Felix and His Flying Machine

Welcome to Sally's book-a-day-for-2017 blog. If unfamiliar with the blog, scroll down.

Felix and His Flying Machine (Post 79)

Felix and His Flying Machine (2013) was great fun to write. It's a reading scheme book, and I was given the title and asked to write a story to fit. Felix O'Finnegan has always had big ideas, and throughout his babyhood these are frustrated by well-meaning grownups who don't want him to out-Einstein Einstein or to out-Edison Edison. Felix starts school, and his teacher is one more adult who wants to encourage Felix's creativity but who fears (for excellent reasons) the consequences. Felix knows he must ask an adult first before implementing an amazing idea, but he also understands the adult will say NO.
   Finally, the young entrepreneur builds the flying machine of the title. He does ask a grown-up (his teacher) who forbids him to build it at school. Having thus cleared the necessity to ask, and receiving a limited refusal, Felix decides he need not ask anyone else and can legitimately do it at home. This he does and, as it turns out, his parents are glad he did.
   We leave Felix plotting a new field of domination.
  Despite the hi-jinks, Felix and His Flying Machine has a serious core. We want our children to use their skills and creativity without fear but we also want and need to keep them (and others) safe. No wonder some kids get expert at selective hearing and even more selective disclosure.
  The illustrator of Felix evidently enjoyed the job. Here's her website.

About the Blog 

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)

The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. If you enjoyed a post, or want to ask about any of my books or my manuscript assessment service, post a comment and I'll get back to you.