for the classroom interactive sessions.

[Πάνος Τουρλής · Rating 5 out of 5]

Δέκα πρόσωπα που ανακάλυψαν ή εφηύραν κάτι, ξεκινώντας από κάτι που τους ενδιέφερε ή τους γοήτευσε. Δέκα ιδιαίτερες προσωπικότητες που έχουν κρατήσει ένα πολύτιμο μυστικό και αυτό θα το φανερώσουν στους μικρούς αναγνώστες του βιβλίου. Τόμας Έντισον, Γουλιέλμος Μαρκόνι, Μαργαρίτα Στάιφ, Τσαρλς Γκούντγιαρ και άλλοι μας καλωσορίζουν στη ζωή τους, μας χαρίζουν σοφά και διάσημα αποφθέγματα γεμάτα διαχρονικές αλήθειες και επιστήνουν την προσοχή μας σε ένα ξεχωριστό αντικείμενο κάθε φορά. Όλοι τους έκαναν λάθη και πολλές προσπάθειες ενώ ο λόγος για τον οποίο έγιναν ευρύτερα γνωστοί ήταν ατυχή πειράματα που όμως απέδωσαν αναπάντεχους καρπούς. Έκαναν λάθη αλλά κανείς δεν το μετάνιωσε, αντιθέτως, προσπάθησαν να τα κατανοήσουν και να μάθουν από αυτά κάνοντας πειράματα ξανά και ξανά.

Ο Τόμας Έντισον ασχολήθηκε από νωρίς με τις εφευρέσεις και μας χάρισε τον πολύγραφο, τον φωνογράφο, το κινητοσκόπιο και τον ηλεκτρικό λαμπτήρα. Ο Τζαν Ερνστ Ματσέλιγκερ ρίχτηκε με τα μούτρα να συνδυάσει τη μηχανική που τόσο αγαπούσε με την υποδηματοποιία στην οποία εργαζόταν ως μετανάστης στις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες και κατάφερε να εξασφαλίσει χρόνο και χρήμα για τις βιομηχανίες. Ο Γουλιέλμος Μαρκόνι αφοσιώθηκε στα ραδιοκύματα και θέλησε ν’ ανακαλύψει τον τρόπο να στέλνει σήματα πολύ μακριά και χωρίς καλώδια. Με τον τηλέγραφο λοιπόν έφερε τους ανθρώπους πιο κοντά «για να κατανοήσουν περισσότερο τον εαυτό τους και να γίνουν καλύτεροι», όπως είπε χαρακτηριστικά ενώ είχε ανακαλύψει εμμέσως την ιονόσφαιρα όπου αντανακλώνταν αυτά τα σήματα! Ο Ουίλσον Γκρέιτμπατς ανακάλυψε τον βηματοδότη και μελέτησε σε μεγάλο βαθμό την καρδιά και τις λειτουργίες της. Ο Τζέιμς Ντάυσον εφηύρε την ηλεκτρική σκούπα χωρίς σακούλα, φέρνοντας επανάσταση στα νοικοκυριά. Η Μαργκαρέτε Στάιφ στράφηκε στη ραπτική και αγάπησε την τσόχα, την οποία χρησιμοποίησε από ένα εντελώς τυχαίο γεγονός για την παραγωγή παιχνιδιών. Η Στέφανι Λουίζ Κουόλεκ ήταν μια γυναίκα ακριβής και προσεκτική και εργάστηκε στη βιομηχανική χημεία, όπου ανακάλυψε το κέβλαρ, μια ίνα πέντε φορές πιο ανθεκτική από τον χάλυβα. Ο Τσαρλ Γκούντγιαρ ασχολήθηκε με τα μυστικά του καουτσούκ. Ο Πέρσυ Σπένσερ εργάστηκε στην ανάπτυξη της τεχνολογίας και των εξαρτημάτων και τελικά ανακάλυψε τον φούρνο μικροκυμάτων. Ο Τζων Στιθ Πέμπερτον έμαθε να φτιάχνει φυτικά σκευάσματα για τη θεραπεία των ασθενειών και από ένα λάθος ανακάλυψε την τονωτική κόκα-κόλα.

