Looking For - young adult fiction - child inventor

griffonwing · 07-11-2009, 09:32 PM

First off, I'd like to request prefixes for this forum. "Looking For" and "Found" possibly.

I am looking for the name of a a young adult book. I used to own the book as a child. The stories revolved around a young teenage boy. Part of his name was Alva, and he claimed that he was named after Thomas Alva Edison, although I believe this wasn't the case.

He had a paper route, and in the first story of the book, he is awakened by his alarm clock, which had the bells removed, and wound up a string that was tied to his big toe. This was to keep the family was being awoken.

He invented a paper-throwning machine that he built into his bicycle that would take the rolled up newspapers and eject them onto the steps of the houses.

He also had a little sister who loved to look at all the cool gadgets in his room, so he put up a devices, basically a boxing glove on a spring, that if you opened his bedroom door without disabling the trp, you got hit. She hated that, and it kept her out.

I used to read Encyclopedia Brown books, so at first I thought this was the same kid, but I was mistaken. It's been 20 years since I've seen the books, and cannot recall any name of the title. All google searches for my inquiries come up blank as well.

Thanks

gw

Elsi · 07-11-2009, 10:29 PM

I think I found it. This appears to be the Alvin Fernald series by Clifford Hicks.

The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald (1960)
Alvin's Secret Code (1963)
Alvin Fernald, Foreign Trader (1967)
Alvin Fernald, Mayor for a Day (1970)
Alvin Fernald, Superweasel (1974)
Alvin Fernald, TV Anchorman (1980)
The Wacky World of Alvin Fernald (1981)
Alvin Fernald, Master of a Thousand Disguises (1986)

I picked up the list from Mike Grost's list of Children's Mystery Stories.

griffonwing · 07-11-2009, 10:46 PM

Thats right! It wasn't Alva, it was Alvin! Excellent books for a young mind!

Thank you Elsi. *muah*

HarryT · 07-12-2009, 04:34 AM

They sound a little like the "Tom Swift" books, which remain among my all-time favourites.

Renaldo · 07-12-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

They sound a little like the "Tom Swift" books, which remain among my all-time favourites.

Yeah, this is what I was thinking too. I remembered his name was Thomas A. Swift, and was bout to go look up if the A was for Alva.

griffonwing · 07-12-2009, 09:56 PM

I haven't read Tom Swift yet, but I think he was a space traveler of some kid, wasnt he? He built a spaceship and headed off? Maybe I'm thinking of someone else.

Renaldo · 07-12-2009, 11:24 PM

It depends which Tom Swift series you read from. There's been 4 over the last century, and one of them had a lot of space travel in it while the others didn't.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift

Fun Fact: The moden TASER was named after Tom Swift. TASER is an acronym for Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swi...Electric_Rifle

HarryT · 07-13-2009, 10:57 AM

The "original" Tom Swift series is, IMHO, the best, and is what's posted here (at least the first 25 books of it) on MR in 5 volumes, each containing 5 books.

Do read it - you won't regret it.

hicksg · 08-08-2009, 02:18 PM

I'm glad that you enjoyed the Alvin Fernald Series. I'll pass your comments on to my dad as he always enjoys hearing from fans of any age. If you want more information on the series you might want to check out http://www.alvinfernald.com.

Gary Hicks
Son #3

Elsi · 08-08-2009, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hicksg

I'm glad that you enjoyed the Alvin Fernald Series. I'll pass your comments on to my dad as he always enjoys hearing from fans of any age. If you want more information on the series you might want to check out http://www.alvinfernald.com.

Gary Hicks
Son #3

Gary -- we're so glad you've joined us here at MobileRead. Looking at the web site, it appears that three of the nine books have been reprinted. But, since the news page was last updated in 2007, perhaps there are more of the books available.

MobileRead is a community interested in reading books in electronic formats -- particularly in formats compatible with hand-held reading devices, not just PDF format. Would you be willing to find out if these books can be published in an electronic format? There are a number of skilled book builders here at MobileRead and I know that they would be more than happy to provide advice on formats, software, production, and distribution.

Thanks for posting this information in the thread.

