Mad Scientist School

This new series is the perfect starting place for getting your kids into inventing and experimenting – don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab

by “Science Bob” Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith

Quirk Books, ISBN: 978 1 59474 648 2

When siblings Nick and Tesla’s parents are suddenly called away, they are sent to stay with their uncle Newt, who they quickly realize is not accustomed to taking care of others. He is something of a mad scientist and inventor, and the kids have clearly inherited some of the same genes, as they soon start using stuff from his lab to create their own devices.

After a rocket carries away Tesla’s necklace, the two try to find their way into the heavily guarded property where it landed, and find themselves embroiled in a mystery – why is it so guarded, what’s going on there, and who is that girl they saw in a window? Enlisting more inventions and some neighbourhood kids, they make it their mission to get to the bottom of all of it.

This book is a fun romp made possible thanks to absent or absent-minded adults, a lab full of gear at the disposal of two clever kids, and something fishy to investigate. Their uncle and his bizarre inventions provide some comic relief and occasional inspiration, and for those kids who might be curious about how some of these things work, there are diagrams and instructions that let you try them at home. Fun and clever, a perfect pick for a budding scientist or would-be inventor at the roughly grade 2-3 level.