Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine

by Shelagh Watkins

Dell and Emmelisa Planemaker are two ordinary children who lead uneventful lives in a small town in Lancashire until they discover a unique computer that takes them on an extraordinary journey. They are guided by a strange-looking man from a far-off distant planet who helps them to undergo a tough space mission: to follow their father's Trail of Light.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult

200 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 2005

About the author

Shelagh Watkins is writer, editor and publisher at Mandinam Press. She is the author of two novels, Mr. Planemaker's Flying Machine and The Power of Persuasion. She published the anthology, Forever Friends, in 2008 and a follow-up anthology, Forever Travels, in 2010. Shelagh set up Published Authors groups on Facebook, LinkedIn and Goodreads. She is also the administrator of publishedauthors.org.

Reviews

[Seawood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realise this was a children's book when I started reading it; once I found that out the grammar and language made more sense. It's ok. The pacing is off - it starts quite well but lets itself down about 3/4s of the way through with a long, dreary section running up to the launch, then ends abruptly with a variation on the "it was all a dream" trope. There's little resolution on the bullying and the characters are generally flat, two-dimensional beings with little feel for who they are or want to be once you get past the first 1/3rd. Somewhat dissatisfying.

There are a few stand-out errors which made me cringe: we do NOT have freeways in Lancashire, UK. That's very lazy and shows a lack of respect for the setting and the readers. There are also far too many sentences ending in exclamation points which are unnecessary. This made it feel like a picture book, trying to convey humour and failing. All in all, probably not one I'd recommend to my daughter.

[Julie Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had been on my Kindle for a long, long time because, as a reviewer as well as an author, my reading list is vast. However, I wish now that I'd read it sooner...absolutely wonderful! It's different in many ways, not least how it explores themes such as death and bullying and how children cope with such horrors, yet within the fabulous mix of reality and magic.

I know it was meant for children, nevertheless, I think adults could learn valuable lessons by reading this book. It is written very well, a fast-paced easy style, yet deceptively clever - and the author took pains not to 'talk down' to this age group...parts of which I found delightfully 'adult' yet keeping the target audience in mind, as if melding the two...something of which 'grown ups' should take note and listen to their young.

Not wanting to give spoilers, I will say that this story is unique in the telling, dealing with extremely important topics - a wonderful fantasy, filled with wondrous ideas.

Highly recommended for both young and older.

[Krazykiwi · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Poorly pitched agewise, plot inconsistencies, overly clever punny names pointed out far too many times in case the reader is not smart enough to have gotten them (we are), stereotypical and flat characters that seem to have come out of an Enid Blyton novel.

Full review @booklikes

[Jud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard great things about this book which was the main reason I had picked it up and decided to read it. It is written as a childrens book but it is also very enjoyable for those of us who are still young at heart.

Right from the beginning of the story I felt I was part of the family and I instantly cared for them. The writer really draws you in to the lives of the 2 children and teh father while keeping the mother almost distant but still in the forefront so it is obvious that although she features a lot in the beginning she is not going to be a main character throughout. As the story progressed I thought I had it figured out and knew what was coming next but I was wrong, something happens (I don't want to say for spoilers) that made me wonder where on earth Shelagh was taking us! Never would I have imagined that the children would be transported into "Hardware Land" a place where the time moves faster than in the real world (like going in to Narnia) so they can spend months there training for a special mission, which ultimately helps them deal with their problems back home, without their mother ever knowing. It's a wonderful story with morals and life lessons perfect for children. My personal favourite's from the story were the characters names and the little quotes at the top of each chapter.

There is so much I could say about this book, it is very well written, it is marvelously imaginative, extremely enjoyable and lots of fun :o). I recommend this book to anyone who wants to be a child again!

I can't wait to read the sequel Mr. Planemaker's Diving Machine

[Jemima Pett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming, and slightly odd book. Mr Planemaker isn’t well, and has some very funny dreams, and very odd encounters with strangers connected with his computer set-up. I found these odd enough, in that they seemed to be a presentiment of his own death, which I think was the author’s intention, but this paved the way for an adventure for his children, working their own way through the nightmare that is the quest to grow up sane in this increasingly insane world.

