Cragbridge Hall, Book 1

The Inventor's Secret

By: Chad Morris

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

Imagine a school in the year 2074 where students don't read history, but watch it happen around them; where running in gym class isn't around a track, but up a virtual mountain; and where learning about animals means becoming one through an avatar. Welcome to Cragbridge Hall, the most advanced and prestigious school in the world. Twins Abby and Derick Cragbridge are excited as new students to use their famed grandfather's inventions that make Cragbridge Hall so incredible. But when their grandfather and parents go missing, the twins must follow a mysterious trail of clues left by their grandfather. They must find out where their family is, learn who they can trust, and discover what secrets are hidden within Cragbridge Hall. Abby and Derick soon realize they are caught in a race with a fierce adversary to discover their grandfather's greatest secret - a dangerous discovery that could alter both history and reality.

©2013 Chad Morris (P)2013 Shadow Mountain

Critic reviews

"A fantastical futuristic read that should engage kids and families." (Brandon Mull, #1 New York Times best-selling author)

Great young adult novel for adults too

This was a great novel meant for young adults or younger. Not as rich or intense as Harry Potter but an enjoyable read. I am an adult and would defiantly listen to others in the series.

A Must Read (er... Listen)

This is a wonderful series to listen to with your kids or alone. Great Read!

Amazing listen!!

I was pretty uninterested when I read the book summary. I was very surprised by how much I loved this book! Worth every cent!! I'm excited for book two!!

young person fantasy story

I am not quite sure what motivated the purchase of this book, it may have been a daily deal, whatever the rationale I can't say it was a disappointing book but it's definitely a written for the young reader. I don't mind this however as I often find myself reading in the young adult section.

This book has a futuristic setting with technology that allows the students at Cragbridge Hall to witness history, kind of a cool concept especially for us history buffs. As with any young adult book there is a villain and hero both of whom are fairly predictable to the mature listener. All that said I found the story overall to be engaging and enjoyable. Who always needs to be serious anyway?

Harry Potter meets National Treasure and Avatar!!!

This is the story of two twin teenagers, Abby and Derek who go to this amazing school for geniouses named Cragbridge Hall, named after their grandfather - Oscar Cragbridge, a scientist and inventor who invents amazing devices thinking about the human kind's wellfare. However, some people are trying to put their hands on those inventions, and if they fall into the wrong hands, human kind's hystory as we know it might change altogether.

This is not a school of magic, but I mentioned Harry Potter because of the style in which the author chose to write. If you are a fan of Harry Potter you might enjoy this one very much. There are many twists of events and there is a lot of adventure too.

The thing is, because of his invention, Oscar, his son and daughter-in-law are kidnapped and blackmailed in exchange for this some precious information that only Oscar can provide. Before any of this would happen, Oscar leaves his grandkids a pair of lockets that would only be activated if he went missing, and also, some clues that might help them solve the puzzle as to why he might have been missing, kidnapped, or even killed.

I also compared it to National Treasure because this journey is full of clues, and without solving them, Abby and Derek cannot go on in the search for their loved ones.

Why did I mention avatar? Well, you have to listen to it, I don't want to spoil it for you. But there is a mixture of styles here.

Even though the narrator was very good, he will not get 5 stars because he did not do the accent of the Brazilian character correctly ( I know that because I am Brazilian). Brazil speaks Portuguese, and the accent the narrator chose to adopt was clearly Spanish. #disappointed.

As a YA fan, I do recommend this book. I am sure that if you are an YA fan like me, you will enjoy it.

Very enjoyable ⭐️

The story is very interesting and the audio version is voice acted well.
I’ve laughed out loud many times, I love this story👍

A Mystery in the School of the Future

Wow! This book was really well done. As an avid reader, a book must pull me into the story to draw real emotions from me. This story did just that! I actually laughed out loud during funny scenes, my heart sped up when situations became tense, and had actual tears when the scene was emotional.

Although the main characters are middle school students, who live 60 years in the future, the story is not juvenile in the way it is written. A set of twins have to use all the invented resources available to them as well as their own ingenuity to locate and save their parents and grandpa and, while doing so, the world of course. The school they attend is full of state of the art virtual reality "type" inventions used as interactive learning tools.

The narration by Kirby Heyborne is excellent. His ability to bring the characters alive while using a variety of accents, tones, and voices is fantastic. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy or science fiction. I'm on my way to purchase the next in the series.

great story for the whole family

well written start to a new series. Can't wait for more. excellent timing and a good twist at the right tone male it am r excellent listen.

Abby will have you crying and cheering!

If you could sum up Cragbridge Hall, Book 1 in three words, what would they be?

Vivid, visual mystery

What did you like best about this story?

The author did not hold back on fully developing the teen relationships in this book. The scenes are vivid; Abby and Derrick don't get a free pass in this book. They go through real challenges adolescents face. I could see Abby's face as she realizes she's not going to be accepted. Derrick's fear surrounded me when he didn't succeed at a task the first time. The narrator expertly captured the nuances of the interaction between characters. Although I was able to figure out the villain before it was revealed, it was a pleasure hearing the story unfold.

Have you listened to any of Kirby Heyborne’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first time listening to Kirby Heyborne, but I look forward to finding other performances.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

It's not easy navigating high school, but it's downright treacherous when your extra curricular activity is protecting the history of human civilization.

Any additional comments?

This book was the perfect easy listen. I found myself completely engrossed in the characters. I cheered, laughed, became sad and smiled as the author and narrator pulled me into the story. The bridge is the perfect centerpiece to build this story around. The children aren't superhuman; they make mistakes and have awkward moments. Abby and Derrick learn they are stronger than they initially believe and they make good friends along the way.

A detailed and compelling!

We could not stop listening. Lots of fun twists and turns. A Very interesting mystery. I recommend it with my highest stamp of approval!