Excellent first book on this series! Nick is your average kid living in a family of unique geniuses. I loved the characters and the steampunk theme throughout. It had an old world feel with some modern tech!

I would absolutely recommend this for kids that are interested in science, robots, tech, and it was a pleasure to read aloud.

Charming novel, I can’t wait to read #2 in this series and hope it continues on after that, too!

Fun read for young readers! An easily digestible story about finding your own strengths. Looking forward to recommending this.

When I requested this book, I thought it was a picture book for younger kids but it turned out to be a longer book for middle graders. I liked the cover but as for the story, my kids, aged 9 and 11 just weren’t interested. It was hard to keep their attention. They like inventions but Everything was robots.

I loved the characters in this book, although they were rather <I>interesting</I>. They did weird things and dressed strange as well.
But, Nick who is not a genius like his family and friends, was hilarious!! While his family and friends were inventing all sorts of neat things, he was in the side-lines watching. He was named after his Grandfather who was also an inventor - he made the first mechanical heart, which obviously isn't possible yet?

Why the two less stars? Well, the whole book is about inventions (which isn't bad) and a lot of them are robots! Now, I don't dislike robots, but I don't really like them either. I didn't exactly find it interesting to read about, but I'm sure someone else might!!
I also think there's something odd about the timeframe of this book, although it never says what year it is. With all the inventions and strange-way-of dressing, it feels like it's sometime in the future, but other times, it doesn't feel that way. So yeah, I don't know.

I recommend this to young readers, as I'm sure they'd enjoy it more than I did!

*I received a copy of this book from its publisher on NetGalley

I enjoyed this Middle Grade story and its charming illustrations. My rating 4.5.

Nick Newton is a fourth grader who is not a genius like his parents and his older sister. His mother is a genius scientist and his father is a genius artist. His annoying sister, Erma, is a child prodigy with several talents. Nick’s testing reveals he is a normal kid and won’t be able to attend the school for the genius children. This sets his parents on a search for an appropriate alternative school.

Meanwhile, Nick is happy to be working on a project he found in the attic, among his grandfather’s things. His grandfather, for whom Nick is named, was a war hero and famous inventor of weapons. Nick is sure that greandfather developed other things besides war weapons. Nick has found the parts of a clockwork bird and instructions and he is intent on piecing the bird together.

When Nick begins his new school the founder of the school, Mr. Volk, wants Nick’s mechanical bird as a collector’s piece. Nick is cautious of the man especially in light of negative rumors regarding him and his robotic inclinations. Will Nick be safe in the school and can he protect his treasured clockwork bird? Can they unlock the secrets hiding in grandfather’s locked trunk?

This is a fun story with engaging, uncomplicated illustrations. The secondary characters, including his family, the butler and Mr. Volk, have their individual charming, quirks which add interest. The story reads easily and I think middle school students would certainly enjoy this as I did. Nick learns from mistakes and adventures as all normal children should/can. I enjoyed Nick’s discoveries and realizations at the end of the story even though the ending seemed a bit abrupt.

The tag words at Amazon include "Christian" however I did not see any overt religious message. I think perhaps the implications of a mechanical heart may be involved in that tag. I do recommend this especially for students (and adults) who enjoy clockwork or model elements and a little mystery too. I am encouraging my eight-year-old granddaughter to try the story.

I received this title through NetGalley.

First let me Thank Netgalley for this digital copy. This is a very cute Steampunk'ish book. It follows a little boy named Nick Newton, son of a genius mother and father. Nick was tested and found that he is not a genius so he had to go to a new school for average kids. Nick loved to hear stories about the war that his grandfather invented weapons for and all his other creations. I don't want to go into the story more as to not spoil it but I do recommend this book to everyone of all ages.

Really liked this back,,, just wished it wasn't so short...

Currently on a cruise ship with very expesive internet. Will write long review when I get home in January.

