Books for Kids

Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab

Nick and Tesla are bright 11-year-old siblings with a knack for science, electronics and getting into trouble. When their scientist parents leave the country on a mysterious mission, the kids are sent to live with their Uncle Newt, a brilliant (and very eccentric) inventor. It’s not long before Nick and Tesla are embarking on adventures of their own — and engineering all kinds of outrageous contraptions to save their skin. Learning about science has never been so dangerous...or so much fun!

“A mystery, adventure, and activity book all rolled into one entertaining story...Plenty of excitement, with science.” —Common Sense Media
“The authors concoct experiments that science buffs will be delighted to try...Part mystery, part mad science, the story unfolds at a quick pace...With some unexpected plot twists and turns, and a cliff-hanger pointing to the next book in the series, the story will leave readers wondering what mayhem will be forthcoming.” —School Library Journal

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Nick and Tesla’s Robot Army Rampage

When someone steals a priceless comic book from their friend's father, Nick and Tesla set out to get it back using both their sleuthing skills and their techno know-how. With the help of a series of homemade robots (instructions included!), the pair begins gathering clues and identifying suspects. But it turns out the culprit is pretty good at building robots, too — and now the little mechanical menaces are after the kids!

“...wild action interspersed with clear instructions for projects that make liberal use of small motors, plastic bottles and tubing, electric wires and a hot-glue gun...Another fast-paced mystery and treat for technophiles.” —Kirkus
“Nick and Tesla’s adventures in science and mystery-solving are highly entertaining, especially to science-loving kids...a seamless, ingenious blend of science and mystery...We highly recommend this series for middle graders and tweens who love science and building.” —Common Sense Media

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Nick and Tesla’s Secret Agent Gadget Battle

After foiling a gang of kidnappers and fending off an army of robots, 11-year-old siblings Nick and Tesla Holt could use a little rest! But as their third mystery opens, they discover there's a spy in their midst, searching for secrets in the home of their beloved (and slightly crazy) Uncle Newt. Is it the new laboratory assistant? The exterminator? The housekeepers? Or someone completely unexpected? To expose the mystery agent, Nick and Tesla must engineer all kinds of outrageous contraptions, from code wheels and fingerprint powder to spy cameras and burglar detectors. Best of all, instructions are included throughout the story, so you can build the projects, too!

“...this high-speed caper with comical characters, clever kid detectives, and an ever-deepening mystery (with a cliff-hanger, of course) will keep the pages turning.” —Booklist
“Fast-paced, suspenseful and enlivened with grayscale illustrations, this is appealing middle-grade reading… [and] the continuing mystery will keep readers wanting more.” —Kirkus

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Nick and Tesla’s Super-Cyborg Gadget Glove

This time the twins are out to save science itself as they race against the clock to figure out why a robotic assortment of history’s greatest scientists and inventors keeps going haywire. Is this sabotage, robo-geddon…or something more sinister? To unravel the mystery, they’ll have to keep adding all-new gadgets to their cyborg glove as they stay one step ahead of a hidden adversary. Together with zany scientist Uncle Newt and their friends Silas and DeMarco, Nick and Tesla won’t give up until an answer is found…but can they do it before time runs out? In this book, readers will learn how to construct a super-cyborg gadget glove that has four incredible functions: LED signal light, ultra-loud emergency alarm, handy sound recorder and UV secret message revealer. Science and electronics have never been so much fun!

Finalist for the 2015 "Best Juvenile" Edgar Award

“With a compelling mystery and characters you quickly care about, the story is a joy to read not just for young readers, but also for adults.” —The Geek Girl Project
“I'll give the book FIVE STARS! I loved the book. Reading it made me want to build a cyborg gadget glove as soon as possible and get the whole Nick and Tesla book series.” —Super Book Boy, Kids’ Book Review

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Nick and Tesla’s Special Effects Spectacular

In the fifth installment in the series, 11-year-old siblings Nick and Tesla Holt find themselves on the set of a big-budget superhero movie. But someone’s sabotaging the onscreen debut of their favorite comic book hero, so the brother and sister sleuths must crack the case with the help of a fresh assortment of homemade special-effects gadgets. This cinematic saga features instructions for all-new movie magic projects that kids can build themselves, such as camera gear, stunt dummies, make-up magic and more. Science and electronics have never been so much fun!

“It’s another banner book by these science geeks and Quirk Books, who live to make science fun.” —Geeks of Doom
“...fun, quick reads with some sparkling dialogue...something to buy any young mystery readers or scientists in your vicinity.” —In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel

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Nick and Tesla’s Solar-Powered Showdown

Kid inventors Nick and Tesla Holt have outsmarted crooks, spies, and kidnappers. Now they have to crack their biggest mystery yet: Where the heck are their parents? To outwit the criminal mastermind who’s holding their parents hostage, the twins will need all their brainpower, the help of their eccentric Uncle Newt, and an assortment of homemade solar gadgets. Will the Holt family be reunited at last? Or will a hijacked solar satellite beam down doom from the skies? The adventure includes instructions for creating a solar-powered hot-dog cooker, alarm, secret listening device, and model car, plus a nighttime signal cannon that fires illuminated ping-pong balls.

“Science lovers, mystery hounds, and fans of the series will want to follow along to the satisfying conclusion.” —School Library Journal
“MacGyver has nothing on Nick and Tesla — the King and Queen of Inventions ... This book was truly a perfect addition to the series. In fact, this whole series is great for kids (middle school-aged) who love science, mystery, and intrigue — they will love these books! I can't wait to tell my friends to pick up a copy for their kids.” —A Bookish Way of Life

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Secret Smithsonian Adventures: The Wrong Wrights

Schoolmates Dominique, Eric, Josephine, and Ajay are excited about a field trip to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. When they get there, however, they find a very different museum than the one they were expecting. Not only is it much smaller, it’s filled with balloons, blimps and dirigibles, many of them with the same logo: BARRIS AIRSHIPS. Where’s the Spirit of St. Louis? Where’s the Apollo 11 command module? Where’s the Wright Brothers’ 1903 flyer? With the help of a mysterious friend from the museum, they travel through time to try and restore the Wright brothers to their well-earned place in history. Along the way they also learn about aerodynamics and other aviation principles.

“A fun start to what should be an engaging and enlightening series.” —School Library Journal
“The Wrong Wrights is intriguing, fun and educational as a story. The art is great for the medium and the piece. Also, if you don’t actually know the historical story, it would be a great experience to read this with your children! Grab your kid and have fun reading The Wrong Wrights!” —Talking Comics

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