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Secret Smithsonian Adventures #1
The Wrong Wrights
Schoolmates Dominique, Eric, Josephine, and Ajay are excited about a field trip to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. When they get there, however, they find a very different museum than the one they were expecting. Not only is it much smaller, it's filled with balloons, blimps, and dirigibles, many of them with the same logo: BARRIS AIRSHIPS. Where's the Spirit of St. Louis? Where's the Apollo 11 command module? Where's the Wright Brothers' 1903 flyer? With the help of a museum "fabrications specialist," they travel through time to try and restore the Wright brothers to their well-earned place in history. Along the way they also learn about aerodynamics and other aviation principles from a wise-cracking A.I. named Smitty. But the kids' story doesn't end there--something is amiss in the next stop on their Smithsonian tour, the National Museum of Natural History--so they'll have to work together to save history again in volume two.
64 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 11, 2020
Imagine being able to travel back in time to make sure our past history never gets changed. Have you ever imagined what might happen if you travel back in time and changed a significant part of history? That has always been such a curiosity of mine. It might make a positive difference or it might be a catastrophe.
This book will take four children into an adventure of a lifetime. They are taken to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for a trip. What they come to find is that airplanes are no where in site at the museum. They just disappeared without a trace and replaced by hot air balloons and blimps. The children are taken back to October 4, 1909, when the Wright brothers are suppose to take flight, but things become pretty fishy. Other impostor's who are looking to change the past in order to make money in the future, need to be stop at once. The children put their life at risk in order for the past to run it's normal course. Can the Wright brother's take flight and change the rest of history? This was a fun historical adventure comic that will teach children about important events from our past and learn about these amazing innovators. The illustrations weren't my favorite but they were colorful.
This book will take four children into an adventure of a lifetime. They are taken to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for a trip. What they come to find is that airplanes are no where in site at the museum. They just disappeared without a trace and replaced by hot air balloons and blimps. The children are taken back to October 4, 1909, when the Wright brothers are suppose to take flight, but things become pretty fishy. Other impostor's who are looking to change the past in order to make money in the future, need to be stop at once. The children put their life at risk in order for the past to run it's normal course. Can the Wright brother's take flight and change the rest of history? This was a fun historical adventure comic that will teach children about important events from our past and learn about these amazing innovators. The illustrations weren't my favorite but they were colorful.
May 24, 2016
The concept was cute, but the characters have no depth at all, and the artwork is frustratingly bad. It almost looks like it was scanned at a low resolution and then touched up for printing. Also, what's with Ajay and Dominique's hair? It appears to have been drawn onto the final version with a felt-tip marker. No, really. You can see their scalps through the ink. Since that is not the case for the characters with lighter hair, this makes the art look really creepy and weird.
The characters have different personalities and interests for the first three pages, and then these differences vanish and never matter again, for the rest of the story.
The basic plot, which seems to hinge on using time travel to make bad guys rich, almost works, but using it to hold back technology in this particular fashion for so long is difficult to believe. It's the "steampunk syndrome" in which an author needs a convincing reason why technology would just stop at an unstable point in development. Using the methods shown, you could slow down public acceptance of airplanes for a while, but the effects in the story seem more drastic, and become less believable.
This book could and should have been better.
The characters have different personalities and interests for the first three pages, and then these differences vanish and never matter again, for the rest of the story.
The basic plot, which seems to hinge on using time travel to make bad guys rich, almost works, but using it to hold back technology in this particular fashion for so long is difficult to believe. It's the "steampunk syndrome" in which an author needs a convincing reason why technology would just stop at an unstable point in development. Using the methods shown, you could slow down public acceptance of airplanes for a while, but the effects in the story seem more drastic, and become less believable.
This book could and should have been better.
August 11, 2017
Young Eric loves airplanes. So when he and three classmates win a trip to the Air and Space Musuem in Washington DC, he's in heaven. But all is not great as somebody has tampered with the timeline!
Where did all the planes go? Why are there hot air balloons in their place? It's up to Eric, his buddies and a friendly tour guide named Al and his computer Smitty to save history.
The kids are sent back in time to New York 1909. Eric and company are decked in holographic period clothing and wear a compact version of Smitty on their wrists. The Wright Brothers are about to debut their wonderful flying machine to a skeptical public. However, there's saboteurs afoot looking to wreck the Wright Brothers flyer and it's up to the time travelling students to protect the plane. But it's going to be a challenge as the baddies looking to ruin aviation forever are from the future as well.
