The Ravens of Solemano or The Order of the Mysterious Men in Black Aims to Share the Magic of Science with Kids of All Ages

The year is 1903 and around the world marvelous things are happening. Aida de Acosta is flying dirigibles over France, the Ford Model A is rolling under its own power, and Nikola Tesla has performed visual wonders with electrodynamic induction. This magical setting, where the magic is the very real product of science and technology, is where author Eden Unger Bowditch picks up the story set in motion by "The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black," the first in The Young Inventors Guild trilogy.

Book two, "The Ravens of Solemano or The Order of the Mysterious Men in Black," will hit store shelves September 24, 2013 from Bancroft Press. The story carries the promise of a grander scale and a whimsical eye toward the incredible history of human invention.

The heroes of the tale, the young inventors themselves, are thrown headlong into unexpected travels and battles with the villainous Komar Romak, a dangerous figure whose devious motives remain unknown. These challenges test the children's intellect and resolve while they try to maintain their normal lives of learning, playing, and devouring sweets.

P. B. Kerr, the bestselling author of the Children of the Lamp series, found The Young Inventors Guild to be "Simply brilliant."

Susan Wilner of the Chicago Public Library said the first book was "a wonderfully delightful and charming book that will engage a wide age range of children and young adults." Indeed anyone who has found themselves tinkering, wondering, or exploring the natural world will see something captivating in the work of the Young Inventors Guild.

This electrically-charged epic does not lose touch with today's young readers who, by way of necessity, have become rather independent. "The uncertainty the children feel will resonate with readers who feel overlooked by busy parents," reported School Library Journal on "The Atomic Weight of Secrets." The aches of longing, of hope against fear, of involuntary displacement - these are the undercurrents that give real substance to this extraordinary tale.

Author Eden Unger Bowditch spoke about her process as a writer while penning the second book:

"When I write, the characters really come alive to me. It's almost as if I am trying to write down everything they say instead of giving them things to say. I really believe that the characters must take on lives of their own. Otherwise, you're doing everyone a disservice. Sometimes a character will do something that makes me cry and I'll wish they wouldn't do it but it is true to who they are and they would not do otherwise."

With a cast that seeks to push the limits of creativity, churning out metallic contraptions and magnetic gadgets, it's easy to see how things could get out of hand. Continuing a tradition that celebrates ingenuity and good fun, "The Ravens of Solemano or The Order of the Mysterious Men in Black" is expected to entertain not only its key audience of young readers, but creators and scientists of all ages.

The book is available in hardback or eBook editions for pre-order through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Available everywhere September 24.

Baltimore-based Bancroft Press has been a leading independent general interest publisher for the past 20 years.

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