{"product_id":"nick-and-tesla-and-the-highvoltage-danger-lab-isbn-9781683693796","title":"Nick and Tesla and the High-Voltage Danger Lab","description":"\u003cb\u003eSolve mysteries using DIY science projects with twin sleuths Nick and Tesla in this zany, action-packed adventure by Science Bob for readers ages 9 to 12.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSummer break is about to get weird. After their parents disappear, twins Nick and Tesla are sent to live with their Uncle Newt, an eccentric inventor with his very own science lab. Soon, the young sleuths find themselves investigating a mysterious family right in their own neighborhood. As they race to uncover the truth, Nick and Tesla must build a bottle rocket launcher, a 9-volt battery burglar alarm, and an electromagnet picker-upper to save the day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe first book in the popular Nick and Tesla series features laugh-out-loud jokes, fun illustrations, and five DIY science projects with step-by-step instructions for readers to try at home.“\u003ci\u003eNick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab\u003c\/i\u003e has the perfect formula:  Mega-watts of funny writing plus giga-hertz of hands-on science equals fun to the billionth power!”—Chris Grabenstein, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e best selling author of \u003ci\u003eEscape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Real project blueprints are included along with this tale of 11-year-old siblings who create outrageous contraptions and top-secret gadgets.”—\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“...the combination of exciting elements and innovative DIY projects in action yields a guaranteed pager turner.”—\u003ci\u003eScienceBuddies.org\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“\u003c\/i\u003e[\u003ci\u003eNick and Tesla's High-Voltage Danger Lab \u003c\/i\u003eis] a great way to show kids that problems can often be solved by applying a bit of creative energy with some tech know-how. And Nick and Tesla (and Uncle Newt) are the perfect companions for your young reader looking for some (safe) adventures.”—\u003ci\u003eGeek Dad\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A mystery, adventure, and activity book all rolled into one entertaining story....Plenty of excitement, with science.”—\u003ci\u003eCommon Sense Media\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Part mystery, part mad science...the story will leave readers wondering what mayhem will be forthcoming.”—\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“...a strong start...”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“How do you connect students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) with fiction reading? Look for science adventures. Get started with the NICK AND TESLA series. Each book contains an engaging adventure revolving around a “build-it-yourself” science project.”—\u003ci\u003eTeacher Librarian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Engaging characters and brisk plotting make this a fun and educational read.”—Jennifer Ouellette, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Calculus Diaries \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Physics of the Buffyverse\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A promising first offer in a series that offers plenty of appeal for middle-grade and middle school readers.­”—\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Fun, instructive, and interactive, the Nick and Tesla series is not just entertaining but also a valuable tool for demonstrating to children how enjoyable and beneficial science can be.”—Dr. Jen Harrison, \u003ci\u003eChildren’s Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Suspenseful, funny, and loaded with do-it-yourself robots, rockets, and burglar alarms. Nick and Tesla are an unforgettable new detective team, sure to inspire an entirely new generation of scientists and readers. Can’t wait for the next book!”—Amy Herrick, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Time Fetch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A book with action, adventure, mystery, humor -- and instructions on how to build rockets and robots.  What more could young readers possibly want?  'Nick \u0026amp; Tesla' is a great book that will keep your kids enthralled with its intriguing story -- and inspire them with its clever science experiments.  I can't wait for the further adventures of these fascinating characters.”—Stuart Gibbs, Edgar-nominated author of \u003ci\u003eSpy School\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBelly Up\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I love the book! It combines science, intrigue and great fiction together in a wild ride for the reader. Nothing tickles me more than seeing a story really charged up with science. And the projects are so much fun! More please!”