Άντρες και γυναίκες που γεννήθηκαν και μεγάλωσαν δύο αιώνες πριν και σήμερα εξακολουθούν να είναι σημεία αναφοράς χάρη στις μοναδικές και πρωτοποριακές τους ανακαλύψεις παρουσιάζονται σε αυτό το βιβλίο με συναρπαστικό τρόπο. Πειραματίζονται, απογοητεύονται και πεισμώνουν, αφοσιώνονται, κάνουν γκάφες και λάθη, το αποτέλεσμα όμως, ακόμη κι αν δεν είναι το προσδοκώμενο, τους δικαιώνει. Μικρές παράγραφοι, σύντομες προτάσεις, απλοποιημένη ορολογία για καλύτερη κατανόηση και η παραστατική εικονογράφηση της Agnese Innocente βοηθάνε τα παιδιά από 8 ετών και πάνω να κατανοήσουν τις επαναστατικές αλλαγές των βιογραφούμενων προσώπων. Η Innocente μάλιστα δημιουργεί όχι μόνο μικρές και μεγάλες εικόνες σε διάφορα σημεία των σελίδων αλλά συχνά παρεμβάλει και δισέλιδες ιστορίες κόμικ που επικεντρώνονται στο συγκεκριμένο στιγμιότυπο του κάθε προσώπου που θα επιφέρει την αλλαγή, θα κατανοήσει το λάθος του, θα αποδυθεί σε νέο γύρο πειραματισμών.

«Όταν όλα πήγαν στραβά» οι επιστήμονες και τεχνικοί δεν τα παράτησαν, δεν απογοητεύτηκαν, δεν γκρίνιαξαν, αντίθετα, μελέτησαν ακόμη πιο πολύ, παρατήρησαν καλύτερα, ξενύχτησαν και τελικά βρήκαν τρόπους που βελτίωσαν τη ζωή του μέσου ανθρώπου. Ο τρόπος σκέψης τους και οι απόψεις τους αποτελούν διαχρονικά ηθικά διδάγματα που θα εμπνεύσουν τους μικρούς αναγνώστες να μην υποκύψουν στην πρώτη δυσκολία, να μην αποθαρρυνθούν και κυρίως να μη νιώσουν χαμηλή αυτοεκτίμηση. Μια άλλη ματιά σ’ ένα φαινομενικό λάθος, η διαίσθηση, η κατανόηση της αστοχίας, η αυτοπεποίθηση είναι μερικοί παράγοντες που σταδιακά θα μας οδηγήσουν σε κάτι καινούργιο, διαφορετικό, απρόσμενο. Ακριβώς όπως συνέβη με τα πρόσωπα του βιβλίου.

Πρώτη δημοσίευση στο site μου: https://www.vivliokritikes.com/%cf%8c...

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Everything Went Wrong: 10 Real Stories of Inventors Who Didn't Give Up! by Max Temporelli and Barbara Gozzi is a book that tells the stories of 10 inventors who didn't let their failures stop them. The book is a mix of comic panels and prose, making it a fun and interesting read.

I believe this book contains valuable information for young minds and would be a great addition to any classroom or library and I appreciated the selection of inventors and the inspiring quotes included in the book. However, it may not be the best fit for all audience due to its different approach to delivering its message.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's always a place for reading abotu inventions in middle school. Might go years without a teacher interested in Invention Convention, then there's somebody who is all in AND wants all the students to read about inventors. This new title is an interesting mix of text and graphic novel style panels, and is centered around the theme of making mistakes that sometimes lead to the answer really needed.
Just enough information about the person's life is given to make this handy for a report or for a starting place for research, but the real draw here is the information about the invention process. While we all know a little about Edison's quest to create a filament for his lightbulb, we get even more of a breakdown here. I found Jan Matzeliger's work on machinery for manufacturing shoes much more interesting, but I wish there had been more about his Dutch Guinea background. Marconi, Dyson, Steiff, and Goodyear all have names that sound familiar thanks to the products they created, but more attention should be paid to Spencer (inventor of the microwave), Kwolek (Kevlar) and Pemberton (Coca Cola). Most interesting to me was Greatbach, who created the pacemaker.

Like the graphic nonfiction Yummy: A History of Deserts or A Shot in the Arm, When Everything Went Wrong will appeal to students who like to consume information with lots of pictures, and who are very dedicated to the format. I was a little irritated by the style of noses; I don't understand why a large number of illustrators like to make the noses a darker color than the rest of the face, but not everyone is as distracted by that as much as I am. This is available from Follett in a hardcover, which is most likely paper over board, so might not hold up very long.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun combo of learning history, combined with some science and interesting comics! The book actually covers a ton of facts and really highlights engineering and design failures and the perseverance these early inventors had to keep going. The book includes the history of some inventors that I knew a lot about, and some that I didn’t know much on and would like to know even more about. They include Thomas Edison, Jan Matzeliger, Guglielmo Marconi, Wilson Greatbach, James Dyson, Margarete Steiff, Stephanie Louis Kwolek, Charles Goodyear, Percy Spencer and John Stith Pemberton.

