The Planet Mechanic is a 34,000-word middle-grade story about Ella Holt, a young girl with a knack for repairing things, and her siblings, who are trapped beneath an Earth in disarray, where alien inhabitants believe only Ella can fix The Machine, and the planet’s problems.
Nobody can figure out why, in addition to the effects of climate change, Earth is experiencing ever-increasing waves of earthquakes, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions, until Ella, a 10-year-old girl who secretly fixes cars in her father’s repair shop, discovers a mysterious metal door in the woods. After solving a puzzle and unlocking the door, Ella and her siblings are forced to take shelter within as a tornado touches down outside. With a “click,” the door is locked, and the children must start their journey into the mysterious depths of the planet, ultimately discovering that there’s more to the planet’s inner workings than meets the eye.
Within the pitch-black caverns beneath the planet, the children encounter a strange alien boy, who directs them to an underground village full of Ingots, an ancient alien race with bizarre customs. It is in this village that the children encounter a statue of Ingenta, a Planet Mechanic from a thousand years ago, that looks surprisingly like Ella. Although Ella finds it difficult to believe that she could save the planet, she and her siblings agree to assist in any way they can. They soon find that there are those who don’t want The Machine, a giant device at the center of the Earth that regulates the planet, to be fixed, preferring instead chaos and the opportunity to retake the surface that once belonged to them. Ella must choose between taking a dangerous route to the center of the planet to fix The Machine or returning home to her parents and the safety of her old life.
The Planet Mechanic is a stand-alone novel with series potential (the second and third books have also been written). This book seeks to encourage young girls, including my eight- and six-year-old daughters, to view themselves as leaders in the future they’ll help define. It reinforces the idea that gender roles are not preordained, and anyone can help their world change for the better. Due to its focus on astronomy and the way things work, it is also a great introduction to STEM.
Read the first few chapters below!