The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin — Elinor Teele

Roald Dahl meets The Penderwicks in this quirky, humorous, whimsical, and heartwarming middle grade debut about two siblings who run away from home to escape working in the family coffin business.

John Coggin is no ordinary boy. He is devising an invention that nobody has ever seen before, something that just might change the world, or at least make life a little bit better for him and his little sister, Page. But that's only when he can sneak a break from his loathsome job -- building coffins for the family business under the beady gaze of his cruel Great-Aunt Beauregard. 

When Great-Aunt Beauregard informs John that she's going to make him a permanent partner in Coggin Family Coffins -- and train Page to be an undertaker -- John and Page hit the road. Before long, they've fallen in with a host of colorful characters, all of whom, like John and Page, are in search of a place they can call home. But home isn't something you find so much as something you fight for, and John soon realizes that he and Page are in for the fight of their lives.