Note: I received a digital galley through NetGalley. ( )

The Good: I love educational series for kids where they can learn while being entertained. Instead of history or mythology, this series focuses on science, technology, and engineering which are rarely - if ever - topics kids find in fiction. Mixed with a kid-friendly mystery, this series continues to be fun that will appeal to book lovers and hesitant-readers alike.

The Bad: My complaints are the same with every book in this series. The story is fine and characters are fine, but the words are off. The phrasing is awkward. There is no flow. The grammar is correct, but it's as though the words are sputtering along instead of being a smooth ride. ( )

My thoughts on the series:
This is a lot of fun. I am way out of the target age range, but I enjoyed the stories. Middle-grade detectives, crazy scientist uncle, and international intrigue all converge. The projects are the type that kids in the target group will enjoy—my (bright) third-grader can’t wait to try some out. The illustrations could be clearer for the technically inept such as myself. However, there are videos available, as well as other cool information, at http://www.nickandtesla.com . It’s an entertaining website—fun even if you don’t have the books. Overall, though, the instructions are fairly clear and the parts needed are not too exotic. The earlier books give Radio Shack part numbers—alas, Radio Shack is no more.

The characters themselves range in believability. Nick and Tesla interact like real children. Other characters are more stereotypical, stock characters. However, the intended audience is not generally looking for sophisticated literary material. The characters, overall, are entertaining. There could be more female characters—beyond Tesla, the female characters tended to be minor. There are characters of color.

Possible objectionable material:
Squeaky clean, no cursing. Some perilous situations, kids sneaking out at night, and somewhat oblivious adults.

Who would like these books:
Kids with an interest in science and inventing, and their adult helpers. Fans of mysteries, adventure, and spy stories.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance reader e-books.

Details on the series at my blog: www.bibliouquacious.com ( )

Originally posted at Read. Run. Study.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one because it is technically the fourth book in a series. However, I found myself surprisingly intrigued by this fun children’s book full of science and adventure. Despite picking it up without any previous knowledge from the first three books, I never felt lost in the story. The book follows Nick and Tesla, a brother-sister duo, as they work with a couple of friends to uncover a mystery at the science museum where their uncle is working. The plot moves very quickly and smoothly, so I think it would have no trouble keeping a kid’s attention.

My favorite part was the science element. Readers are introduced to several key science figures through one of the museum’s exhibits and the kids are clearly budding inventors themselves. In fact, they even provide directions to create their super-cyborg gadget glove. This is a great outlet to get creative kids working on something cool and learning at the same time. And it ties beautifully into the story.

I liked that the kids were largely self-sufficient, but that the authority figures (museum workers and their uncle) are not completely absent or unaware of their activities. I also appreciated the inclusion of both male and female characters on either side of the good guy/bad guy plane. And I enjoyed the little references to other books/shows (ex: Scooby Doo and Lord of the Rings) and the references to famous scientists and inventors.

I am definitely not the target audience for this series, but I enjoyed it and will be sharing it with my nephews. They are at the perfect ages for it and I think they will enjoy the story. Maybe it will also spark a little more interest in science for them.

Rating: 3.5 Stars ( )

How do you connect students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) with fiction reading? Look for science adventures. Get started with the NICK AND TESLA series. Each book contains an engaging adventure revolving around a “build-it-yourself” science project.

NICK AND TESLA’S SUPER-CYBORG GADGET GLOVE by Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith is the latest book in this popular science mystery series for middle grade youth. In this installment, the twins must figure out what’s making the animatronic scientists in a special museum exhibit go haywire. The amateur inventors add gadgets to their cyborg glove to help them solve the mystery. Young science lovers will enjoy references to everyone from Marie Curie to Albert Einstein. They’ll also enjoy building their own gadget glove complete with an LED signal light, ultra-loud emergency alarm, digital sound recorder, and UV secret message revealer.

Be sure to check out the other books in the series including HIGH-VOLTAGE DANGER LAB, ROBOT ARMY RAMPAGE, and SECRET AGENT GADGET BATTLE.

To learn more about the books as well as the science projects, go to the Nick and Tesla page at http://nickandtesla.com/. Educators can also download guides for using the books with students.

To see Science Bob demonstrate projects from the books, go to http://nickandtesla.com/videos/. The videos are an excellent way to learn to make the projects described in the books.

Looking for more? The HowToons website at http://www.howtoons.com/ contains endless D.I.Y. project comics. Each comic contains an engaging science project. ( )