Nick and Tesla's Robot Army Rampage

January 1, 2014
Gadget-happy twins Nick and Tesla return to build some robots and solve a series of burglaries. Sent off to stay with their eccentric uncle Newt in Half Moon Bay, Calif., while their parents do something mysterious and governmental in Uzbekistan, the 11-year-olds have begun to worry. Two weeks have passed without any messages. Now, their already distressingly absent-minded uncle has fallen hard for Hiroko Sakurai, the new owner of the Wonder Hut, the local tinkerer's heaven. But is she behind the burglaries? Like Nick and Tesla's High-Voltage Danger Lab (2013), this sequel features some wild action interspersed with clear instructions for projects that make liberal use of small motors, plastic bottles and tubing, electric wires and a hot-glue gun. The appearance of a series of robots around town inspires Nick, Tesla and their friends to build some of their own, including two jiggling walkers, a flyer and a "robo-bug," as well as a "super-soaker bot blaster." For the most part, these projects are well within the capabilities of middle-grade readers, though the soaker may turn out to be agonizingly fiddly. Less-handy readers will enjoy the humor, the detective work and the threat to the twins revealed in the final pages. A third volume in this series is promised for May. Another fast-paced mystery and treat for technophiles. (Fiction. 9-13)

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February 1, 2014

Gr 4-7-Nick and Tesla, 11-year-old twin super sleuths, narrowly escaped danger in their first mysterious adventure. The next installment in the series picks up where the first left off-with the twins spending the summer in Half Moon Bay with their eccentric, mad scientist Uncle Newt, while their parents are out of the country (supposedly) working with soybeans. The sleepy little town's only police officer is quickly out of his element when a criminal mastermind strikes. When a valuable comic disappears and other thefts occur, the twins take it upon themselves to uncover the culprit. Authors "Science Bob" Pflugfelder and Hockensmith have further developed their characters, while incorporating real science, this time in the form of robots. Step-by-step directions are included using mostly everyday objects, so readers can construct their own hoverbots and robo-roaches, while trying to decipher the clues to the mystery. With a love interest for Uncle Newt, a strong science-loving young girl, and perfectly executed red herrings, this mystery stands alone. A cryptic phone message from the twins' mom suggesting they are in mortal danger will leave fans fervently awaiting book three.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
Science-minded sleuths Nick and Tesla are still with Uncle Newt while their parents (supposedly) research soybean irrigation techniques in Uzbekistan; these second and third capers up the ante with robotics and spy technology. The books' humor is both smart and silly, and the mysteries are surprisingly complex. Garrett illustrates tense scenes as well as instructions for the twins' experiments, which remain inventive yet simple.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)