19%
Why DNF? Not enough is happening, it feels like the same thing happens each chapter
Liked: The art, idea of kid who is not genius among genius family

What a fun middle grade read! Nick is surrounded by a family of geniuses yet finds out that he is only normal. And yet, it doesn't seem to bother him all that much - he knows his parents still love him. The beginning of the book focuses on Nick finding a box of parts and a diagram for them left by his grandfather, another genius inventor and war hero. He wants to put the pieces together but faces multiple failures. I loved how each failure ended with Nick's resolve to try again the next day. The second half of the book focuses on Nick and his quest to learn more about his grandfather and has him working to open a trunk in the attic. It was fun to see how Nick tackled his research. I would read more books about Nick and his quirky and fun family!

I received an eARC from the publisher; this is my honest review.

Nick Newton is not a Genius by S.E.M. Ishida is a children's book about a boy from a family of geniuses. Nick is not a genius, he is a merely average boy from the country of Thauma. He may not be brilliant like his mom and dad or a child prodigy like his sister, but he won’t let that stop him from uncovering the mysteries of a clockwork factory or revealing a war hero’s greatest secret. With help from two new friends and his butler named Jude, Nick embarks on an adventure that will change his life forever.

Nick Newton is not a Genius is a good story about Nick Newton, trying to live up to his family name while still using his unique perspective and interest to be happy. I like that his skill set is still outstanding, but not considered on par with his family's based on standard measures. However, his intelligence just takes a different path. Sometimes being different, and thinking differently, is the key to being happy. I was glad to see Nick's journey being one that highlights this idea rather than him suddenly wowing the world by really being who they wanted him to be. I liked that most characters ended up being different than the perceptions others had about them. I would have liked a little more information on the world the story was taking place in, and its particulars. I feel like we were kind of dropped into a story and missing an introduction, and then we were missing a bit of an ending. While there was a conclusion, there was just way too much unanswered to make me happy. I really wanted more, on both ends of the story. Part of this was because I liked the world and the characters and honestly wanted to know more about them all, and part of it was that I do not feel like I got the whole picture.

Nick Newton is not a Genius held my interest and told a story about finding yourself, and being happy with your own gifts. My only biggest issue with the book is the ending. It was left open ended, with clear paths of continuation. I felt more like I was missing the last chapter than there was a sequel to come.

I enjoyed this book a lot (even though this review may not make it look that way. The thing is that I struggle with reviewing short books). I'm going with 5 stars here!

1: This book is perfect for third-fifth graders I would say. It was a pretty quick read for me, but it'd probably not be for them.

2: This was a really unique book. I've never read a children's book quite like it(especially from this publisher). The plot was really creative! And it had a really happy, satisfactory, fulfilling ending.

3: I loved all the characters. They were really well-rounded, especially for a kid's book! And unique! Especially Jude! Also, don't believe all the rumors you hear about people, especially about them being robots! Plink is so cute! She's guaranteed to capture the heart of every reader! I want a Plink!

4: The pictures and especially the cover are all amazing!

5: I laughed (a lot) with this book! Especially finding out who the owner of the purple mansion was. This book will probably have kids in stitches!

(This review will be shared on my blog, Pinterest, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter on Feb 21)

This is a fun book for children ages 8-12 and their parents. The main character is a perfectly normal little with average intelligence who lives with a family of eccentric geniuses. I loved all the characters from the mom who is obsessed with making things fly--many of them with her baby along for the ride to the rude sister, and somewhat absent minded, artist father. There is also a butler who has a secret and the grandfather who passed away but is very important to the story.

I hope this is the first book in a series, because there appears to be more interesting things in the attic to be discovered, and inquiring minds will be anxious to find out what Nick discovers next.

You’ll want to check this one out! What a great mystery! This was a page-turner for sure. The people were very creative and funny. The book is well put together with a great story line. It was not predictable and it kept the attention of all ages of readers (elementary, middle school, and high school). We are looking forward to reading it again soon!