What's the name of this book?

June 19, 2005 1:55 PM

I'm trying to identify a juvenile fiction book that I enjoyed as a, well, juvenile. The protagonist is a boy whose mother has recently remarried, to a creepy but rich scientist (?). The stepfather has invented or has possession of a device that can make written word disappear from the page, anywhere at any time. The boy and his mother flee for some reason, and the creepy stepfather and his goons pursue them, foiling their escape efforts with the word-dissappearer. Does this ring a bell with anyone? I asked Google, but he doesn't know.
posted by GriffX to Media & Arts (3 answers total)

I can't remember the name of this book either, but I'm almost certain that one of the texts that the "word disappearer" is used on is Goodbye Mr. Chips. Might help your searches.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 2:26 PM on June 19, 2005

Try book sleuth at Abe's Books. Someone will know.
http://forums.abebooks.com/abesleuthcom
posted by BoscosMom at 12:19 AM on June 20, 2005

I, too, read the book, and can't remember the name. I seem to remember that the device used neutrinos to make words disappear (which, even then, I thought was a scientifically suspect concept...) Not very useful, I know, but perhaps it's a datapoint to help in the search.
posted by yankeefog at 3:58 AM on June 20, 2005