“Nick and Tesla’s”

Author:  Pflugfelder, “Science Bob” and Steve Hockensmith.

Book Titles:

1. High-Voltage Danger Lab
2. Robot Army Rampage
3. Secret Agent Gadget Battle
4. Super Cyborg Gadget Glove

Fun quirky stories about kid detectives and robot geeks.

Recommended age: 10-12; 12-14.

Nick and Tesla’s parents are off in Uzbekistan studying soybeans and Nick and Tesla are sent to live with their eccentric scientist/inventor uncle.   In the books of this series, Nick and Tesla use their brains to survive various dangers and adventures.  As the series progresses, they also learn that maybe there may be more to their parents’ stay in Uzbekistan than they have been told.  In the first book, they foil kidnappers.  In the second book, they unmask a thief who is using robots to rob local stores.   In the third book, they beat some spies at their own game.

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Chasing Vermeer by Blue Ballilett

An unusual and enjoyable mystery story.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14

Petra has a dream in which the lady in a Vermeer portrait calls to her.    With the help of her friend Calder, they keep their eyes open, drawing clues from the coincidences that keep happening, and manage to stay hot on the trail of an international art thief.

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“The Grassland Trilogy” by David Ward

1. Escape the Mask
2. Beneath the Mask
3. Beyond the Mask

A story of escape and war and cunning.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14; 14 – 16.

Corki and Pippa are leading a small group of children who have fled slavery and oppression, and were looking for a home.   They find a home, but perhaps bring more trouble, as violent raiders pursue them seeking money and vengeance.

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Fat Men from Space by Daniel Manus Pinkwater

Quirky and lots of fun.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12

In this fun spoof of the alien invasion genre, William’s new filling reacts with another filling in his mouth to become a radio receiver.  He thinks this is a lot of fun until he starts receiving transmissions between aliens about to invade the earth.  But these aliens aren’t the mundane green, many-armed, bulgy-eyed, aliens with antennae – they’re Fat Men from Space in plaid sport jackets, knitted neckties, and horn-rimmed glasses (who bear a striking resemblance to the author/illustrator) and they are intent on consuming all the junk food on the planet (Oh horrible, horrible, most horrible…).

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“Books of Ember” series by Jeanne DuPrau

1. The City of Ember
2. The People of Sparks
3. The Prophet of Yonwood
4. The Diamond of Darkhold

Interesting stories about people who grew up underground.   Prophet is not recommended.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14; 14 – 16

Lina and Doon have grown up in the city of Ember where the only light is from electricity supplied by their generator.   However, the generator is dying.   But Lina and Doon wonder if there is, perhaps, a way out of the city and into someplace where they don’t need to live in fear of the generator dying and the city running out of light and food.    Then one day, Lina finds an ancient document that might lead them out.   In Sparks, they have managed to get out and they found a town.   But the town is poor, and the townspeople are afraid that they will not have enough to feed them and the people from Ember.  Some people with bad attitudes fan the anger, and soon there is a crowd ready to fight.   But Doon and Lina have other ideas.  In Prophet, a girl named Nicky finds herself in a small town where a woman who is in an almost-coma mutters in her sleep and is called a prophet.   Her friend “interprets” the muttering and passes the “rules” onto the people in the town, resulting in a sort of reign of fear.   At the end, you find out that there is a strained relationship to the city of Ember.   In Diamond, Doon finds something that was left for the people of Ember.   He and Lina set off on a trip back to Ember to find out more about this mysterious present.   But in Ember, they find unanticipated danger.

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“Larklight” Series by Philip Reeve

1. Larklight.
2. Starcross.
3. Mothstorm.

Fun and humorous adventure.  We laughed a lot.

Recommended age: 10 – 12; 12 – 14.

There are Shapers (sort of Angel figures) who organize each solar system after it is created.  In the each book, someone or something tries to take over our Solar System: evil spiders from the past, moobs from the future, or a Shaper from another Solar System.

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The Adventures of Ook and Gluk – Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future by George Beard

A Graphic Novel

A fun and somewhat goofy caveman story.

Recommended age: 6 – 8; 8 – 10; 10 – 12

Summary of Plot: Ook and Gluk are driving the evil cave chief Grasshopper — I mean, Goppernopper — crazy.  However, one day Gophersniffer — I mean Goppernopper — discovers his descendant, an evil business man from the future who has come back into Goppernopper’s time.   The cave chief goes into the future with his descendant and comes back with a mechanical dinosaur to punish Ook and Gluk, enslave his people, and ruin the world.   However, Ook and Gluk escape into the future where they learn Kung-Fu and come back to defeat the Goppernoppers and save their people and the world.

Eddie, Incorporated by Phyllis Naylor

Fun light reading about a boy who wants to start a business.

Recommended age: 8 – 10; 10 – 12

Eddie’s family are all making money and in business.   Eddie wants to start his own business, but things just don’t work out.  And then, when everything does seem to be working out, he comes face-to-face with “Herman the Terrible” — a two-year-old terror.

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