The Wrong Wrights was awesome. I am an advocate for comics doing so much more than just entertaining. This 2016 graphic novel is the first is a series from Smithsonian Books called Secret Smithsonian Adventures. The book's authors Steve Hockensmith and Chris Kientz do a fantastic job. The kids and their enemies of time are really memorable characters. Plus they make history and science fun. The writers also know how to embellish the story enough to not lose the historical significance of the events in history the kids are trying to restore.
I also liked the art and colors by Lee Nielsen. Each character has a distinct look that allows you to know who is who is different outfits. The mysterious main baddie is super creepy looking. Plus the illustrations of the flying machines, especially the Wright Brothers flyer look amazing.
If the Wrong Wrights is any indication of the overall future quality of this series, then fans are in for a treat. (There’s at least 1 other book already published.) I think this has great potential and will be a favorite among readers, parents, and teachers.
Where did all the planes go? Why are there hot air balloons in their place? It's up to Eric, his buddies and a friendly tour guide named Al and his computer Smitty to save history.
The kids are sent back in time to New York 1909. Eric and company are decked in holographic period clothing and wear a compact version of Smitty on their wrists. The Wright Brothers are about to debut their wonderful flying machine to a skeptical public. However, there's saboteurs afoot looking to wreck the Wright Brothers flyer and it's up to the time travelling students to protect the plane. But it's going to be a challenge as the baddies looking to ruin aviation forever are from the future as well.
The Wrong Wrights was awesome. I am an advocate for comics doing so much more than just entertaining. This 2016 graphic novel is the first is a series from Smithsonian Books called Secret Smithsonian Adventures. The book's authors Steve Hockensmith and Chris Kientz do a fantastic job. The kids and their enemies of time are really memorable characters. Plus they make history and science fun. The writers also know how to embellish the story enough to not lose the historical significance of the events in history the kids are trying to restore.
I also liked the art and colors by Lee Nielsen. Each character has a distinct look that allows you to know who is who is different outfits. The mysterious main baddie is super creepy looking. Plus the illustrations of the flying machines, especially the Wright Brothers flyer look amazing.
If the Wrong Wrights is any indication of the overall future quality of this series, then fans are in for a treat. (There’s at least 1 other book already published.) I think this has great potential and will be a favorite among readers, parents, and teachers.
June 5, 2019
Lots of possibilities for books in the Secret Smithsonian Adventures... reminds me of the television series "Timeless" however with a middle-school cast of characters.
Curriculum Connections: History & Science
Book Talk: p. 14 Intro to the Right Brothers.... How might you re-write history as a story? Introduction to historical fiction meets graphic novel..
The Wright Brothers vs. The Wrong Wrights - Interesting discussion prompt on choosing a great title for your writing to capture your audience or readers imagination!
I actually thought this was a really interesting way to learn about history through the lens of a graphic novel and I'm keen to read others in this series...
Check out next: Claws & Effect (Hmmm.... what might the link be between Cause and Effect and this new novel....? Another great opportunity to discuss story endings... that leave you thinking... or hoping for more.... as in is this book part of a series?
Curriculum Connections: History & Science
Book Talk: p. 14 Intro to the Right Brothers.... How might you re-write history as a story? Introduction to historical fiction meets graphic novel..
The Wright Brothers vs. The Wrong Wrights - Interesting discussion prompt on choosing a great title for your writing to capture your audience or readers imagination!
I actually thought this was a really interesting way to learn about history through the lens of a graphic novel and I'm keen to read others in this series...
Check out next: Claws & Effect (Hmmm.... what might the link be between Cause and Effect and this new novel....? Another great opportunity to discuss story endings... that leave you thinking... or hoping for more.... as in is this book part of a series?
January 27, 2022
This one had potential, but I struggled reading it aloud to my oldest sons (while we were studying the Wright Brothers). One thing that made it difficult was that I often couldn't tell which character was speaking in what order (and I'm usually pretty good at this since I read a lot of graphic novels). I also was so confused about the characters and the plotline. Some of the characters were impostors who were holographic identical images of the real people. This made it super confusing to know who was who. I also wasn't familiar with the historical plot -- when the Wright Brothers had a public display in NY of their aircraft, so it was hard to separate fact from fiction. The last page was a good summary of the actual facts.
August 27, 2023
This bothered me quite a bit, four kids visiting the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum notice something wrong - airplanes have been replaced by blimps, balloons and dirigibles. Fortunately a creepy man says "follow me down this hidden dark corridor" and the kids do eventually fixing the time stream.
