Cragbridge Hall: The Inventor’s Secret, by Chad Morris, “reinvents” the classic idea of time travel in a fun and refreshing way. By setting the story a few decades in the future, Morris is able to combine science fiction, historical fiction, mystery and adventure into one seamless whole. In The Inventor’s Secret, we follow Abby and Derick Cragbridge as they study history come-to-life, trying to solve clues left by their missing grandfather in a race to save time. While being entertained by a fast-moving adventure, young readers are also exposed to significant concepts of why tragedy happens, the relevance of understanding and learning history, what strength of character really is, and how being smart is not nearly as important as never giving up. Morris has written an enjoyable tale that is both educational and relevant without being presumptuous or heavy-handed. A “timeless” hit!
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Shadow Mountain
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: Descriptions of historic battles; a “simulated” bear attack; a “simulated” character is killed by arrows with little description while another is chased with intent to kill; a character receives minor spear wounds; description of bleeding because of exhaustion; a character is shot (not fatal); several characters are attacked and knocked unconscious.
Sex/Nudity: A boy-crazy character; hand-holding; hugging; references to kissing; one reference to looking at a character’s backside.
Mature Subject Matter:
Bullying, Kidnapping, Tests of Endurance, Recounting tragedies from History.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
A character is tranquilized.
