Nick and Tesla and the High-Voltage Danger Lab: A Mystery with Gadgets You Can Build Yourself ourself

Nick and Tesla #1

by Bob Pflugfelder, Steve Hockensmith

Nick and Tesla are bright 11-year-old siblings with a knack for science, electronics, and getting into trouble. When their parents mysteriously vanish, they’re sent to live with their Uncle Newt, a brilliant inventor who engineers top-secret gadgets for a classified government agency. It’s not long before Nick and Tesla are embarking on adventures of their own—engineering all kinds of outrageous MacGyverish contraptions to save their 9-volt burglar alarms, electromagnets, mobile tracking devices, and more. Readers are invited to join in the fun as each story contains instructions and blueprints for five different projects.In Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab, we meet the characters and learn how to make everything from rocket launchers to soda-powered vehicles. Learning about science has never been so dangerous—or so much fun!

Genres: Mystery, Science, Middle Grade, Childrens, Adventure, Juvenile, Humor

123 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 5, 2013

About the author

Science Bob is an award winning teacher and television personality with a mission to share the amazing world of science. Through his website, television appearances, and now a series of books coauthored with Steve Hockensmith, Bob shows that science is fun, accessible, and inspiring. Bob has shared his love for science as a regular on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Live With Kelly & Michael, and the Dr. Oz Show.

Reviews

[Beth Cato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer's Program.

There's been a lot of buzz about this new Nick and Tesla series for middle grade readers, and the concept intrigued me since my son is eight and loves science.

The book appeals to both girls and boys and uses the old model of mystery novels ala Hardy Boys and Bobsey Twins, but with detailed how-to instructions on building all kinds of cool gadgets. The novel itself is a fast, enjoyable read, and wasn't nearly as predictable as expected. Actually, the ending came as a complete surprise, though it made sense in hindsight. Nick and Tesla are distinct characters that aren't just two-dimensional "this is a boy" and "this is a girl" protagonists. Their Uncle Newt is a mad scientist who made me think of Brent Spiner's character in Independence Day--a well-meaning sort who is not quite connected to reality.

Really, the book would stand well on its own, but the gadgets set it apart. These aren't simple-minded experiments like "stick bread in a closet and see if mold grows." No, the authors instruct kids on how to build model rockets from scratch, modify the Mentos-in-Diet-Coke fountain to power a robo-cat, make a burglar alarm out of old Christmas lights, and my favorite--dicing apart a highlighter marker and using the fluid to dribble a trail that can only be detected under black light. This is some seriously cool stuff.

I think my son will really enjoy this book, and I can definitely see him trying out some of the gadgets with his dad. This book is really a great way to freshen up the children's mystery genre and foster interest in the sciences at the same time.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think these were as good as the old mystery series about this grade level, the old Danny Dunn series: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7.... (now of course I need to go back and read Danny Dunn if I can find any in the library!) But the premise was similar: a boy about the same age as these twins uses science and the scientific method to work out mysteries. However, this will be a lovely series to hand to patrons who want Common Core fiction. Of course the twins names are a bit too cute for me: the boy is Nick, the girl is Tesla. The twins do have very different personalities which is a plus. The mystery was decent enough. There was some deus ex machina that had me rolling my eyes but still, it wasn't too damaging to the quality of the books. I'll certainly keep reading this series now.

[Laura Frunza · Rating 2 out of 5]

O carte simpatică pentru copii care mi-a adus aminte de Castelul fetei în alb (Cireşarii vol 2). Copii inventatori, descurcăreţi, o fată la ananghie, un domeniu misterios şi o salvare spectaculoasă - cartea are tot ce-i trebuie pentru a place unui copil de 9-12 ani, plus ceva pe lângă (indicaţii despre cum să faci diverse instalaţii/experimente).

[Stefani Sloma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and exciting. I think this would be perfect for a middle-school-aged library program: a book club/science night. Could do one or more of the experiments in the book and talk about the book itself.

The writing is a bit clunky in parts, but I thought it was a lot of fun overall and the characters are unique and interesting.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lately, I've been making it a major priority in my reading goals to read more of my physical books. I have thousands of them, and they usually just sit around collecting dust because I mainly read from my Kindle. I found the Nick and Tesla series on m bookshelf, and decided to pick up the first book because I've been in the mood to read middle grade fiction recently. I thought it was a great start to what seems to be a promising series.

