This is a great read-aloud for classrooms. It has a lot of "teachable moments" woven into the story flawlessly. Examples include: names of world places, important dates, math examples from experiments. This doesn't even include the HARD science included. Great book for incorporating all subjects into a fun story. Highly reccommended

Such a fun read! I was hooked from the first page and I can't wait to share this with my children and students. These books are Frank Einstein meets Wimpy Kid with fun drawing, science experiments and commentary throughout. In this first book in the series we meet Nick and Tesla - buddy adventurers and scientists. I can't wait to read more in the series.

Very cute and totally age appropriate.

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. Approximate lexile: 750.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance reader e-books.