The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black (The Young Inventors Guild) [Hardcover]

Eden Unger Bowditch (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2011 | Series: The Young Inventors Guild

In 1903, five truly brilliant young inventors, the children of the world's most important scientists, went about their lives and their work as they always had.

But all that changed the day the men in black arrived.

They arrived to take twelve-year-old Jasper Modest and his six-year-old sister, Lucy he with his remarkable creations and she with her perfect memory from their London, England home to a place across the ocean they'd never seen before.

They arrived to take nine-year-old Wallace Banneker, last in a long line of Africa-descended scientists, from his chemistry, his father, and his New York home to a life he d never imagined.

Twelve-year-old Noah Canto-Sagas, already missing his world-famous and beloved mother, was taken from Toronto, Canada, carrying only his clothes, his violin, and his remarkable mind.

And thirteen-year-old Faye Vigyanveta, the genius daughter of India's wealthiest and most accomplished scientists, was removed by force from her life of luxury.

From all across the world, they've been taken to mysterious Sole Manner Farm, and a beautiful but isolated schoolhouse in Dayton, Ohio, without a word from their parents as to why. Not even the wonderful schoolteacher they find there, Miss Brett, can explain it. She can give them love and care, but she can t give them answers.

Things only get stranger from there. What is the book with no pages Jasper and Lucy find in their mother's underwear drawer, and why do the men in black want it so badly?

How is it all the children have been taught the same bizarre poem and yet no other rhymes or stories their entire lives?

And why haven't their parents tried to contact them?

Whatever the reasons, to brash, impetuous Faye, the situation is clear: They and their parents have been kidnapped by these terrible men in black, and the only way they're going to escape and rescue their parents is by completing the invention they didn't even know they were all working on an invention that will change the world forever.

But what if the men in black aren't trying to harm the children? What if they're trying to protect them?

And if they're trying to protect them, from what?

An amazing story about the wonders of science and the still greater wonders of friendship, The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Mysterious Men in Black , the first book of the Young Inventors Guild trilogy, is a truly original novel. Young readers will forever treasure Eden Unger Bowditch's funny, inventive, poignant, and wonderfully fun fiction debut.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bancroft Press (March 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1610880021
• ISBN-13: 978-1610880022
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,485,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Simply brilliant. --P.B.Kerr, author of the Children of the Lamp series and other Young Adult bestsellers

I love this book and if a movie is made of it, it will be awesome, too. I love it because it seems so real. It's the perfect book for a summer holiday. I'm sure everyone who buys this book will laugh and enjoy it as much as I did. If I was rating this book, I'd give it the highest rank you could. --Hamish Newall, Age 9, Great Britain

Eden Unger Bowditch s The Atomic Weight of Secrets truly captures the voices of young people. It presents the characters as children, yet, through their shared experiences and, in some ways, because they must raise themselves, they mature beyond the years of normal children of that age. A nice balance was struck between these two. My favorite character was Faye. I guess it's because I am the father of two daughters, so I could identify with her best. Plus, the initial part of the book, when she was separated from her parents, was very powerful. The fear and the confusion the author captured here was overwhelming to me. That part of the book struck an emotive chord partly because I was identifying Faye s fear with that of my own girls if they were in a similar situation. It was frightening, quite frankly. The Atomic Weight of Secrets is a very special creation. It and the rest of the series will undoubtedly capture audiences of readers both young and old. An imaginative plot full of intrigue and mystery, characters that Middle School kids can relate to, plus the science and invention elements, will appeal to a whole subset of young readers. --Andrew Ferguson, Middle School Assistant Principal, Cairo American College

About the Author

Eden Unger Bowditch has been writing since she was very small. She has been writing since she could use her brain to think of something to say. She wrote while attaining her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and she wrote songs as lead singer of the band Enormous.

She has written stories and plays and shopping lists and screenplays and dreams and poems and also books about her longtime Baltimore home, like Growing Up in Baltimore and Druid Hill Park: The Historic Heart of Baltimore. She has been a journalist, as well as a welder, and an editor, and other things, too.

The Atomic Weight of Secrets is her first young adult novel, and she has been as excited writing it as she hopes you are reading it.

Presently, Eden lives with her family (husband and three children) in Cairo, Egypt. But that s another story entirely . . .

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bancroft Press (March 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1610880021
• ISBN-13: 978-1610880022
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,485,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Characters Have True Heart April 18, 2011

By Tessa-ftbotbblog

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Quite a lot to take in, but well worth it! Eden Unger Bowditch's first young adult novel does not disappoint! The story definitely provides a maze of possibilities that can lead to dead ends or the ultimate truth. The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black is a very enjoyable novel and a fun one to read. I suggest this book for kids and teens alike.

I was constantly led on a trail of false leads and accusations that kept me on my toes. I never knew what to expect from Lucy, Jasper, Faye, Noah, Wallace, or the men in the black. I love how I was constantly entertained by what might lay ahead and the endless directions in which the story could go. This open-endedness allowed me to explore my imagination and keep an open mind about characters or events that occurred in the story. This also added to the aspect of secrecy and elusiveness that the men in black portrayed. I can't wait to learn more in the sequel to The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black!

The characters are all so easy to relate to, especially the kids. I applaud Eden Unger Bowditch for doing such a splendid job developing and shaping them. It was nice to see that each child had a story of their own. I really felt more for them when they were taken away from their beloved parents or when they thought back on how life used to be because of this. Each one of them really is brilliant too. Lucy with her perfect memory, Jasper with his steady head, Faye with her bold ideas and determination, the musically acclaimed Noah with his wry sense of humor, and the ever-present Wallace who is always there to lend a hand. These characters I hold dear....