Nick and Tesla had everything that I love in a middle grade series. It was filled with all of the tropes that make a series great, such as the eccentric not all there caretaker. Uncle Newt had me cracking up laughing several times. Although if he was the kid's caretaker in the real world, I'm pretty sure he'd lose the kids in a week or two from being so irresponsible. I also liked that it had kids that didn't fit the expectations that society places on people. It felt good to see Nick, Tesla, and their friends use their brains to solve problems, rather than physical skills. It made the book more interesting because you could solve the problems with Nick and Tesla while they tried to work through them.

Speaking of working on things right beside Nick and Tesla, one of the things that I loved about the book was the experiments and projects that were included. Unfortunately, I was not able to do them as I live in an apartment building that doesn't have a yard that I can use for that type of thing or anywhere to set them up. However, I did find it interesting to read all of the steps, and see everything come together in my mind for how it work out. I have a fiend that has children, and I plan on passing along the full series to her once I finish it so she can do the projects with them.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Nick and Tesla's High Voltage Danger Lab. I plan on binge reading the rest of the series in the next week or two, and then passing it along to my friend so her kids can enjoy it too. I can't wait to start the next book in the series tonight, and to see what kind of crazy hi-jinx Nick and Tesla can get themselves into next. I'm also excited to see what happens with the mystery character that was revealed at the end of this book. I recommend this book to older elementary kids that are interested in STEM.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a middle grade series especially for kids who like science and mysteries. The main characters, Nick and Tesla (11 year old twins) are sent to their Uncle Newt for the summer because their scientist parents were sent out of the country. To say they are unhappy is an understatement. It is summer vacation and they had many things they were looking forward to. Their Uncle Newt happens to be an eccentric mad scientist, who gives them free reign in his lab. When they build a rocket that they lose in the yard of an old, rundown mansion, their adventure begins. The yard is guarded by two vicious dogs, they spy a mysterious girl on the top floor of the mansion who warns them to stay away, and they are being followed by a black SUV. They have their brains, two new friends and their uncle's old junk to solve their problems.

I love the step-by-step directions for making the gadgets used in the book. They were simple, yet helped to solve the mystery. There were some twists, but the mystery was not the most compelling.
A great addition to a school or class library. Parents and their children would enjoy making the gadgets together.I think this will be fun series for those budding scientists out there and I am looking forward to picking up the next one.

[Ana-Maria Negrilă · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copiii pasionați de știință vor găsi o poveste interesantă, plină de mister, dar și experimente amuzante, bazate pe întâmplările din carte.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nick and Tesla are twins staying with their scientist uncle for the summer. Their parents are supposedly traveling in a remote area of the Middle East to experiment with crop irrigation, but Nick and Tesla begin to suspect that something else is going on. A black SUV has been following them around, and there is something strange going on at the old mansion in their neighborhood. Thankfully Nick and Tesla enjoy inventing and experimenting with gadgets, so they use their creativity to find a solution to almost any problem.

I loved this fun book! The plot is mysterious. The characters are interesting. The writing is excellent. The setting is full of science and adventure! I really enjoyed the story and all the crazy experiments.

The characters of Nick and Tesla are really well-written. I love stories about siblings, and in this book you get to see this close sibling dynamic between them. They disagree and argue sometimes, but most of the time they work together and support each other.
Their mad-scientist uncle is so funny too! I loved his wild antics.

The coolest thing about this book is that you can recreate the experiments that Nick and Tesla do in the book. There are clear instructions for making a bottle rocket, an electromagnet, and other sciencey things (with an adult's help when needed).

There are a few illustrations that bring the story to life, and I liked the cartoony art style.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[BIANCA'S BOOKS · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fost o carte interesanta cu multa acțiune și mister!😊

[Eli - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book for our stores blind date with a book for middle grade. I enjoyed it, and loved the experiments included in the book

[Crysta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like science, enjoy mysteries, and love discovering good main characters. This book had all three, so I was pretty happy.

Nick and Tesla (11 year old twins) are sent to their Uncle Newt for the summer because their scientist parents went out of country suddenly to study soybean irrigation. Their Uncle Newt happens to be a pretty clueless mad scientist, and he gives them free reign in his lab. Then they lose something in the yard of a vicious dog-guarded mansion, find a mysterious girl on the top floor of said mansion, and have to use nothing but their wits and their uncle's old junk to solve their problems.

To be honest, I was hooked at "High-Voltage Danger Lab." By the time I reached instructions for creating a RoboCat Dog Distractor powered by diet coke and mints, I couldn't put it down. I read it all the way to the end pretty much continuously, surprised by the ingeniously simple gadgets the twins used and the unexpectedly thoughtful twists and turns.

