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Extracts

Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor by Lucy Brandt

Leonora Bolt: Eco Engineer

Book 3 in the LEONORA BOLT: SECRET INVENTOR series 
 
Leonora Bolt makes amazing gadgets from any old junk. And her inventions have already stopped villainous Uncle Luther TWICE, though she hasn't rescued her super-scientist parents from him - yet. 
 
Leonora and her pals find clues that lead them to Luther's latest evil plan. It's an amusement park called Brightworld built in a desert, under a massive snow globe - and it's terrible for the environment! 
 
But when all their fancy-pants gadgets fail in the hot-hot heat, it's down to Leonora to use her eco-engineering imagination. Can she invent something to shut down Brightworld and save her parents - before there's a meltdown? 
 
With nothing but courage and Leonora's trusty tool belt to hand, the gang must battle swirling sandstorms, navigate plunging canyons and finish Uncle Luther...FOD GOOD! 
 
Praise for LEONORA BOLT: 
'A hilariously silly adventure' - The Guardian 
'Fizzing with fun, friendship and fabulous inventions!' - Maria Kuzniar, author of The Ship of Shadows 
'A joyous story' - i

A laugh-out-loud adventure with a great, STEM, female role model of colour.

Lucy Brandt (Author) 
Lucy Brandt is a mum of two young kids and lives and works in Brighton. She has worked for nearly twenty years in a variety of traditional and digital marketing roles, largely specialising in technology - she has poured her technological knowledge into the inventions she created for her debut novel Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor. 
 
Gladys Jose (Illustrator) 
Gladys Jose is an illustrator and storyteller. She graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2012, where she earned a Bachelors in Fine Arts degree, specializing in graphic design. Gladys is the illustrator of FRESH PRINCESS (HarperCollins, 2019), THE ELEPHANTS HIDE AND SEEK HANDBOOK (Sourcebooks 2020) LEONORA BOLT: SECRET INVENTOR (Puffin 2021) as well as a chapter book series for EPIC! Books. 
Gladys lives in the sunny state of Florida with her husband and daughter.

Book 3 in the LEONORA BOLT: SECRET INVENTOR series 
 
Leonora Bolt makes amazing gadgets from any old junk. And her inventions have already stopped villainous Uncle Luther TWICE, though she hasn't rescued her super-scientist parents from him - yet. 
Leonora and her pals find clues that lead them to Luther's latest evil plan. It's an amusement park called Brightworld built in a desert, under a massive snow globe - and it's terrible for the environment! 
But when all their fancy-pants gadgets fail in the hot-hot heat, it's down to Leonora to use her eco-engineering imagination. Can she invent something to shut down Brightworld and save her parents - before there's a meltdown? 
With nothing but courage and Leonora's trusty tool belt to hand, the gang must battle swirling sandstorms, navigate plunging canyons and finish Uncle Luther...FOD GOOD! 
 
Violet Baudelaire meets Peanut Jones in this epic STEM-themed adventure about believing in your brainpower - and yourself.

Leonora Bolt: Deep Sea Calamity

THE SECOND LAUGH-OUT-LOUD ADVENTURE FOR LEONORA BOLT, SECRET INVENTOR. 
 
'Fizzing with fun, friendship and fabulous inventions!' - Maria Kuzniar, The Ship of Shadows 
 
 Leonora isn't supposed to be building a submarine in a tree. Or turning the local wildlife luminous. In fact, she is supposed to be keeping her head down and drawing no attention - because Leonora Bolt is an inventor in secret. 
 
But she can't stop thinking of the clues she found to her missing parents' location. So, deep in hiding in Snorebury, desperately trying to avoid being discovered by her evil uncle, Leonora is hatching a plan. 
 
So what if involves launching a homemade submarine into the middle of the ocean, accompanied only by a couple of friends and an otter with particularly sensitive whiskers? For when disaster strikes, Leonora's wackiest plan might just be her most brilliant yet...

Lucy Brandt (Author) Lucy Brandt is a mum of two young kids and lives and works in Brighton. She has worked for nearly twenty years in a variety of traditional and digital marketing roles, largely specialising in technology - she has poured her technological knowledge into the inventions she created for her debut novel Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor. Gladys Jose (Illustrator) Gladys Jose is an illustrator and storyteller. She graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2012, where she earned a Bachelors in Fine Arts degree, specializing in graphic design. Gladys is the illustrator of FRESH PRINCESS (HarperCollins, 2019), THE ELEPHANTS HIDE AND SEEK HANDBOOK (Sourcebooks 2020) LEONORA BOLT: SECRET INVENTOR (Puffin 2021) as well as a chapter book series for EPIC! Books. 
Gladys lives in the sunny state of Florida with her husband and daughter.