Many little details added to the overall essence of The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black. One such aspect is the way in which the title of the book and the title for every chapter is done. I enjoyed how there was a more direct title, and then after the "or" there was a title that made a little more sense and told me what was coming. Even the way in which the mysterious men in black were dressed added a sense of cheery innocence. Also, since the story was set in 1903, some of the children's actions influenced history.

I also enjoyed how many things made sense later in the story, or their special meaning was revealed. For example, the green journal becomes the children's own personal place to store their notes and ideas, and is what first named them The Young Inventors Guild. Also, there is so much more to uncover, such as why the children's special keepsakes are all so important, who is Reginald Roderick Kattaning, what is the meaning of "The Strange Round Bird" poem, and what is the purpose of the mysterious men in black?

I would have liked to seen more of this revealed throughout The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black. Even though the lack of information kept me guessing, I wanted to be sure of some things. Also, I feel that the storyline could be stretched too thin now, as it seems to be going in so many different directions. Hopefully, I will learn more in book two of The Young Inventors Guild series.

In the end, The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black is an enjoyable adventure with mystery and hidden meanings. Join the five young children who make up The Young Inventor's Guild, Lucy, Jasper, Faye, Noah, and Wallace, as they tinker their way to the truth in, The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black!

-This is T.B. with Another Book Back on the Shelf...
Until Next Time, Keep Reading! Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Great idea. Bad execution. November 2, 2011

By Nathalie

Format:Hardcover

I think the plot was very creative, she really had me in the beginning and I was really curious to learn more about this world and the Men in Black (very cute).

However, I really had a hard time reading this story. I'm almost to the end and i still don't fully understand what is going on. It seems like I'm reading a script, and I wonder if the author has a screenplay background, because it seems like I'm waiting for a big final (long slow buildup then cool ending), I hope it's there but I'm not sticking around to find out. Someone before stated that you just stop caring about the children, and you really do. The author keeps the book too mysterious, so much that the momentum of the story suffers, and by the time they try to escape it's just not interesting anymore.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars The Atomic Weight of Secrets August 7, 2011

By Amazing book reviews by starr

Format:Hardcover

The Atomic Weight of Secrets or the Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black by Eden Unger Bowditch

Young Inventors Guild Book 1

Bancroft Press-2011

[..]
Facebook: Yes

Rating: Not for me

Recommendation: YA, Steampunk, Science fiction

Five young children, from different parts of the world, are separated from their parents and brought together at Sole Manor Farm with their teacher Ms. Brett. While there, they form a unique friendship and work together to create a world-changing invention. They hope that the invention will help them solve the mystery of what happened to their parents. But the invention and all the mysteries that surround their arrival all lead to a danger that they are not aware of and may not be ready to face.

I can say that this book is well written and it's based on a good idea. But I can't say that I particularly liked this book. Certain things bother me. The first and most obvious issue would be the title. It's the length that bothers me, it makes it hard to remember and that's not good. If there was a purpose for the length it was not revealed in the story (unless I completely missed it). I think "Atomic Weight of Secrets" is a better title for the book than " The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black". Yes, I know it seems to be really petty to not like a book based solely on the title, but it's more than not liking the title. It's distracting; somewhere in the back of my mind I was thinking -hoping- that title was a clue to what was going on in the story. But combining the two doesn't do anything. Something more important than the title would be the story itself. It was a great idea. There are little nuggets or breadcrumbs that appear to be leading somewhere and then it just stops.... It's like a fumble in a football game during the last play, the team is only points away from taking the lead nd winning. The ending reminds me of when you ask someone a question and they give you a really long answer that has nothing to do with your question. Maybe the resolution comes in the second book, but . . .

While it offers an interesting perspective, I am missing the connection with the characters. It's sad that the kids are separated from their parents, but in truth they're already used to not having them around. And the kids prove that they're pretty resourceful. But without the connection I don't really care what happened; didn't care if they succeeded or failed in their plans. Maybe the connection would have been stronger if it was ordinary kids forced into doing something extraordinary.

Always Shine,

Starr K.

I received this complimentary galley from Netgalley. The review is not required to be a positive one, but I assure you it is my honest opinion of the book. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars It will be hard to top this one! April 20, 2011

By Wendy L. Hines VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I've always been fascinated with science and inventions. I've always said, when I see a new nifty product, why didn't I think of that? I'm still waiting though for someone to invent the backspace button on landline telephones.....it sure would make my flying fingers happy!

Five children from different places in the world are all the children of famous inventors. Jasper and Lucy have a good home life but they really don't have any friends. Everyone at school makes fun of them, including their teachers. They can't help it they are so smart. Noah travels constantly. Not because his father is a great inventor but because his mother is a famed opera singer. Faye is a daughter of a wealthy scientist and Wallace his a really intelligent chemist, but very lonely since his mother died and his dad is always working.

The children are all shocked when the men in black come and take them away. Their parents tell them to basically be good and to stay invisible, out of the radar. But the men in black won't tell them where their parents are.

Then, the children are taking to a remote farm to be schooled. The all fall in love with Miss Brett, the schoolteacher, who teaches the children things they didn't know. Things such as cooking and fun childrens books. She pays them all attention and they love her for it. But after weeks go by with still no word from their parents, the kids decide that they must have been kidnapped and they must rescue them.

But another strange person arrives at the schoolhouse and he is not as nice as Miss Brett. He means to find the "Thing" and he will remove anything in his path to get it, including the children.

The Atomic Weight of Secrets is a marvelous adventure for young teenagers or even adults.... I fell in love with the children, but I do believe young Lucy is my favorite. She is so innocent, yet wise. The men in black are truly unique and made me laugh with their apparel. Black duck feet, black tutus and just plain anything they could find black. Very eccentric! I absolutely loved this book and look forward to the next installment in the series to see where the children go next. It will be hard to top this one! Read more ›