Now, technically, most of the gadgets in the High-Voltage Danger Lab don't actually have any voltage. . . But hey, no book is perfect, and I would read it again, so I consider it a success. Plus, I really want to make a RoboCat with my younger brothers and sisters. All in all, a great read.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick and Tesla are brother and sister. Their parents have gone to Uzebkistan. They have sent Nick and Tesla to stay with their uncle for the summer. When they arrive they find their uncle covered in orange goo. He is a scientist. He tells Nick and Tesla that they are welcome to use his lab.

When Nick and Tesla go investigating the neighborhood, they find that they will have to get creative building gadgets to save themselves from mean dogs and bad guys. Think the movie Home Alone.

This book is a keeper. I read this book in 1 day. This book kind of reminded me of the choose your own adventure books. Not that this is one of those books but the fact that you can build some of the gadgets that Nick and Tesla use in the book makes it very interactive. You just may want to purchase two copies of this book. 1 to keep and 1 to give as a present. Besides you will want to keep a copy so that you can build all the cool gadgets. You know you will build them. This book brings back the little child inside of all of us. I can not wait to read the next adventure that Nick and Tesla find themselves in.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Good: This book is such a cool endeavor. The kids are smart, make awesome things and save the day. I loved how this book made science fun. I also loved the experiments and how they included instructions with pictures for readers to be able to try them out on their own. And there was a cliffhanger that definitely enticed me to get right into reading the next book.

The Bad: The actual writing isn't all that great. The sentences were clunky. There was no flow to them at all, so that I had to go back and reread sections a few times to understand what was really going on. I can't even imagine how frustrating that would be for a young reader attempting to read this book given how annoying it was for me.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy for review from Quirk Books. My 9 year old, who read at a middle school level actually plucked this from my hands and read it first. He carried the book around for the day and bookmarked all the projects for us to do. At the end of the book I asked him what he thought of it and he said he really enjoyed the story, the characters and the projects. After prying the book away from him (as he likes to read books more than once) I was able to read it. I thought it was a fun book and perfect for kids. It had mystery and science combined into one book. I love how the ending still leaves you with some questions.

[Chessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, but I'll round up for cleverness. Cute middle grade mystery story that features a smart sister and brother team solving crime using science and gadgets. This was a great read aloud for my 10- and 6-year-old sons. Chapters are a good length and there are a few illustrations sprinkled throughout. Also included are plans for building your own gadgets that they use in the book! We haven't tried any yet, but they look fairly accessible.

[Cheryl]

Hm. Cute, exciting, well-done. The gadgets look totally buildable, too. I think kids will like it better if adults don't push it on kids, but since the science & technology content is valid, adults will push.

Btw, I don't think the mystery is sufficiently resolved, here, and I think (hope) the Uncle has something else up his sleeve, so I can def. see why it's a series. But I don't think I'll bother with more.

[Zaid Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick and Tesla wanted to determine what was happening in the Old Ladrigan place. But there are 2 big dogs. So they try to disturb the dogs and go and discover things. What will happen? What will they discover?

Always think about your safety...

[Trace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke read this book in one day. He says that he'd give this book 100 stars if he could. Guess it was a winner! :)

[Joe Santoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good for the aspiring scientist... pretty much a cross between Scooby Doo and MacGuyver, with actual explanations of the science tricks that you can do at home.

[Whitney Wingerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 11 year old rated this on my kindle lol

[Grrlscientist · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise that underpins Bob Pflugfelder’s and Steve Hockensmith’s children’s thriller, Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab: A Novel with Electromagnets, Burglar Alarms, and Other Gadgets You Can Build Yourself [Quirk Books, 2013], is interesting: this mystery is a mechanism to get children excited by science by showing them how to build some of the gadgets featured in the book. As the story progresses, the children construct a number of inventions that readers can also build for themselves by following instructions in the book and using items that most people have on hand.

The summer holidays have just begun. We first meet Nick and Tesla, 11-year-old fraternal twins, in a taxi at the San Francisco International airport. Although they are on their own, these two are not runaways. Their parents, experts on soybeans, had suddenly been shipped off to Uzbekistan to work on a breakthrough method for irrigating soy beans, so the children were shipped halfway across the country to the small Californian town of Half Moon Bay, where they are placed under the care of their uncle, Newt.

