Cragbridge Hall, Book One: The Inventor's Secret (32 page)

Abby smiled. She knew her grandpa had always believed in her and known she could do great things, but she finally felt like he might just be right.

“Now, let’s go back in time and eat some original pizza,” Grandpa said.

The twins looked at each other.

“I’m kidding,” Grandpa said. “Though I have been tempted.”

acknowledgments

So many people have helped and inspired me on the road to getting my first novel published—beginning with my parents. From letting me rig up makeshift string pulleys in my room so I could turn off my lights from my bed, to helping me buy my first drum set, to driving for hours to come to my comedy shows while I was in college, my parents have encouraged and supported my crazy dreams throughout my life. That pattern holds true with my writing. Thanks, Mom and Dad.

Thanks to Shane, Casey, Spenny, Michelle, and Brady. We had a great childhood that jumpstarted my imagination. Thanks for hiking mountains, cliff jumping, purposely crashing into each other on sleds, making homemade movies, and finding the secret talisman of Izynkz to become a clan of supernatural ninjas ready to save the world. (That last one may or may not be true; the memory is a little fuzzy.)

My wife, Shelly, deserves special thanks. Not only did she encourage me when I thought this story was helpless, but she was my first reader, giving me feedback that set this book on its way to success. I based Carol on an exaggerated version of what I think my wife might have been like in junior high. Yeah, she’s that fun.

I’d like to thank my kids too, for asking me to make up stories, for enduring all my crazy answers when they ask “Guess what?” and for being so creative and so alive. My ten-year-old son read the entire manuscript in a couple of days and gave me helpful feedback. My daughter tried very hard to do the same. I read a draft of this book to all my kids at night, and I thank them for often chanting “One more chapter! One more chapter!” when I said it was time to stop. And I forgive them for the times they fell asleep.

Thanks to David McCullough, who gave me (and the thousands of other people in the auditorium) a challenge that led to an idea—an idea important in the creation of this book.

I can’t say enough good about Shadow Mountain, especially Chris Schoebinger and Heidi Taylor. They believed in Cragbridge Hall and took a chance on me. You are making a dream come true. Thanks to Lisa Mangum and Annette Lyon for using their editing skills to polish up my writing. Thanks to Brandon Dorman for having a great imagination and the ability to put it into an amazing cover and illustrations.

Thanks to my agent, Rubin Pfeffer, for fantastic help and advice. And thanks to Deborah Warren for her support and enthusiasm.

Thanks to those who read this manuscript early on and gave me feedback: Dan and Sariah Reed, Matthew Crawford, Brittney Young, Parley Jenkins, Hailey Young, Lauren Sellnow, Randy Lindsay, and Will Mason.

Thanks to Brandon Mull for being an inspiration and a good friend. Thanks to Tyler Whitesides, who has given me advice and who let me follow him to school assemblies. Thanks to all the guys in Divine Comedy/DC Comedy who encouraged my creativity and writing. Huzzah!

Thanks to all the great people in history and literature that I cite in this book. Thanks for inspiring me. Though this book doesn’t do them all the justice they deserve, I hope their stories inspire curiosity in a young mind. And few things are as powerful as a curious young mind.

And thank YOU. Yeah,
you.
To read this book, you trusted me with some of your time and imagination. If you enjoyed the ride, please tell your friends. Your recommendation makes a huge difference.

Discussion Questions

1. Abby feels like she is ordinary. Have you ever felt that way? What talents did Abby discover she had? What talents do you have?

2. Abby finds it difficult to believe in herself, but Grandpa Cragbridge has confidence in her. Do you find it easy or hard to believe in yourself? Which people in your life believe in you? How do you know?

3. Abby and Derick studied various people in history, including Blackbeard, Frederick Douglass, and Ernest Shackleton. What impressed you about these figures in history? Why?

4. If you had the chance to sit in the Chair and read a book for everyone else to see what you imagine, what book would you choose? Why?

5. Derick loves controlling the avatars. Which avatar would you most like to control? Why?

6. When Jacqueline finds out that Abby got into the school because of her grandfather, she kicks her out of their room. She also picks on Abby several times throughout the book. How do you think Jacqueline should have handled her differences with Abby?

7. Carol stood up for Abby and became her friend when Jacqueline tried to bribe everyone to refuse to be her roommate. Have you ever stood up for a friend? Has a friend ever stood up for you? Have you ever become friends with someone who was struggling to make friends?

8. Derick’s failure in the simulator had a strong effect on him. Have you ever failed at something? How did you feel? What gives you the strength to try again after you have failed?

9. Grandpa designed tests in the simulators that would require Abby and Derick to know their cause was truly worth it. What causes do you think are worth that kind of dedication today?

10. Charles Muns wants to change history. Grandpa teaches that we should learn from the past rather than trying to change it. What have you learned from history in general? What have you learned from your own past?

11. Grandpa also teaches that trials and difficulties give people the ability to become heroes. What heroes have you seen in your life? What hard times have you faced? How have they made you stronger?

Recommended Reading

For more information on pirates and Blackbeard:

Matthews, John.
Pirates: Most Wanted.
New York: Antheneum Books, 2007.

Platt, Richard.
DK Eyewitness Books:
Pirate.
New York: DK Publishing, 2007.

For more information about Annie Oakley:

Spinner, Stephanie.
Who Was Annie Oakley?
New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 2002.

Wills, Chuck.
DK Biography:
Annie Oakley: A Photographic Story of a Life.
New York: DK Publishing, 2007.

For more information about Frederick Douglass:

Adler, David A.
Frederick Douglass: A Noble Life.
New York: Holiday House, 2010.

Sanders, Nancy I.
Frederick Douglass for Kids: His Life and Times, with 21 Activities
(For Kids series).
Chicago: Chicago Review, 2012.

For more information about JamesNaismith and origins of basketball:

Hareas, John.
DK Eyewitness Books:
Basketball.
New York: DK Publishing, 2007.

Stewart, Mark.
Basketball: A History of Hoops.
New York: Franklin Watts, 1998.

For more information about ErnestShackleton and his expedition:

Johnson, Rebecca L.
Ernest Shackleton: Gripped by the Antarctic.
Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 2003.

Marcovitz, Hal.
Sir Ernest Shackleton and the Struggle Against Antarctica.
Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2002.

For information on Mountain Men, includingHugh Glass and John Colter:

Collins, James L.
The Mountain Men.
New York: Franklin Watts, 1996.

Glass, Andrew.
Mountain Men: True Grit and Tall Tales.
New York: Doubleday, 2001.

For more information about the sinking of the :

DK Publishing.
Story of the Titanic.
Illustrated by Steve Noon. New York: DK Publishing, 2012.

Hopkinson, Deborah.
Titanic: Voices from the Disaster.
New York: Scholastic, 2012.