Allen Kurzweil

A former teacher and freelance journalist, Allen Kurzweil is the author of two books for children, Leon and the Spitting Image and Leon and the Champion Chip, as well as two books for adults, The Grand Complication and A Case of Curiosities. Kurzweil’s interest in history and science plays a large role in his stories, and apparently he’s gone so far as to build many of the contraptions that he mentions in his books (including, as my 7-year-old son was delighted to learn, the potato cannon mentioned in Leon and the Champion Chip). Not all of Kurzweil’s science facts blend organically into his storytelling— his explanation of the mechanics of the trebuchet in Leon and the Spitting Image was particularly clunky— but his books are always briskly-paced, smart, and entertaining.

Aftertaste:
None.

Availability:
Everywhere.

Other Recommendations:
For fans of his books for adults, try The Debt to Pleasure, by John Lanchester, The Club Dumas, by Arturo Perez-Reverte, or anything by A.S. Byatt.

For fans of his books for kids, try Buffalo Brenda, by Jill Pinkwater, or Max and Me and the Time Machine, by Gery Greer and Bob Ruddick.

Website:
http://www.allenkurzweil.net/ -