Alvin Fernald, Foreign Trader

Clifford B. Hicks

Bethlehem Books, Feb 1, 2007 - Juvenile Fiction - 181 pages

   Alvin Fernald’s “Magnificent Brain” has a life of its own. In fact, somehow or other it has come up with the winning grand prize recipe in a candy-making contest—and no one, including Alvin, can figure out quite how it happened. Now, as guests of the Kitchenmate Appliance Company, Alvin, his friend Shoie, and his sister Daphne (“The Pest”) take off for a whirlwind tour of Europe. Having just come to the edge of flunking a class in economics (Magnificent Brain, where were you?), Alvin is about to be given a practical—and perilous—lesson in international trade. Mystery, ingenuity—and, well bicycles—hilariously collide in this next book about Alvin by the former editor of Popular Mechanics Magazine, Clifford B. Hicks.

Contents

• 1 A Letter of Congratulation: 1
• 2 The Magnificent Brain Concocts a Recipe: 7
• 3 A Telephone Conversation: 13
• 4 A Visit from the Governor: 17
• 5 First Prize: 23
• 6 Permission Granted: 27
• 7 A Search for the Mysterious Mr X: 32
• 8 Classroom Discussion: 36
• 9 Takeoffand a Disturbing Discovery: 38
• 10 Fear on the Eiffel Tower: 47
• 11 The Ghostly Image of Mr X: 58
• 12 Cabbagehead: 64
• 13 The Secret of the Formula: 72
• 14 Alvin Fernald Great Inventor: 82
• 15 Conversation Between Alvin Fernald and the Magnificent Brain: 87
• 16 On the Eve of the Race: 89
• 17 The Start of the Race: 94
• 18 The Bike That Blew Up: 98
• 19 Translation of a Speech by His Honor the Mayor of Delft Two Hours After the End of the Annual Bicycle Race for Juveniles: 108
• 20 Homecoming: 111
• About the Author: 117

About the author

CLIFFORD B. HICKS was born and raised in a town in Iowa much like Riverton, the scene of Alvin’s Secret Code and The Marvelous Inventions of Alvin Fernald.  He began writing professionally during his high-school years, when he was a correspondent for the Des Moines Register and Tribune.  During World War II, he rose to the rank of Major in the Marine Corps, serving on Bougainville and Guam.  In the service he learned something of codes and ciphers, a subject he had studied briefly in college.  After the war Mr. Hicks joined the staff of Popular Mechanics magazine, eventually becoming Editor-in-Chief of the magazine and its seven foreign editions.  He graduated cum laude from Northwestern University. Two of his juvenile books have been made into Disney movies.

        Mr. Hicks now lives in the mountains of western North Carolina. He spends his leisure time hiking, reading, woodworking; and, yes, a bit of writing.

 

Bibliographic information

• Title: Alvin Fernald, Foreign Trader; Secret Panel Books
• Author: Clifford B. Hicks
• Illustrated by: Theodore Schluenderfritz
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Bethlehem Books, 2007
• ISBN: 1883937744, 9781883937744
• Length: 181 pages
• Subjects: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General