But there is the creepy man in the museum to deal with and why kids in the 21th century would follow him. Haven't their parents or teachers or both talked to them about that? And why was the school teacher fine w/watching a dozen school kids by himself in a place as big as the Smithsonian?
i found all the time travel stuff more believable than that.
But there is the creepy man in the museum to deal with and why kids in the 21th century would follow him. Haven't their parents or teachers or both talked to them about that? And why was the school teacher fine w/watching a dozen school kids by himself in a place as big as the Smithsonian?
i found all the time travel stuff more believable than that.
January 15, 2020
its a bird its a plane oh wait its just the wrights.
April 19, 2016
Kientz, C., Hockensmith, S., & Nielsen, L. (2016). The wrong wrights. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books.
Professional Review
(Grades 3-6) “Usually, they’re the most dreaded words in the world to a kid…school assembly.” Though Eric, Dominique, Josephine, and Ajay expect another boring assembly, they are surprised to find out they will be going to the Smithsonian Museum. Excited, the middle schoolers prepare for a fun field trip. However, when they get there, the museum is not as expected. Instead of artifacts and history, the museum is filled with blimps, balloons, and dirigibles—many with the mysterious logo “Barris Airships.” Worst of all, the Wright Brother’s 1903 flyer is missing! The students soon meet a “fabrications specialist,” and he helps them embark on a journey through time to restore the Wright brothers to their place in history. Fast paced, energetic, and full of history, The Wrong Wrights takes readers on a thrilling adventure.
Instructional Support
For a social studies unit, this would be a wonderful novel to pair with a nonfiction text about the Wright Brothers. As Eric, Dominique, Josephine, and Ajay learn about history through their travels, students could note what facts the students get right about the Wright brothers. Students could also have a double-entry journal while reading, and keep track of facts about history versus the fictional narrative. This would also lend well to discussion about how to blend fact and fiction together to make a compelling story.
Professional Review
(Grades 3-6) “Usually, they’re the most dreaded words in the world to a kid…school assembly.” Though Eric, Dominique, Josephine, and Ajay expect another boring assembly, they are surprised to find out they will be going to the Smithsonian Museum. Excited, the middle schoolers prepare for a fun field trip. However, when they get there, the museum is not as expected. Instead of artifacts and history, the museum is filled with blimps, balloons, and dirigibles—many with the mysterious logo “Barris Airships.” Worst of all, the Wright Brother’s 1903 flyer is missing! The students soon meet a “fabrications specialist,” and he helps them embark on a journey through time to restore the Wright brothers to their place in history. Fast paced, energetic, and full of history, The Wrong Wrights takes readers on a thrilling adventure.
Instructional Support
For a social studies unit, this would be a wonderful novel to pair with a nonfiction text about the Wright Brothers. As Eric, Dominique, Josephine, and Ajay learn about history through their travels, students could note what facts the students get right about the Wright brothers. Students could also have a double-entry journal while reading, and keep track of facts about history versus the fictional narrative. This would also lend well to discussion about how to blend fact and fiction together to make a compelling story.
July 18, 2016
Reads like the educational comics in a kids' magazine. Invents too much technology in order to finagle the characters back in time so they can thwart villains who are using holograms to impersonate early aviators and scuttle the future of powered air flight.
Here's the thing with villains going back in time to change history - they must be using currently available tech, ok? If you have the holographic whatever whatever, why not just stay in the present and fuck some shit up to your advantage?
Also the art is fuzzy.
Here's the thing with villains going back in time to change history - they must be using currently available tech, ok? If you have the holographic whatever whatever, why not just stay in the present and fuck some shit up to your advantage?
Also the art is fuzzy.
April 15, 2016
I wanted to like this more, but it is just too pedestrian. A random group of kids lacking any real personality or charisma find themselves traveling back in time to prevent dastardly villains from causing dirigibles to supplant airplanes in the present day. It promises to mix a little fun with real history, but the the story wasn't fun and the history presented was purposely wrong. Ugh. Magic Tree House and Hazardous Tales of Nathan Hale do this sort of thing better.
May 2, 2016
Needs to be made into a kids' cartoon series. It's like Little Einsteins all grown up.
June 8, 2016
This book was cool and it also got me thinking if there was a new book coming out.
July 1, 2016
Didn't actually finish this GN but the illustrations were fuzzy to me. That bothered me.
December 8, 2016
The story's okay. The art is some of the worst I've seen in a professionally published graphic novel. I love the idea for this series, but the execution...it's not good.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews