By Kersten Hamilton
Illustrations by James Hamilton
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 160
Lexile: 770L
Age Range: 7 – 10 Years
ABOUT
Welcome to the Amazing Automated Inn, home of twelve-year-old inventor Wally Kennewickett, his genius scientist parents, and his dashing dog, Noodles. From the lightning harvester on the roof to the labs full of experiments in the dungeon, the inn is a wonderful place for a curious boy and his loyal dog to live. That is, until President Theodore Roosevelt himself calls the elder Kennewicketts away, leaving Wally and Noodles to face the evil Mesmers, horrible hypnotists bent on controlling the minds of powerful people. It seems the inn is their first stop on the way to world domination . . . and only an ingenious boy, a staff of automatons, and a brave dachshund stand in their way!
REVIEWS
From the Publisher
A Winter 2013-14 Kids’ Indie Next List pick
“Fast paced and funny, with plenty of alliteration and word definitions provided by Noodles, it carries hints of both Lemony Snicket’s wordplay and the absurdity of M. T. Anderson’s Pals in Peril series. . . . Young, precocious readers and older readers looking for a shorter read will enjoy this first title in the Gadgets and Gears series.”
—Booklist
“[An] auspicious first book. . . . Hamilton makes the comedic most of her premise. . . . Noodles’s antics and droll, mannered narration make him the indisputable star of this show.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Steampunk with training wheels for the chapter book set. . . . Sly humor . . . nifty, gear-laden illustrations . . . [an] imaginative, engaging premise.”
—Kirkus Reviews
