The Reinvention of Edison Thomas [Hardcover]

Jacqueline Houtman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2010 | Age Range: 8 and up | Lexile Measure: 780L (What's this?)

Science geek Eddy Thomas can invent useful devices to do anything, except solve his bully problem. Eddy Thomas can read a college physics book, but he can t read the emotions on the faces of his classmates at Drayton Middle School. He can spend hours tinkering with an invention, but he can't stand more than a few minutes in a noisy crowd, like the crowd at the science fair, which Eddy fails to win. When the local school crossing guard is laid off, Eddy is haunted by thoughts of the potentially disastrous consequences and invents a traffic-calming device, using parts he has scavenged from discarded machines. Eddy also discovers new friends, who appreciate his abilities and respect his unique view of the world. By trusting his real friends, Eddy uses his talents to help others and rethinks his purely mechanical definition of success.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—Eddy is distraught when his entry in the science fair doesn't win. When his disappointment, coupled with the gymnasium hubbub, peaks, he squats on the floor, covers his ears, rocks, and chants chemical-compound names to himself. Eddy's sensitive nerves act like antennae, soaking up anxieties that cause him to recoil. The boy has high-functioning Asperger's syndrome and his intolerance of noise, and of other students' inadequate entries, is real—sadly, as real as the people who avoid him. Former playmates have grown up and turned into mean adolescents. At the same time, Eddy overlooks students who try to befriend him, because he is unable to understand social cues. When the school's crossing guard is let go, the boy obsesses over every imaginable calamity that could happen to children in the street. He loves the structure of science and tinkers endlessly with recycled gizmos and wires, and, following his counselor's advice, puts his worry to work inventing a traffic-signal device. It's curious to walk with a mind that works differently, where channels are isolated, fraught, and amplified, but readers will get a chance to do just that with this protagonist. Unfortunately the secondary characters are shallow and unconvincing. Also, the clever insertion of Latin scientific names and other facts from Eddy's bank of "random access memory" illustrates his extreme intelligence and will make the title appealing to science fans, but for average readers such detail is overwhelming and distracting.—Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
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Review

* "Move over, Joey Pigza! Here comes another exceptional spokesman for people with learning disabilities. Although never stated in the book, Eddy has the characteristics of a person with Asperger's Syndrome. Eddy is lucky to have understanding parents, a wise school counselor, and a coach who lets him work out his frustrations on a small trampoline. Told in first person, Eddy tells it like it is. As he moves through sixth Grade he continues to discover how to deal with his problems. His scientific mind is a valuable addition, and with gentle social reminders from his friend Justin, another science geek, the reader knows by the end of the book that although Eddy will always have his problems, he is learning to deal with them. Because Eddy is such an endearing character who clearly explains his thinking and actions, this book deserves a place on every elementary and middle school shelf. It should be read not only by kids who go to school with an Eddy, but by teachers who teach an Eddy. Because Eddy has allowed us to understand the way he sees the world, readers will have more compassion for people with Asperger's Syndrome." --Library Media Connection, Starred Review

"When your parents name you Edison Thomas after the famous inventor (and a family tradition to name members after famous Thomases), you are a ready target for bullies. If your interest really is inventing, you are brilliant, and you have trouble decoding social cues, you're an even bigger target. Readers will catch on more quickly than Eddy that his longtime "friend," Mitch, is behind the mean-spirited pranks that are being played on him. The story's main plot, about Eddy's efforts to invent an intersection-warning device to replace the safety crossing guard, who was eliminated in budget cuts, is fun to follow, but this novel's real strength is Eddy's gradual understanding of true friendship. Eddy gets counseling to help him decipher the basic social cues that elude him (his condition is never directly stated), and his responses to common idioms are both humorous and sensitively drawn as he learns not to take everything literally. As an added bonus, the text includes related scientific facts, from "The Random Access Memory of Edison Thomas," which will intrigue budding scientists." --Booklist

"... [A]wry debut...The author has a particularly engaging way of tracking Eddie's thought processes as he struggles to wrest order from a seemingly chaotic world...By the end readers will understand why Justin and Terry find Eddie worth knowing, but the way the central characters talk and think about science creates another theme that's just as strong and satisfying. " --Kirkus Reviews

"... A perceptive look at a complicated mind, the novel is steeped in the world of science (binomial nomenclature appears throughout), and the quirky humor and authentic characters should have wide appeal." --Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 189 pages
• Publisher: Front Street Press (March 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590787080
• ISBN-13: 978-1590787083
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #857,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacqueline Houtman spent way too many years learning to be a scientist (27, if you count kindergarten). The best part of all that school is that some people, especially her parents, now call her Dr. Houtman. In the rare moments she did not spend in the lab, she did theater to feed the rest of her brain. Then she came to her senses and started over as a freelance science writer and editor. She has written for physicians, scientists, and the guy down the street. She is equally comfortable writing for students in Medical School and Middle School. She most enjoys writing "sciency fiction" for kids, where real science is integral to the story.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Book, Important Topics February 10, 2010

By Tova Suslovich

Format:Hardcover

"The Reinvention of Edison Thomas" puts you inside the mind of a boy with an autism spectrum disorder as he navigates his way through the drama of middle school life. It is an exciting book built around a great plot, and I really enjoyed reading it! It also broaches important topics including school bullies, classmates with differences such as autism or sensory processing disorders, acceptance, and understanding.

Although I don't think Eddy was ever "diagnosed" in the book, he seems to have an autism spectrum disorder along with sensory processing disorder. I was very impressed with the author's portrayal, in kid-friendly terms, of a child with his issues, and at the way she made me identify with Eddy. I was excited with him, upset with him, nervous with him, and holding my breath for him; I felt like I
understood the way he thinks and why some everyday things are so difficult for him. This is not only an impressive feat, but a really important one in a world where it is estimated that 1 in 110 children are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

After reading this book, children will better understand the "odd" child on the block who covers his ears when the fire drill sounds, becomes upset when the schedule is changed, and takes jokes literally. They will also hopefully understand that being friends with the "odd" kid can have its own unique advantages. And adults will understand how the simple gestures and acceptance of an adult can make a huge difference in helping someone like Eddy make it through a day in middle school.

This book is a must read for children and adults alike in order to foster an understanding and acceptance of classmates and neighbors who are "different" but still the same.

--Tova Suslovich, OTR/L

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For Every Kid Who's Felt "Different" February 16, 2010

By E. Kanell

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The kid in me was fully present as I read THE REINVENTON OF EDISON THOMAS. Some things you never forget -- being targeted for being smart or discovering that "all the other kids" are aware of some kind of culture that doesn't match yours. So as I read, I cheered for every discovery that Eddy made toward having his own friends and being liked for who he is. I'm going to need a lot of copies of this book, to give to the "different" kids in my life, but also to the adults who still remember and who will love this well-told tale, too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read July 23, 2010

By Cathe Fein Olson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

There seems to be a trend of books written from the point of view of autistic boys. This one is about an autistic middle-school boy, Edison, who is really into inventing gadgets. As smart as he is about mechanics, he has no social skills and has trouble reading emotions on other poeple's faces. He is clueless that the school bully has targeted him, but thinks the boy is actually being friendly. Edison falls for his pranks until a brainy geek befriends him and sets him straight about the bully. Despite his tactlessness, Edison makes two other friends who seem to appreciate his quirkiness and in the end, he finally recognizes what he has and appreciates his friends.

This book was a quick, fun read. It seemed total not based on reality--more like a fairy tale of how we would like middle-schoolers to act toward kids that are different--but it is an enjoyable dream. And who knows, maybe it will inspire some middle-schoolers to think differently about those students who don't fit in.