
An orphaned boy uncovers a maze of secrets beneath his school, leading to a mysterious toy company and his family's past.
Leo, an orphan at the Academy of Florence, stumbles upon hidden tunnels beneath his school. With his quirky inventions and loyal friends, he unravels puzzles that could reveal his parents' identities. As he delves deeper, Leo discovers a link to the enigmatic Wynn Toys company and its vanished president. To uncover the truth, he must outsmart a sinister leader and revive the company's legacy. Will Leo's ingenuity solve the mystery of his past and shape his future? Dive into a world of adventure, humor, and mechanical marvels in this thrilling middle-grade mystery.
The way to anyone's heart is to let them know they are needed.
— from the book
In this middle-school adventure mystery perfect for puzzle solvers, a young orphan named Leo discovers clues to his past when he finds a series of tunnels below his school. But to unlock the answers, he’ll need every skill and invention he has–even if his inventions don’t always work.A “lifer” at the secluded Academy of Florence, Leo has never met his parents … or anyone in his family for that matter. His current “family” is his mechanical monkey and robot lion, who along with his charming best friend and fellow lifer, Savvy, only get him into trouble. But after Leo’s latest experiment goes catastrophically wrong, he finds a mysterious clue that opens an underground maze–one that seems to have been created for him to solve.Leo hopes the tunnels will help him discover the identities of his parents and the reason he’s an orphan in the first place. Instead, he finds that his past and possibly even his future is somehow linked to the innovative Wynn Toys company, whose genius president mysteriously disappeared years before.Leo must use his creativity and scientific know-how to revive the toy company, oust its dastardly leader, and discover the fate of his real family.LEO, Inventor Extraordinaire Is perfect for kids 8 to 12 who enjoy action, adventure, humor, and mysteryIs like The DaVinci Code for kids, with robots, wacky inventions, and puzzles to solveContains almost 60 pieces of original black and white artworkEncourages imagination and the development of STEAM skills”In LEO, Inventor Extraordinaire, Luke Cunningham has created an utterly engaging and charismatic protagonist and an absorbing mystery filled with spectacular inventions, vivid action, an occasional life lesson, and a hearty dose of humor.” –Clinton Kelly, TV personality and host
What families may want to know
Every family reads differently. These are the concepts our editors noticed in this book — worth seeking out for some readers, worth knowing about for others. The list isn't exhaustive, but it's a spoiler-light head start.
Language
Someone is described as responding to someone else with "an impolite gesture."
Sex
A character is told that his parents started living together on a boat within weeks of meeting each other.
Violence
A character is playing a video game based on Shakespeare's play Macbeth. The character sees Macbeth with blood dripping from his fingers. The character stabs Lady Macbeth, who starts to bleed.
The story features lots of riddles and codes. Did you enjoy them? Were you able to solve any before the characters did?
How do you feel about Leo's friendship with Savvy? What destroyed their friendship?
5.0
out of 7
“Intriguing combination of Renaissance themes of invention and Dan Brown type cryptic codes.”
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