Leonora isn't supposed to be building a submarine in a tree. Or turning the local wildlife luminous. In fact, she is supposed to be keeping her head down and drawing no attention - because Leonora Bolt is an inventor in secret. 
 
But she can't stop thinking of the clues she found to her missing parents' location. So, deep in hiding in Snorebury, desperately trying to avoid being discovered by her evil uncle, Leonora is hatching a plan. So what if involves launching a homemade submarine into the middle of the ocean, accompanied only by a couple of friends and an otter with particularly sensitive whiskers? For when disaster strikes, Leonora's wackiest plan might just be her most brilliant yet...

Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor

'Fizzing with fun, friendship and fabulous inventions!' - Maria Kuzniar 
 
WARNING: EPIC INVENTIONS AND SECRET SOCIETIES AHEAD . . . 
 
Leonora Bolt spends her days creating incredible inventions in her TOP SECRET laboratory, under the watchful eye of her terrifying uncle. 
 
Everything changes one day when a strange boy washes up on an inflatable lobster and reveals that Uncle Luther has been stealing her inventions and selling them on the mainland. Leonora, armed with her most important inventions, must leave Crabby Island for the first time EVER to embark on an unforgettable journey that will test her brainpower to its limits. 
 
With the help of an otter with a special skilll, a questionable cook and a singing sea captain, can Leonora dream up an invention that will defeat her evil uncle once and for all? 
 
Violet Baudelaire meets Peanut Jones in this epic STEM-themed adventure about believing in your brainpower - and yourself!

A hilariously silly adventure for 7+, full of fishy foodstuffs and ingenious gadgets.

Fizzing with fun, friendship and fabulous inventions!

Warm, funny and with plenty for parents to enjoy too.

Great to have a female STEM lead in this joyous story about a young inventor who has to use all her considerable brain power to defeat her villainous uncle.

Adventure, humour, bold illustrations and manageable text make this an ideal book for reading aloud or reading alone.

Favourite scenes include a ride in a hot air balloon, suspended from a wonderful variety of inflatables, and another in the stinkiest cave in fiction. Lots of fun, this is one to recommend to readers who like their adventures wild, wacky and full of invention(s).

This fast-paced adventure includes lively black-and-white illustrations throughout. With glorious gadgets, devious deceptions and a thoroughly vile villain, it’s a highly enjoyable, humorous read from start to finish.

Orphaned Leonora lives on a remote island, spending her days making crazy cool inventions. When a strange boy called Jack washes up on an inflatable lobster and reveals that her evil Uncle Luther has been stealing her inventions and selling them on the mainland, it begins a bonkers and brilliant adventure - complete with a furry otter, a singing sea captain, and a very secret society...

An empowering celebration of growing up Black

Hey You!

"It distils the fierce heartache of racist injustice as well as a passionate sense of joy and hope for the future." 
The Guardian 
 
"From the pain of systemic racism to the hope of the future, it's an honest but largely uplifting read, aimed at children particularly." 
Evening Standard 
 
"A series of clever and witty illustrations matched with informative text guides the reader through a series of situations where they might encounter prejudice, and how to form strategies to overcome a situation before it becomes a problem." 
The Independent 
 
"This beautiful book also serves as a brilliant directory of work from black illustrators." 
BookTrust 
 
This groundbreaking picture book is a lyrical, inspirational exploration of growing up Black, written by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola, and brought to life by some of the most exciting Black illustration talents working today. 
 
Remember to dream your own dreams 
Love your beautiful skin 
You always have a choice 
 
This book addresses - honestly, yet hopefully - the experiences Black children face growing up with systemic racism, as well as providing hope for the future, delivering a powerful message to a new generation of dreamers. It's a message that is both urgent and timeless - and offers a rich and rewarding reading experience for every child. 
 
To mirror the rich variety of the Black diaspora, this book showcases artwork from Dapo and 18 incredible Black illustrators in one beautiful, powerful, and cohesive reading experience.

Illustrator Dapo Adeola's debut as author, Hey You! (Puffin), is a lyrical celebration of growing up black. Featuring the work of 18 illustrators, including Diane Ewen, Onyinye Iwu and Selom Sunu - since, as Adeola states: "I'm just one person, I can't possibly hope to speak for the entire diaspora" - it distils the fierce heartache of racist injustice as well as a passionate sense of joy and hope for the future.

A beautifully realised book, helmed by illustrator Dapo Adeola and featuring a number of other excellent artists, this is a portrait of the Black experience while growing up. From the pain of systemic racism to the hope of the future, it's an honest but largely uplifting read, aimed at children particularly.