—Lynn Brunelle, four-time Emmy Award–winning writer for \u003ci\u003e“Bill Nye the Science Guy” \u003c\/i\u003eand the author of \u003ci\u003ePop Bottle Science\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What kid wouldn't want to join Nick and Tesla and their wacky family? This is a great way for budding scientists to have fun while exploring the intricacies of physics, chemistry, and more--up close, personal, and hands-on!”—Jane Hammerslough, author of \u003ci\u003eOwl Puke: The Book\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eDino Poop: And Other Remarkable Remains of the Past\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Pflugfelder and Hockensmith debut a captivating series about crime-solving kid inventors in the spirit of Tom Swift and Alvin Fernald. But Nick and Tesla give us what their literary predecessors always omitted: blueprints for whiz-bang inventions that kids can actually build themselves (with some adult assistance). Electromagnets, tracking devices, rockets and the like. Hands-on science has never been so cool.”—Joseph D'Agnese, author of \u003ci\u003eBlockhead: The Life of Fibonacci\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Science Bob” Pflugfelder\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is a science teacher, author, maker, and presenter that knows how to share the world of science like never before. He is a regular guest on \u003ci\u003eJimmy Kimmel Live!\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLive With Kelly and Ryan\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Dr. Oz Show\u003c\/i\u003e, and Nickelodeon’s \u003ci\u003eNicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn\u003c\/i\u003e. His television appearances also include \u003ci\u003eThe Today Show\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHack My Life\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGood Morning America\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHome \u0026amp; Family\u003c\/i\u003e and others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSteve Hockensmith\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eis both a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author (for \u003ci\u003ePride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls\u003c\/i\u003e) and a Best First Novel Edgar Award nominee (for his mystery \u003ci\u003eHolmes on the Range\u003c\/i\u003e). He has two young children and lives near San Francisco.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eScott Garrett\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e is a UK-based freelance illustrator whose clients have included Vodafone, Nestle, VW, GQ, \u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBusiness Week\u003c\/i\u003e, Klutz Books, Faber \u0026amp; Faber and Random House. He lives by the sea in Hastings, East Sussex, with his family.\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eChapter 1\u003cbr\u003e Someone climbed into Joe Devlin’s cab, and he put down his newspaper and looked in the rearview mirror and started to say “Where to?”\u003cbr\u003e      He froze.\u003cbr\u003e      Sitting behind him were a boy and a girl with sad, serious expressions on their faces. They looked like they were eleven or twelve years old.\u003cbr\u003e      There were no adults in sight.\u003cbr\u003e      Two kids getting into a taxi, alone, outside San Francisco International Airport?\u003cbr\u003e      Trouble, Joe’s gut said.\u003cbr\u003e      The boy looked down at a letter he was holding.\u003cbr\u003e      “Five-thirteen Chesterfield Avenue,” he said.\u003cbr\u003e      Joe could hear the paper rustling as he spoke. The boy’s hands were shaking.\u003cbr\u003e      “In Half Moon Bay,” the girl said, her voice firm, resolute. “That’s near here, right?”\u003cbr\u003e      Joe turned around to squint at his would-be passengers. They were dressed like any other kids—T-shirts, jeans, sneakers—yet they seemed subdued and grave in a way that didn’t fit their ages. All they had with them were the letter and two small, black\u003cbr\u003e suitcases and a book each.\u003cbr\u003e       The boy was holding something called \u003ci\u003eA Brief History of Time\u003c\/i\u003e. The girl had \u003ci\u003eTheory of Applied Robotics: Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e      “You’re not running away, are you?” Joe said. “Where are your parents?”\u003cbr\u003e      “No, we’re not runaways,” the girl said. “Our parents are . . . well . . .”\u003cbr\u003e      “They’re in Uzbekistan,” said the boy. \u003cbr\u003e      Joe blinked.\u003cbr\u003e      “Uzbekistan?” he said.\u003cbr\u003e       The boy nodded. “Watching soybeans grow.”\u003cbr\u003e      “Well,” the girl said, “it’s a little more complicated than that.”\u003cbr\u003e      “Oh,” said Joe. “Oooooookay.”\u003cbr\u003e      “We’ve been sent to live with our uncle for the summer,” the boy said. “He was supposed to meet us here, but he didn’t show up.”