It’s a book that can be read on many levels: a straightforward wacky adventure; an allegory for life; a blueprint for building self-confidence; a guide to the inner workings of the average computer; a mission to discover the wonders of the universe….

It’s a really well-written Middle Grade readers book which many adults will laugh at or learn from. There are shades of Wrinkle in Time meets the Theater of the Absurd, and I enjoyed it a lot. Highly recommended.

[Rick-Founder JM CM BOOK CLUB · Rating 5 out of 5]

simply wonderful in every respect!

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written children book. The story is magical and fun. I really enjoyed it.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title intrigued me, and the first few chapters, if a bit surreal, feature a quirky, quite likeable man - forty-something Mr Planemaker who is retired from work due to ill health, and wants to build a model aeroplane. Then it all goes downhill..

There are a lot of names with puns, one or two of which made me smile, but the story as a whole is inconsistent, repetitive, and over-detailed. It's also very dated, technology-wise, but that's understandable in a book published about fifteen years ago.

Supposedly for children, it touches on a couple of significant issues, but without any real resolution. And the characters are so flat that I didn't much care what happened to them. I really wouldn't recommend it. However, perhaps two and a half stars would be fairer.

Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...

[Richard Pettigrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very weird. 2 Brussel Sprouts out of a bag of 5 for this one!

[Barbara Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book, I was unsure of what to expect. At the beginning of the story we meet what seems to be an ordinary family living in Pierton, England. Soon the reader learns that the father, Mr. Planemaker is seriously ill. The successful builder becomes depressed at his forced early retirement and seeks a hobby, which turns out to be making a model airplane. Some very strange things happen when he tries to teach himself how to research the internet to lay out his plans. He has mystifying dreams that involve colleagues seeking to entice him to enter a dark and grey house which then miraculously disappears. A kitten suddenly materializes in his car and strange talking characters like A. Leon Spaceman appear on the computer. Is he going crazy?

On the day his model airplane kit arrives, Mr. Planemaker passes away. Here I feared the story was going down hill. Part Two takes a whole new turn. Now the children assume center stage. Emmelisa and Dell Planemaker are now nine and twelve struggling to overcome difficulties with peers and adjusting to a life without their father. Emmelisa is being bullied at school because she refuses to join the gang led by Mayja Troublemaker. Her brother has moved to middle school and no longer can protect her. She keeps all this to herself and as a diversion decides to pass time by using her father’s old computer now hidden in the attic. To her surprise, she learns that her father has a whole set of plans and hidden secrets within it. Their mysterious family cat named Cosmos helps the children to unlock them. They discover its secrets by stepping into the computer itself and taking a real tour of the inside of a computer in nanosecond time. While inside the computer, the children discover their father has left them a mission to follow his “trail of light.”

Here is the third part of the story in which the reader is taken on a space flight on their father’s original model plane kit which the CPU staff has put together for them. They train there as astronauts, but their space flight will be controlled by Astrow Naught and Mission OnControl. The children learn a lot about the space station while they whiz pass all the planets and observe comet behavior. There are lots of surprises on the journey leaving in doubt their ability to find their father’s trail and make a successful return journey home before their mother notices that they are missing.

This book is a strange mixture of elements, coming of age, bullying, grief issues, computer knowledge, metaphysics and realism. I can’t explain why, but ultimately it works. The author successfully grips the reader into being a willing captive to the personalities of the characters and the strange twists and turns of the story line. Critics might say that it is rambling; yet valid issues are addressed and a great deal of information is relayed. Tweens and teens interested in any of these issues will find it to be a satisfying read. The quirkiness of the novel kept me glued to it because I could not figure out what would happen next. My bottom line is this book is really different; give it a look.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is, approximately, the worst thing I've read. Hard to believe it's published--it's the sort of thing that your brain-damaged cousin, who fancies herself a writer, might have turned out over a weekend and pressed into your hands with a plea to read it. It is, however, a prime candidate for reading-and-ridiculing a la Mystery Science Theatre, if there's a market for that. On its own merits, though, it's a tosser.

[Shelagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first children's novel.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming little childrens' story.