Review: Astro Socks

by Lillian Brummet

Astro Socks is a wonderful little juvenile action adventure fiction with a little space and astronomy thrown in. The lead character, Chris, is a young boy who wants to find a solution to socks continually falling off his infant sister. Chris shows us some of the creation process, how to take notes, the things to consider when creating a new product and reaching out to others for their expertise.

Author Leigh M. LeCreux shows how being smart and having unique interests is nothing to be ashamed of; it is something to celebrate. The young boy's journey through the invention process was very realistic. I thought the inclusion of frustration and feelings of inadequacy are realistic no matter what age one might be, but that perseverance will always win in the end.

The most appealing aspect about this book is the impressive and inspiring idea that a young person could invent a product that would be taken seriously by the corporate world. That reminds me of a guest on my radio show from the Green2Gold organization - Alan Tratner told me then about a young person who had invented a compostable golf tee that would prevent damage to the golf range and equipment but also would prevent injury and a horrible death for animals who mistake golf tees for food. This invention is now patented and like the main character of Astro Socks, this child will not likely have to worry about the cost of University in the future.

As a writer myself, I am impressed with the way that Leigh LeCreux was able to put so many elements into the book, yet simplifying the storyline enough to keep young readers interested. The 90-page paperback does not state any modern eco-printing or eco-publishing options being employed, however environmentalists may be appeased by the fact that it was printed in the US - reducing fossil fuel expenditure during transport. The illustrations created by numerous youth were very interesting and added an element of real-life to the story.

Rating 4 out of 5 stars.

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding; host of the Conscious Discussions radio show (http://www.brummet.ca/)