07-11-2009, 09:32 PM	#1
griffonwing Suave Swabby, Savvy? Posts: 1,602 Karma: 520350 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Harrison, ARrrr, USA - southern Ozark mountains Device: Slate Blue PEZ (Astak Pocket Pro), CVSCX-9300 Quad-band watch phone	Looking For - young adult fiction - child inventor First off, I'd like to request prefixes for this forum. "Looking For" and "Found" possibly. I am looking for the name of a a young adult book. I used to own the book as a child. The stories revolved around a young teenage boy. Part of his name was Alva, and he claimed that he was named after Thomas Alva Edison, although I believe this wasn't the case. He had a paper route, and in the first story of the book, he is awakened by his alarm clock, which had the bells removed, and wound up a string that was tied to his big toe. This was to keep the family was being awoken. He invented a paper-throwning machine that he built into his bicycle that would take the rolled up newspapers and eject them onto the steps of the houses. He also had a little sister who loved to look at all the cool gadgets in his room, so he put up a devices, basically a boxing glove on a spring, that if you opened his bedroom door without disabling the trp, you got hit. She hated that, and it kept her out. I used to read Encyclopedia Brown books, so at first I thought this was the same kid, but I was mistaken. It's been 20 years since I've seen the books, and cannot recall any name of the title. All google searches for my inquiries come up blank as well. Thanks gw Last edited by griffonwing; 07-11-2009 at 09:35 PM.

08-08-2009, 02:18 PM	#9
hicksg Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: None	Alvin Fernald Series I'm glad that you enjoyed the Alvin Fernald Series. I'll pass your comments on to my dad as he always enjoys hearing from fans of any age. If you want more information on the series you might want to check out http://www.alvinfernald.com. Gary Hicks Son #3

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07-11-2009, 10:29 PM	#2
Elsi Wizard Posts: 2,366 Karma: 12000 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Texas, USA Device: Kindle; Sony PRS 505; Blackberry 8700C	I think I found it. This appears to be the Alvin Fernald series by Clifford Hicks. The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald (1960) Alvin's Secret Code (1963) Alvin Fernald, Foreign Trader (1967) Alvin Fernald, Mayor for a Day (1970) Alvin Fernald, Superweasel (1974) Alvin Fernald, TV Anchorman (1980) The Wacky World of Alvin Fernald (1981) Alvin Fernald, Master of a Thousand Disguises (1986) I picked up the list from Mike Grost's list of Children's Mystery Stories.

07-11-2009, 10:46 PM	#3
griffonwing Suave Swabby, Savvy? Posts: 1,602 Karma: 520350 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Harrison, ARrrr, USA - southern Ozark mountains Device: Slate Blue PEZ (Astak Pocket Pro), CVSCX-9300 Quad-band watch phone	Thats right! It wasn't Alva, it was Alvin! Excellent books for a young mind! Thank you Elsi. muah

07-12-2009, 04:34 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	They sound a little like the "Tom Swift" books, which remain among my all-time favourites.

07-12-2009, 09:56 PM	#6
griffonwing Suave Swabby, Savvy? Posts: 1,602 Karma: 520350 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Harrison, ARrrr, USA - southern Ozark mountains Device: Slate Blue PEZ (Astak Pocket Pro), CVSCX-9300 Quad-band watch phone	I haven't read Tom Swift yet, but I think he was a space traveler of some kid, wasnt he? He built a spaceship and headed off? Maybe I'm thinking of someone else.

07-12-2009, 11:24 PM	#7
Renaldo Addict Posts: 294 Karma: 250590 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: The Great Pacific Northwest Device: Kindle 3G + WiFi	It depends which Tom Swift series you read from. There's been 4 over the last century, and one of them had a lot of space travel in it while the others didn't. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift Fun Fact: The moden TASER was named after Tom Swift. TASER is an acronym for Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swi...Electric_Rifle

07-13-2009, 10:57 AM	#8
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The "original" Tom Swift series is, IMHO, the best, and is what's posted here (at least the first 25 books of it) on MR in 5 volumes, each containing 5 books. Do read it - you won't regret it.

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