When we had elementary school age boys, the first day of summer — that is the day after the last day of school — was marked by a visit to our public library to sign up for the Summer Reading Game. Each summer there would be a different theme, with different prizes for reading a certain number of pages or listening for a certain number of hours. My boys loved it.
They would check out armfuls of books. We’d go home and we’d read. And read. And read. Within a few days they would complete the game. But the reading would continue.
At least at our library, the Summer Reading Game ends for kids when they graduate from 5th grade. And while our younger son still reads voraciously, our older son lost interest in books at about age 12. He simply couldn’t find books that he wanted to read. He’d read the Harry Potter series. He’d read all of Suzanne Collins. He’d plowed through the super-thick Eragon books. But as a pre-teen, almost all he could find on the shelves were teenage romances and vampires. His reading devolved to Powder, Sports Illustrated and Bike magazines.
Books For Boys
Apparently, finding appealing books for boys, of any age, is a bit of a problem. The Scholastic 2010 Kids and Family Reading Report found that “only 39 percent of boys say reading books for fun is extremely important, versus 62 percent of girls.” This reading gap holds steady as boys and girls become men and women. A 2007 poll by the Associated Press found that women read an average of nine books per year, while men read an average of 5 books per year. Women out-read men in every category, except biography and history.
My friend Jules Older writes children’s book (just one of his talents). When he lived in Vermont, a librarian explained how difficult it was to interest boys in books. So Jules wrote a very short book about snowmobiles. This short book evolved into a longer book about the invention of the Bombardier Snowmobile.
Snowmobile! Bombardier’s Dream Machine
Snowmobile! tells the true story of Joseph-Armand Bombardier. The book begins on a serious note. Joseph-Armand and his wife Yvonne are snowbound in their Canadian home with a gravely ill child. It is 1934 and they have no way to travel to the hospital. Cars can’t go over the snow and no other form of winter transport has yet been invented.
Although the tragic death of his 2 year-old son was the ultimate motivation for inventing the snowmobile, the story goes back to happier times when Joseph-Armand was a creative, inventive boy. Born in Quebec in 1907, Bombardier loved motors and things that go BOOM! He invented a working cannon at age 14, and as a boy he was constantly tinkering and rebuilding engines. At age 15, he invented his first snow vehicle.
Joseph-Armand and Leopold sped the roaring, weird-looking contraption through the snow-covered streets of Valcourt. They were thrilled, thrilled! The innocent citizens of Valcourt were….a little less than thrilled. Okay, a lot less.
The innocent citizens of Valcourt weren’t the only ones who were not amused. Joseph-Armand and Leopold’s father took one look at the sled’s whirling propeller, one listen to the sled’s earsplitting roar, one estimate of the sled’s startling speed, and said five words: “Take. That. Thing. Apart. NOW!”
Bombardier Perseveres
Departing from that noisy and notable start, Bombardier sets upon a trajectory that leads him away from his father’s wishes and leads him toward the creation of his dream machine. Illustrated with both photographs and diagrams of early Bombardier designs, as well as black and white drawings by artist Michael Lauritano, Snowmobile! melds the development of Bombardier’s snowmobile with Joseph-Armand’s personal relationships. Older doesn’t shy from the emotions surrounding death, estrangement and reunion, but neither does he dwell on them.
Part biography and part industrial history, Snowmobile! Bombardier’s Dream Machine is also the story of a family: a father’s unrealistic aspirations for his son, the relationship between two brothers, and the love and support of a husband and wife. Ultimately though, it is the story of a young man powered by imagination and his vision of what could be. Only three years after the death of his young son, Bombardier invented the first reliable snow machine, the B7. And, as any boy who watches the Winter X Games knows, the rest is history.
Giveaway
Author Jules Older has donated a hardback copy of Snowmobile! as a giveaway to readers of The Brave Ski Mom. To enter, simply leave a comment. For a bonus entry, share the title of a book you enjoyed as a child, or your kids enjoy. Let’s create a summer reading list! One winner will be chosen randomly on Tuesday, June 5th at 8:00 a.m. MDT.
