The Unusual Mind of Vincent Shadow

November 2, 2009
Kehoe's debut is a quick-reading, whimsical tale of a boy inventor, but reliance on the trope of the evil stepfamily undercuts much of the fun. Vincent used to have frequent blinding flashes of inspiration and invented all sorts of wonderful toys in the secret laboratory his late mother built with him. But when his mostly absentee father moves the family to Minnesota, he loses access to most of his inventions (and stops having visions). Forced to sleep in a cold basement laundry room by his stepmother, Vincent's only ray of hope is his eccentric new art teacher, who gets Vincent the opportunity to enter a contest sponsored by toy designer Howard G. Whiz. Unfortunately, Kehoe's characters never amount to much more than cartoons. Vincent's stereotypically nasty stepmother favors her biological children—packing gourmet meals for their lunches, while Vincent gets the dregs—and his oblivious father is absentminded to the point of neglect. Though Vincent gets his expected moment of glory in the end, his family's last-minute turnaround feels pat and halfhearted. Ages 8–12.

December 1, 2009
Gr 4-6-Eleven-year-old Vincent Shadow has a gift so unusual and problematic that he's always had to hide it. Much like his idol, eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla, his ideas come to him in the form of blinding, fully formed, and intricately detailed visions. Unlike Tesla's, Vincent's visions are all of fantastic toys: windless kites, everlasting squirt guns, and 3-D ink, among them. Being a boy genius was easy when Vincent's supportive mom helped him build a secret home laboratory, but following her death and his father's remarriage, things change. The family is about to move from New York to Minnesota, and Vincent's inspiration level is fading fast. Just as both his genius and morale seem to be bottoming out, he learns of a promising toy-invention contest sponsored by legendary toymaker Howard G. Whiz. If Vincent wins it, he'll earn an apprenticeship back in New Yorka once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to utilize his gift. As the contest nears, renewed inspiration comes from newly discovered Tesla artifacts and the surprising support of his stepsister. The question is, can Vincent overcome the last-minute sabotage by a rival in time to realize his dream? This is a solid, whimsically illustrated writing debut from a real-life toy inventor. It begs for a quick follow-up."Jeffrey Hastings, Highlander Way Middle School, Howell, MI"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2009
Grades 3-5 Surrounded by annoying stepsisters, a vastly unlikable new stepmom, and a father too busy with his own work as the assistant director at the Met, boy inventor Vincent Shadow spends most of his time in his secret attic lab, tinkering with the toy prototypes that he dreams up in blinding visions similar to the ones experienced by his hero, Nikola Tesla. Things begin to converge for Vincent when he is allowed to poke around a recently discovered cache of Tesla inventions and is then invited to show one of his creations in a contest put on by the Willy Wonkaish toy magnate, Howard G. Whiz. Some light skulduggery forces Vincent to flex all his creativity, smarts, and inspiration. The story is slight, but Vincent is immensely likable, and his imaginative inventions steal the show (a windless kite and bubbles that release sounds when popped feature most prominently in the plot). The final 50 or so pages are packed full of beyond-neato contraptions, which should placate readers who might find the ending rather abrupt. Gee-whiz fun for young tinkerers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2010
Middle-schooler Vincent Shadow creates toy prototypes in his secret lab. The inventor's pastime gets kicked into high gear when a local toymaker announces a once-in-a-lifetime contest. Many of the story's characters are cardboard and the ending is lackluster, but readers may appreciate the creativity of Vincent's inventions, shown in occasional spot-illustration sketches and a removable "top secret" notebook.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)