Hex Allen

This new middle grade adventure series mixes magic with science and engineering, and its author holds an MIT degree. Hex Allen has no magical ability, a serious drawback in a world where everyday tasks like switching on lights or opening doors rely on simple spells that nearly everyone can cast. The few who cannot are known as Undevelopeds.

After years of feeling useless, Hex decides to shape her own future by setting out for the Wishing Wyrm, a legendary dragon that grants one wish every hundred years. She is far from the only one hoping for that wish, and her rivals all have magic working in their favor. The exception is a pair of inventors, Cam and Fuse, known as the Clanksmiths. Like Hex, they lack magic, but they have learned the neglected arts of science and engineering and use them to build machines called clank.

A fairy mishap forces Hex and the Clanksmiths together, and they reluctantly agree to team up, at least for now. Combining the Clanksmiths' technical skill with Hex's inventive thinking, the group gets past monsters using LEDs, electromagnets, and water balloon launchers. On the road to the dragon, however, Hex faces a hard choice between keeping her friendship with the Clanksmiths and taking the wish that would give her a normal, magical life.

Pages from Hex's design notebook are included, offering step-by-step project instructions for readers who want to try building clank themselves.