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Mistakes That Worked: 40 Familiar Inventions & How They Came to Be Paperback – May 1, 1994

by Charlotte Foltz Jones (Author), John O'Brien (Illustrator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,589 ratings
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The greatest discoveries are made outside the classroom! Learn all about mistakes that changed the world with this collection of the strange stories behind everyday inventions! It's no accident that you'll love this book!
 
SANDWICHES came about when an English earl was too busy gambling to eat his meal and needed to keep one hand free. POTATO CHIPS were first cooked by a chef who was furious when a customer complained that his fried potatoes weren’t thin enough. Coca-Cola, Silly Putty, and X rays have fascinating stories behind them too! Their unusual tales, and many more, along with hilarious cartoons and weird, amazing facts, make up this fun-filled book about everyday items that had surprisingly haphazard beginnings.

And don't miss Eat Your Words about the fascinating language of food! 

“A splendid book that is as informative as it is entertaining . . . a gem.” —Booklist, Starred Review

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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    7 - 11 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    96 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    3 - 7
  5. Lexile measure
    1040L
  6. Dimensions
    7.99 x 7.99 x 0.24 inches
  7. Publisher
    Delacorte Press
  8. Publication date
    May 1, 1994
  9. ISBN-10
    9780385320436
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0385320436
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Droll cartoons illustrate the stories behind the invention of such everyday items as Silly Putty, trouser cuffs, popsicles and penicillin. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A splendid book that is as informative as it is entertaining. Jones has great fun with facts, dredging up plenty in a lively, anecdotal account that recollects the oddball origins of a variety of foods, clothing, toys, and devices....A gem of a book."--Booklist, starred review

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0385320434
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Delacorte Press; Reissue edition (May 1, 1994)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 96 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780385320436
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385320436
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 7 - 11 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1040L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.99 x 7.99 x 0.24 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 3,589 ratings

About the author

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Charlotte Foltz Jones

Charlotte Foltz Jones

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
3,589 global ratings
Bent and dirty
3 Stars
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Top reviews from the United States

Iz
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024
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My kids who are 15,13 and 7years old all enjoyed it. Great to read as a family.
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Qualitee Buyz
5.0 out of 5 stars Great insightful book
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2023
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Love the book but once again I need to run to the library and rent instead of buy
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Lesson in Mistakes
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2023
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Love this book for children. It helps them see that many of the things we use today were created from mistakes. Helps them understand that mistakes are beneficial and can help us grow (or create new things)!
One person found this helpful
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Eclectic parents
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun , entertaining , appeals to all ages
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2015
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A nicely presented book with lots of interesting information about "mistakes " like potato chips to leaning tower of Pisa. It is divided into 6 sections which include the category of : food, medicine, toys, accidental things, names and clothes ( includes Cinderella too ) .
The words are appealing to the young reader as well as pleasing , funny illustrations. Each "mistake " concludes with a brief fact box which is equally interesting .
Some reviews have mentioned about the accuracy of some of the facts , but we as a family take this book as a fun , light read . The bottom line that we took from this was it is ok to make mistakes but it is important to maintain a good attitude and strive for the "never give up " outlook .
7 people found this helpful
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J. R. Thorup
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining for all ages; if you’re curious. 😉
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2020
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We got this from the library in November and my ten-year-Old daughter loved it! She’s always very fascinated with history, science and engineering, so a book about interesting inventions was just up her alley. My parents visited us during the time we had it and while we were visiting she became quite engrossed in this book. Then when it was time to give it back to the library my daughter told me she wanted a copy of her own. I told her I would put it on her wish list, but I actually forgot until I was shopping for some Christmas gifts for a cousin drawing and while buying a book for someone else Amazon said that the book and a selection of others were on a special temporary discount, so I clicked on the link to see what other books were on sale and wouldn’t you know? Mistakes That Worked was one of the books they were promoting! I was so excited, but not as excited as my daughter when she opened it up on Christmas morning! This is a paperback copy instead of a hardbound one like the library had, but it’s a newer edition so my daughter says it’s even better. I honestly only got to read snippets of it myself but I am intrigued and need to find a minute to sit down and read the whole thing. I highly recommend this book!
17 people found this helpful
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CarrieSmith616
5.0 out of 5 stars Made an Impression!
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2023
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I can't count how many times my son (now 14) has referred to this book in everyday conversation. He first read it when he was nine, but still gives us the whole back story anytime something comes up that reminds him of one of the mistakes that led to discovery. I'm sure these stories will stick with him for a lifetime!
5 people found this helpful
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SDoll
5.0 out of 5 stars Grandpa LOVED this Book
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2023
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Bought this for our Grandpa for Christmas. He loves to read and especially enjoys fun facts. He went through the entire book in a week and shared it with his friends at the retirement home. He said to let him know if I come across more like this and he'll gladly reimburse me for them as he is now the king of fun facts at his retirement home!
4 people found this helpful
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Nancy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read aloud book for curious early readers
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2019
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My son is in Kindergarten and he is a factoid enthusiast. His reading abilities aren't up to his curiosity level yet but he's getting there. Like many kids, he gets frustrated and needs help remembering how resilient he is and that challenges, even mistakes, are a good thing. This book has delivered that message with very short chapters (we do 3-4 per bedtime session) and the abstract concepts are pretty well translated into more digestible pieces for even young kids. For example, in the chapter on chocolate chip cookies, the author notes several historical figures my kindergartener already knows who never got to eat them because they lived before they were invented. Plotting out the timeline of history and provided context to young kids is a challenge, and this book helped make it clear so that the inventions could be appreciated and contextualized. Plus, the facts were really interesting! We love that actual recipes are included in the book, which makes it interactive as well.
23 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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norman armstrong
5.0 out of 5 stars book
Reviewed in Canada on February 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
interesting reading
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Flavius Moler
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent
Reviewed in France on January 14, 2023
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Super livre
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Claire R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2022
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Bought for my child that is a perfectionist and hates making mistakes! They were amazed by some of the things in the book and was excited to pass the info onto their teacher too! Would say best suited for age 7+.
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JS
5.0 out of 5 stars Will make you child realise its alright to take risks and be who you are!
Reviewed in India on July 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
My son enjoyed flipping thru this book every now and then. They ate short stories and will small sketches to visually stimulate. The information is retained for a long time by my son and he comes up with it after a few days in random conversation. He enjoys this book and it asp gives him to think far, think bog and think to take risks and say its alright!
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Scott coleman
1.0 out of 5 stars Good concept- but boring for a kid
Reviewed in Australia on September 20, 2023
Verified Purchase
Boring for my 4 year old. Thought it would be a fun way to talk about resilience.
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