Chris Soul

The Ten Riddles of Eartha Quicksmith is an inventive, mind-bending, dimension-hopping adventure, crackling with the fizz of magical science. Quicksmiths College of Strange Energy is Hogwarts for Einsteins - and yes it's as fun as it sounds! 

 

Kip Bramley is an intelligent young boy, who has a peculiar pet and a habit for scribbling strange squiggles. One day a drone delivers Kip a cryptic invitation that leads him to the fantastic Quicksmiths College of Strange Energy. There, a set of ten riddles are revealed after 400 years. Determined to be the first to crack the riddles, Kip sets out on a hunt with his new friends. But the prize of unravelling the riddles could mean more to Kip and his family that he had ever imagined possible.

 

Loris Owen has created a fresh and exciting world where science, inventions and ideas are fit to bursting. Mysteries build and the stakes rise throughout. Owen has a huge imagination and children will delight in getting to know Quicksmiths College - the most fun place to go and learn since Hogwarts. I really loved the build-up, following Kip as he uncovers clues to finally arrive at the college, by way of an aquarium and a photo booth! Quirkiness and fun abound, while there is a diverse range of characters to root for or despise. I loved the sense of mythology - like an alternative timeline for science. Science should be seen as a subject that allows the imagination to break its boundaries, and this is a book that will encourage children to view it in such a way. If 'Ten Riddles' is the first in a series then there is a whole a lot more to be excited for. There are suggestions and clues of greater stories, further madcap science, tantalising so much more to come.

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'The Ten Riddles of Eartha Quicksmith' is a really fantastically fun adventure for children who especially love the playfulness of science and the possibilities of the imagination. 

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https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-ten-riddles-of-eartha-quicksmith/loris-owen/9781913102319