My favourite part of the book was how inspiring some of the inventor quotes are! They seemed to embrace and welcome failure, something I don’t do enough of. All-in-all a very hopeful and important message mixed with some fun history.

*I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work." - Thomas Edison

The history is definitely geared towards kids that are a bit older, but with the great comics and some highlighted facts and quotes it could capture younger kids and adults alike. Great family story time reading!

Thank you Andrews McNeel Publishing and NetGalley for this fun ARC!

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good positive spin on a history of science book, showing those times when results weren't coming, or things weren't going exactly as expected. Here Edison spends x thousand number of goes to get a decent workable lightbulb filament, but as he saw it every failure meant a successful crossing-off his ideas list. Here is a chap who invented a pacemaker by trying to record the heart but who ended up making just the wrong kind of kit instead by happy chance. Margarete Steiff thought she was making animal-shaped pincushions, but had to be told they were really good playthings instead.

I'd never knowingly read those last two stories, nor the one about the chap who automated shoe assembly, so this is pretty guaranteed to be educational for many. Each chapter is half plain text, half graphic novel, and some of those are really cheesy and ropey, but I still think there is something in this. The happy circumstance, the mistaken assumption and the sheer trial and error these stories feature are as I say ultimately optimistic, and I'd be that about the success of this title.

[Terrie Case · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book showing that mistakes can be made (and were made by famous people) but if you just keep trying success will follow. I loved the quote from Thomas Edison ”I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.” It summaries this whole book. It is so uplifting to know that inventions were not found on the first try. These intelligent people kept trying and finally succeeded. What a great message for children. Fun illustrations accompany the biographies.


I received an ARC from Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

[Sarah S. Smee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short and charming nonfiction book combines history with inspiration. Each of the 10 profiles of inventors and innovators hinges on a mistake or setback that must be overcome, and each profile ends with a lesson or thought to consider (e.g., "Sometimes what happens around is us random, and yet, persisting on intuition, despite mistakes, brings new results."). This book is pitched at upper elementary readers, but is sure to engage reluctant readers with its funny illustrations and graphic novel elements (each profile features a few comic-style pages). The collection is geographically and ethnically diverse, though it could have benefitted from having more than two profiles of women.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thinking outside the box, add in perseverance and see what happens!
The format is perfect for reaching those who learn a bit differently--rather like these inventors themselves. The predictable text format alternates with the comics presentations by Agnese Innocente which incorporate learning with color and more.
I geek history, so of course I loved this book!
Well suited for reading WITH someone of ANY age (including ESL) and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Everything Went Wrong: 10 Real Stories of Inventors Who Didn't Give Up! by Max Temporelli and Barbara Gozzi is a book that tells the stories of 10 inventors who didn't let their failures stop them. The book is a mix of comic panels and prose, making it a fun and interesting read.

I believe this book contains valuable information for young minds and would be a great addition to any classroom or library and I appreciated the selection of inventors and the inspiring quotes included in the book. However, it may not be the best fit for all audience due to its different approach to delivering its message.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
This book covers ten inventors who, through mistakes and projects going wrong, were able to make some of the big inventions that we use today. The stories are told in a mix of prose and comics. The prose gives a short background on the inventor and the comic shows the process of invention.
These histories were interesting and not too long. Because they deal with more scientific topics, the book is best for a higher-level middle-grade reader.

[Book friends are my best friends · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. The inventors the author chose to highlight were great choices, and I really loved the quotes the author selected. I struggle with how the information is shared: half graphic novel and half informational text. It could be a good way to introduce one style to a student who prefers the other, but it makes it hard to decide who the best audience is. I also prefer the author lead the child to the moral rather than state it flat out. Overall, the information is good, but the format makes it hard for me to decide which student to hand it to.

[Flora · Rating 3 out of 5]

No doubt an inspiring and encouraging book, with a few inventors who are household names and others not so well known but whose inventions are also used all over the world today.

I found some of the comics a bit disjointed as it’s incomplete.

3 and a half stars from me.

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, interesting and educational. The comics and illustrations are great. How the information is presented make it easy to keep reading. Great way for young minds to learn.

*Free e-arc received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers meet ten inventors who struggled and suffered failures before offering the world some of the greatest inventions. Each chapter shows the early failures that lead to successful products. The illustrations bring readers in to be part of each experience.