Uncle Newt is a peculiar guy: he is somewhere between a stereotypical “mad scientist” and an equally stereotypical “absent-minded professor”. Of course, like all stereotypical scientists, he keeps a lab in his basement. Considering that his specialities include benign neglect of children and not-so-benign inventions that destroy the neighbours’ property, it’s somewhat surprising that Uncle Newt hadn’t been arrested and imprisoned years before the children arrived on his doorstep.

Nick and Tesla, who barely even recall their uncle, have no friends their age in the neighbourhood to entertain them. Bored, they take up Uncle Newt’s invitation of (nearly) free run in his lab and build a rocket. This rocket’s test flight goes wrong when it lands in the yard of a nearby house. Worse, the rocket manages to catch Tesla’s pendant necklace — a special gift from their parents before their departure — and carries it along for the ride. So of course, the children have to get it back.

But this is no ordinary house. As Nick observes: “It’s not like the kind of people who’d live in a creepy old mansion with a fence around it and guard dogs the size of horses would mind if a couple strange kids decided to wander around their property.” [p. 58]

Undeterred by these obstacles, the twins come up with a plan to distract the dogs so Nick can sneak over the fence and search for Telsa’s pendant. Then — as if retrieving the necklace isn’t compelling enough — whilst looking around the yard, Nick spots a pale girl in a nightgown peering down at him from an upstairs window. He mistakes her for a ghost. And thus begins Nick and Tesla’s madcap adventure. Who is this mysterious girl? Why is a seemingly abandoned mansion guarded by Rottweilers? How can the children retrieve Tesla’s necklace? Will their inventions help them achieve their goals and make sense of all these enigmas?

I particularly enjoyed Tesla because she’s a strong female character — one of the few whom I can recall from all the children’s books that I’ve read this past year. The dialogue was engaging and believable and although the story was somewhat improbable, it did make sense. But I was disappointed that all the adults were portrayed either as incompetent, stupid or threatening. The illustrations are simple drawings and are rather uninspired to my eye. Surprisingly, the 237-page book lacks both a table of contents and an index, making it difficult to quickly find or refer to those science-y projects.

Throughout the book, Nick and Tesla invent and build five items that are essential to advancing the plot. Simple instructions are provided in the book so readers can construct these contraptions themselves. These objects — a low-tech rocket and launcher, a Mentos & soda rocket “dog distractor”, a semi-invisible nighttime van tracker, a Christmas-is-over intruder alert system (a burgler alarm), and an electromagnet — are made from common items that most people have lurking about the house, with the exception of PVC piping and a black light.

After finishing this book, astute readers will realise that there still is one overarching question unanswered: what is happening with Nick and Telsa’s parents? What are they doing and why haven’t they contacted the twins as they promised? Ah, this mystery will be addressed in the sequel(s).

NOTE: Originally published at The Guardian on 6 January 2014.

[Maranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://thelibrarianstoolbox.wordpres...

Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab by “Science Bob” Pflugfelder is a middle grade read for 4th-6th graders.

Nick and Tesla are extremely smart 11-year-old twins who like inventing and find trouble fairly easily. When they are shipped off to spend the summer with their eccentric Uncle Newt–an inventor and goofball–they expect to be bored out of theirs minds but find they are anything but.

When Nick and Tesla lose their rocket and the pendant their parents gave them, the twins are determined to get it back. Little do they know they are about to embark on a mission that includes dangerous dogs, Christmas light alarm systems, kidnappings and other makeshift contraptions. As the plot thickens will Nick and Tesla be able to use their inventor smarts to save the day?

This is an older middle grade series and one I just happened to overlook. I’ve known about it but I never actually read any of them. After taking a peek, I thought this one would be perfect for my STEM Book Club as a night and easy December read.

Ultimately I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read but still had all that STEM-y goodness I was looking for. The story move quickly and the characters are entertaining. Especially Uncle Newt; you just know there is more going on there then meets the eye.

This one also made choosing a STEM activity to go with my book club really easy, as there were about 4 or 5 different “how to” projects based off of what Nick and Tesla did in the book. And I also enjoyed the mystery of the book and how the rest of the series is setting things up for Nick and Tesla not only to help other people but where they will eventually have to help themselves.

I think this one is going to be perfect for my 4th-6th graders as a light, easy, fun read before the holidays. This one get 4.5 stars from me.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book appears to have been written with the intent of incorporating some really cool science experiments into a plot. It's a gimmick that may be entertaining for the kids, but it results in a hackneyed story replete with cliched plot points.