A series of clever and witty illustrations matched with informative text guides the reader through a series of situations where they might encounter prejudice, and how to form strategies to overcome a situation before it becomes a problem.

This beautiful book also serves as a brilliant directory of work from Black illustrators, enabling parents to look up their other books, or keep an eye out for their work in the future. Perfect for new parents and fans of Oliver Jeffers Here We Are, I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes and Gordon C James, and Tami Charles' and Bryan Collier's All Because You Matter.

Each double page spread, and the end papers, are all created by one of the eighteen talented Black illustrators assembled from all over the world or this book. It is a joy to see so many different yet complementary styles of illustration creating the whole. A book for every classroom and nursery in the country!

This lyrical picture book is a message to our children, to show them how much we love and cherish them. To remind them they can achieve anything and be proud of their Black heritage and stand together. Reading this with my girls, I felt incredibly emotional. This is the book I wish I'd read as a child, and I feel so grateful to be able to read it with my children now.

This ground-breaking picture book is a lyrical, inspirational exploration of growing up Black, written by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola and brought to life by some of the most exciting Black illustration talents working today

This book address - honestly, yet hopefully - the experiences Black children face growing up with systemic racism, as well as providing hope for the future, delivering a powerful message to a new generation of dreamers. It's a message that is both urgent and timeless - and offers a rich rewarding reading experience for every child.

Dapo Adeola is an award-winning illustrator and designer who creates characters and images that challenge expectations around race and gender in a fun and upbeat way. He is the co-creator and illustrator of bestselling picture book Look Up! - winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the number 1 debut picture book of 2019. 
London born and bred but of Nigerian heritage, when he's not busy cooking up new characters and adventures you can find Dapo running illustration and character design workshops with children or organising events to help highlight the possibilities of a career in illustration to underrepresented members of the Black diaspora.

"It distils the fierce heartache of racist injustice as well as a passionate sense of joy and hope for the future." 
The Guardian 
 
"From the pain of systemic racism to the hope of the future, it's an honest but largely uplifting read, aimed at children particularly." 
Evening Standard 
 
"A series of clever and witty illustrations matched with informative text guides the reader through a series of situations where they might encounter prejudice, and how to form strategies to overcome a situation before it becomes a problem." 
The Independent 
 
"This beautiful book also serves as a brilliant directory of work from black illustrators." 
BookTrust 
 
This groundbreaking picture book is a lyrical, inspirational exploration of growing up Black, written by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola, and brought to life by some of the most exciting Black illustration talents working today. 
 
Remember to dream your own dreams 
Love your beautiful skin 
You always have a choice 
 
This book addresses - honestly, yet hopefully - the experiences Black children face growing up with systemic racism, as well as providing hope for the future, delivering a powerful message to a new generation of dreamers. It's a message that is both urgent and timeless - and offers a rich and rewarding reading experience for every child. 
 
To mirror the rich variety of the Black diaspora, this book showcases artwork from Dapo and 18 incredible Black illustrators in one beautiful, powerful, and cohesive reading experience.

Lucy Brandt

Gladys Jose

Praise for Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor: A hilariously silly adventure for 7+

Praise for Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor: Fizzing with fun, friendship and fabulous inventions!

Praise for Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor: a laugh-out-loud adventure...Warm, funny and with plenty for parents to enjoy too

Praise for Leonora Bolt: Deep Sea Calamity: Another exciting adventure, packed with fun, thrills and gadgets galore...hugely entertaining and thoroughly inventive

Praise for Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor: Great to have a female STEM lead in this joyous story about a young inventor

The fourth hilarious book in the brilliant STEM adventure series Leonora Bolt. With glorious illustrations by Gladys Jose throughout. 
 
It's Leonora first ever Christmas on Crabby Island! 
 
Among homemade presents made out of recycled junk and boiled cabbage candy canes, she finds a mysterious invitation to a new, global invention competition: The Great Gadget Games. 
 
The ho-ho-host is her evil Uncle Luther, and the judges are Harry and Eliza Bolt. . .Leonora's kidnapped parents! 
 
Leonora HAS to enter and WIN the competition - it's got to be her best ever chance to finally rescue mum and dad, and foil Luther's schemes once and for all! 
 
All she needs is her imagination, a foolproof disguise, and help from some fellow young inventors. 
 
Violet Baudelaire meets Peanut Jones in this epic STEM-themed adventure about believing in your brainpower - and yourself.

Gladys Jose

Books by Gladys Jose

Series by Gladys Jose

Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor

Articles featuring Gladys Jose

Leonora Bolt: Secret Inventor by Lucy Brandt

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