An exciting adventure book for children. I found the book to be entertaining to read. My copy of the book was an advance reading copy, so it was missing a few illustrations, which was sad because the illustrations enhanced the book. Go out and buy this book, the kids will love it! ( )

For middle graders who enjoy a scientific mystery with fun and adventure. This story proves it pays to be smart. A brother and sister team along with a few quirky characters definitely add to the entertainment. Throw in a few robots with how to make instructions and you've got a dynamite book. I received a copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )

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 ( )

Ironically, when I first got this book, I had no children and just wanted it for myself. But now, there's a kid, so I re-read it with him in mind. I really love the way this mixes storytelling with DIY, and genuinely wish more books did this. It's such a brilliant way to do things, I have no idea why more books, especially books for children and young adults, don't take this sort of approach. Great fun and very clever. Super thanks for sending me an ARC of this. ( )

It's satisfying to have a good science-kid story to read to my daughter. The writing left a little to be desired (especially reading it out loud), but the satisfaction of techno swashbuckling made it a win anyway.