Los Gatos author's book an adventure for characters and himself
By Judy Peterson
jpeterson@community-newspapers.com
Posted: 01/02/2012
A new book about two Los Gatos High School students who invent a time machine has just been published, with author Thomas Procter grateful for the help he got from students and teachers who participated in the book's development.
Called The Discovery Machine, the book follows the exploits of ninth-graders Phillip and Maria as they return to the past to see things such as when Silly Putty, fire and the wheel were discovered. Procter says the two are geeks, with Maria instigating the plot when she begins to wonder who invented the paper clip.
"Maria is playing with a paper clip and she asks Phillip, 'Wouldn't it be cool if we could go back to some time in the past and arrive on the spot when something is being invented and meet the people?' He tells her he's working on a project, and she's real curious and is after Phillip to tell her about the project," Procter said.
Soon Phillip and Maria are off in the "DM," which stands for "discovery machine," with one adventure taking them to San Francisco. "The machine brought the kids into the Levi Strauss store right before a gentleman suggested Levi Strauss make pants from canvas," Procter said. "I just think that's really cool."
Procter says there's a lot of drama in the book. "The time machine is kind of dangerous," he said, "so they hide it from their parents, traveling when Phillip's parents are out of the house."
But pretty soon Phillip's mother finds out about the DM, and she's off on an adventure with the teens.
"I've always been fascinated by, 'What if?'" Procter said. "We take everything in life for granted. Today's kids play with all these machines, and they have no concept of original thought. So, the premise of the book is giving credit to where original inventions come from."
Although Procter says the book is based on fact, he does take some leeway in describing some of the historical situations the kids find themselves in. For instance, Procter pegs 1853 as the date Levi Strauss invented jeans, but the Levi's website says they were invented in 1873.
Still, the book is fun just for the premise, and the local color adds lots of interest. Local contributors include LGHS art teacher Thad Smith, who ran a contest for students to come up with cover art and chapter headings. And 13-year-old Madison Miller provided Procter with insight into the teen characters.
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