Older shares that he doesn’t think Snowmobile! is just for boys, and I agree. The target audience is readers ages 8-11, both boys and girls. The book, which was chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection, is not long — only 54 pages — and can easily be read aloud. Machine-minded younger children will enjoy the photos and illustrations along with the story, while grade school readers will find the vocabulary accessible with some challenges here and there. Biography, history, geography…it’s all found in Snowmobile!, and compellingly, too.
To facilitate this post, I was given two copies of Snowmobile! Bombardier’s Dream Machine. I read one and I am giving the other brand-new copy away. As always, all opinions expressed are my own and are exactly what I would tell my family and friends.
Congratulations to Suzi, winner of Snowmobile! Bombardier’s Dream Machine. Not only is Suzi a Canadian with ties to Bombardier, but she blogs at The Big Picture Calgary, where she works to inspire families to find happiness outdoors.
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Jen says
Fast machines and snow…my son would love this. I could also use some new books to listen to or read aloud this summer. Cars, Star Wars and Curious George… are great but getting old.
braveskimom says
I hear you! When my sons had the books memorized, and could correct me if I strayed at all from the text, I knew it was time for new reading material! Thanks!
Madelaine Houde says
I would like to order books for our boutique at the museum. Please contact me.
braveskimom says
Dear Madelaine, Thank you for your interest. I have emailed you information to contact both Jules Older, the author and Charlesbridge Publishing. Cheers!
Christi Reece says
Looks like a fun read! Zenon is 7 and wants to be an “Adventure Scientist”, and is an avid reader, so would love this.
braveskimom says
I sipmly cannot think of a better occupation than “Adventure Scientist!” How cool is that? Thanks!
Jennifer Majer says
My machine-minded, Lego building 9 year old son would definitely like reading this book! My summer reading suggestions include Little Dragon Coconut and the Black Knight, Buford the Little Bighorn and any of the Magic Tree House books.
braveskimom says
My boys loved the Magic Tree House Books! I haven’t heard of Little Dragon Coconut, or Buford the Little Bighorn! Thanks for the suggestions.
Amelia says
That looks like a FABULOUS book – would love to read it TO my boys now! 🙂
FamilySkiNews says
As a mother of two skiing-fanatical boys aged 8 and 10, this looks a great read. Do you know if it’s available across the pond?
braveskimom says
Thank you for commenting! I will find out if the book is available in the UK. I know the publisher has a distributor in Canada, but that’s across a border – not a pond. Cheers!
FamilySkiNews says
Oops… forgot to add some summer reading suggestions. My 10-year old is absorbed in the Alex Rider spy series by Anthony Horowitz at the moment, while my 8 year old can’t put down the Dinking Dings series by British writer Guy Bass – they’re about a little boy who’s scared of everything except the three monsters who live under his bed. Don’t be put off… my somewhat timid son thinks they’re great and is ironically now less anxious about many things. Funny, imaginatively laid-out/illustrated and easy to read.
braveskimom says
Great recommendations! I love getting these ideas from other countries. My boys too have enjoyed Alex Rider!
Thanks.
Tacy says
Thank you! I knew I was in for a challenge in getting my young son to read, but had no idea of the stats. Making reading interesting and accessible can be a real challenge for older kids, I agree – enough of the vampires already! One of my favorite authors is Carl Hiaasen and i am so thrilled that he also writes for young readers, Flush was a fun read and perfect for 12-14 year olds, fun story for mom and dad too.
braveskimom says
Thank you! I’ve seen Flush and was wondering about it! Cheers.
Suzi says
My son would love this book! Things that go vroom are always a hit, and things that go vroom in snow would be even more cool. Add in Bombardier/Quebec history which have strong ties in our family.
braveskimom says
Sounds like you might be a family of Vroomers! Good luck!
Suzi says
Thanks! I can’t wait to read this to my son. Double thanks for the shout out.
Suzi