Scatterbrained scientist? Check.
Mysterious black SUV that isn't a threat at all (and honestly, this isn't really a spoiler)? Check.
Creepy old neighborhood house that is suddenly central to the plot? Check.
Aloof relative who is thrust into the caregiver role even though he's barely able to take care of himself (this one really bugged me)? Check.
Little sister who will participate in her brother's schemes for payment, and who must never be crossed? Check.
Deux ex machina (because they're kids, after all) ending?

Add to that some clunky prose and a lot more expository dialogue than necessary, and you've described this book.

That said, it's a perfectly enjoyable book for the kids. They liked the easy to understand plot. They laughed at the silly things. They enjoyed the cliches because they're too young to recognize them as cliches. I read this one to my boys, and they want to move forward to the next one in the series. And I'll let them. On their own.

[Constantina Păpăluță · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cumva surprinzător, dar cartea aceasta, aparent pentru copii, te învață mult mai multe decât unele cărți mai mature o fac. O aventură interesantă și în același timp atât de periculoasă, te fac să înțelegi, ca și în filmele lui Scooby Doo, că nimic nu e întâmplător și mereu în spatele fiecărui monstru stă de fapt un om.
Îmi place cum povestea îmbină atât tema serioasă și șocantă a răpirii unei fetițe, cât și cea a aventurilor de vară a doi frați gemeni, ai căror invenții într-adevăr poate te vor ajuta în viață. Sunt pe cât de banale, pe atât de utile, interesante și ușoare de confexionat și executat.
Cartea e ușoară de lecturat. Deși uneori ajungi să pierzi un pic interesul din cauza întrebărilor nesfârșite, fără răspunsuri, și a explicațiilor á la Briciul lui Occam, la sfârșit, asemeni unei revelații șocante, îți dai seama de fapt cât de complicată e povestea și cât de uimitor cei doi mici genii reușiseră să o rezolve și să nu se lase bătuți.
Cert este că mi s-a trezit interesul pentru cărți pentru copii. :D

-CG

[Alice Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated that this book doesn't talk down to children. It is fun and very funny without being silly or simplistic: "Occam's razor assumes that life tends to be simple...And sometimes it's not." There are subtle gems that reveal Nick and Tesla's deeper emotions without bogging down the story or distracting from the mystery. It's a testament to the resilience of children. Overall, I was also surprised at how often I was caught by surprise. The DIY gadgets range in degree of difficulty, and I found one or two that even my mechanically-challenged self would be able to make. And, while the story would appeal to science loving children, Nick and Tesla's new friends, DeMarco and Silas, bring their own old school strengths that hilariously make Nick question his and Tesla's tendency to overthink things.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick and Tesla have been sent to their Uncle Newt's for the summer while their parents are in Uzbekistan studying soy beans. They realize it is going to be anything but normal because Uncle Newt forgets to pick them up. When they get to his house via taxi, it's a house of a mad scientist, but he tells them his lab is their lab. So they go down to create a rocket after launching it, it flies over the fence of the local haunted house being renovated. It also took Tesla's necklace with it. When they try to retrieve the rocket and necklace, dogs and mean men chase them off. When they sneak over, there is a girl in a window that tells them to go. Thus the mystery.

Fun adventure mystery with experiments to try. Middle Grade.

[Kirit · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter had to read this in the summer before she started 3rd grade, and I read it along with her (only because the library book was due in a couple of days). It turned out to be delightful summer reading. My 8-year old laughed out aloud several times at the smart humor. I appreciated the excellent use of language, oftentimes prompting us to look the word(s) in the dictionary. I highly recommend it. I’m also curious about the other books in this series, now!

[Heidi A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uncle Newt isn’t the most reliable adult chaperone for their summer. He means well but gets distracted by his experiments and inventing new products. Nick and Tesla have a way of attracting trouble, even the taxi driver realizes this early on when dropping them off from the airport. Perfectly fine book that keeps moving but nothing that wowed me or made me want to read what happens to these twins in their next adventure.

[Angel (Bookn.All.Night) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely adored this one. Nick and Tesla are lot of fun, although a tad chaotic too LOL.

This is perfect for middle school readers. The story will keep their attention and the science projects will entertain their creative side. I really love that this has instructions on how to build/make the ideas the twins have. Definitely one I am sharing with my grandbabies.

I sincerely appreciate Quirk Books for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Clayton Hildebrandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about twins that have to live with their mad scientist uncle because their parents are 'harvesting beans in Uzbekistan', and so they try to get used to it. Later, they realize that on the corner of the neighborhood there is a house with a girl that seems to be stuck, and when they try to help, they realize that it is a little more complicated...