The Odds and Ends Workshop

Some toys aren't just built. They're awakened. In the fog-wrapped attics of Edwardian England, twelve-year-old Pip Hollis discovers her late grandfather's secret toy-making workshop - a cluttered wonderland of matchboxes, cotton reels, cigar boxes, tin scraps, and eggshells. But these aren't ordinary odds and ends. Bound together with an old craftsman's forgotten magic, every toy Pip builds threatens to come alive. When a windup soldier marches off the workbench and a cardboard boat sails itself into a storm drain, Pip realizes her grandfather wasn't just an eccentric hobbyist - he was the last guardian of the Workshop Ledger, a hidden book of toy-making secrets that keeps a very old, very hungry darkness at bay. Now that darkness wants in, and it's hunting for the ledger's missing pages. With her skeptical older brother, a rival toymaker's apprentice, and a growing army of handmade allies - a tin windmill, a matchbox theatre, a cotton-reel tank - Pip must craft, invent, and improvise her way through a rip-roaring adventure of mystery, magic, and mechanical wonder, racing to complete her grandfather's masterwork before the workshop - and the whole town - is lost to shadow. Part steampunk fantasy, part cozy craft-room mystery, part coming-of-age adventure: The Odds & Ends Workshop is a tale of handmade magic, family legacy, courage, ingenuity, and the astonishing power of things built with love - perfect for readers who believe the best magic is the kind you make yourself. For fans of: toy-making magic • Edwardian England • hidden workshop • found family • handmade adventure • mechanical toys come to life • secret ledger • craft-room mystery • sibling rivalry • apprentice rivalry • steampunk whimsy • DIY ingenuity • grandfather's legacy • cotton reels • matchbox theatre • cigar box inventions • middle-grade fantasy adventure • guardianship • light vs. shadow • resourcefulness • wonder and courage Clara M Everhart is a lifelong educator and writer dedicated to inspiring young readers to discover the magic of literature. With over two decades of experience in classrooms and libraries, she has curated and adapted timeless stories to spark imagination, encourage thoughtful discussion, and nurture a lasting love of reading. Her collections aim to make literature both accessible and exciting for students, while providing teachers with engaging tools for developing critical thinking skills. - linktr.ee/ClaraMEverhart Join a clever, curious group of kids who turn everyday problems into extraordinary inventions! In The Young Inventors Club, middle-grade readers (ages 8–12) follow a diverse cast of budding makers, tinkerers, and dreamers as they build wild contraptions, test crazy ideas, and change the world one gadget at a time.Whether they're creating a backyard submarine, a homework-solving robot, a time-saving farm helper, or reimagining famous historical inventions in their own modern way, the members of the Young Inventors Club combine science, creativity, teamwork, and perseverance to solve big (and small) problems. Along the way, they learn real STEM principles, the stories behind world-changing inventions, and the importance of failing forward, staying curious, and thinking outside the box.Each book blends exciting adventures, laugh-out-loud moments, hands-on invention projects, and inspiring historical tidbits. Perfect for young readers who love engineering, problem-solving, and stories that spark imagination and "I can do that!" energy.