\u003cbr\u003e       Joe stared at the kids a moment, trying to decide if he believed them. Even if he did, they still looked like trouble. And Joe didn’t like trouble.\u003cbr\u003e      The girl stuffed a hand into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a wad of wrinkled bills.\u003cbr\u003e      “We have ninety-three dollars,” she said.\u003cbr\u003e      The boy reached into his pocket, too. “And fifty-eight cents. That’s enough, right?”\u003cbr\u003e      “Absolutely,” Joe said.\u003cbr\u003e      He turned around and started the engine. And the meter.\u003cbr\u003e      Joe didn’t like trouble. But he did like money.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Every so often, Joe stole a peek at the kids in the rearview mirror. The girl was watching the rolling Northern California hills slide by. The boy was toying with a silver pendant he wore on a chain around his neck. It was shaped like a star.\u003cbr\u003e      “Stop that,” the girl said when she noticed what her brother was doing. “You might break it.”\u003cbr\u003e      “Break what? I still haven’t even figured out what it is.”\u003cbr\u003e      “It’s jewelry, that’s all. A keepsake from Mom and Dad.”\u003cbr\u003e      “Since when have Mom and Dad been into keepsakes?”\u003cbr\u003e      The girl shrugged.\u003cbr\u003e      The boy started picking at the pendant again.\u003cbr\u003e       “Anyway,” he muttered, “I don’t wear jewelry.”\u003cbr\u003e      The girl went back to staring out the window.\u003cbr\u003e      After a moment, though, she pulled out an identical pendant hanging around her neck and began rubbing it absentmindedly.\u003cbr\u003e       About twenty yards behind her, Joe noticed, was a big, black SUV that had been following them for miles. It was probably just a coincidence that it had stayed with them as they went from the airport to 101 South to 92 West. But then again, if Trouble had\u003cbr\u003e to drive, wouldn’t it drive a big, black SUV?\u003cbr\u003e      Joe gave his cab a little more gas.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Joe made the winding drive down to Half Moon Bay at least once a week. Though it was just a speck of a city, it was perfectly situated—nestled on the coast at the edge of a long stretch of lush, hilly forest—and had built up a healthy tourist trade. The town itself\u003cbr\u003e was quiet and quaint and cute. And boring, but the tourists didn’t seem to mind.\u003cbr\u003e      Five-thirteen Chesterfield Avenue was in a nice neighborhood not far from the ocean. The house looked a little shabby, though. The paint was more faded, the driveway more cracked, the yard more choked with weeds than any of its neighbors. Even the mailbox was dented and scorched on one side.\u003cbr\u003e      As Joe’s cab slowed to a stop out front, a lawn mower was going around and around in the yard. No one was going around and around behind it, though.\u003cbr\u003e It looked like a ghost was mowing the lawn.\u003cbr\u003e      Rope ran from the mower to a metal pole in the middle of the yard. The end of the rope was wrapped around the top of the pole in a coil. As the mower moved, the rope unraveled itself, slowly feeding more slack to the mower so it could go in bigger and bigger circles.\u003cbr\u003e      It was a self-mowing lawn.\u003cbr\u003e      “Cool,” said the girl.\u003cbr\u003e      “Uhh,” said the boy.\u003cbr\u003e      He pointed to the pole. The more the mower tugged on it, the more it tilted to the side.\u003cbr\u003e      “Oh,” said the girl.\u003cbr\u003e      The pole sagged, then fell over completely, and the mower rumbled off-course into a neighboring yard. It chewed through row after row of beautifully manicured flowers before rolling over a garden gnome, getting snagged, and—with a screech and a pop and a puff of black smoke—bursting into flames.\u003cbr\u003e      “Well,” the girl said, “cool idea.”\u003cbr\u003e      “Sixty-five dollars,” Joe said.\u003cbr\u003e       The girl counted out the money.\u003cbr\u003e      “And we’re supposed to tip you, right?” the boy said.\u003cbr\u003e      “Don’t worry about it,” said Joe. His conscience was yelling at him not to abandon a couple of kids outside a run-down house with an exploding lawn mower. He needed to leave quick or he might actually listen.\u003cbr\u003e       He glanced at the kids in his rearview mirror as he sped away. They were kneeling beside the fallen pole examining the rope. They looked like they wanted to put the pole back up, find another mower, and try again.\u003cbr\u003e       A little farther down the street, Joe could see the black SUV he’d noticed behind them on the highway. A shadowy figure sat behind the wheel. Whoever it was, he or she seemed to be watching the kids.\u003cbr\u003e       Joe’s gut had been right about those two. They were trouble. Weird trouble.\u003cbr\u003e       As he drove away, fast, Joe made a promise to himself that he planned to keep the next time he was at the airport.\u003cbr\u003e       \u003ci\u003eFrom now on, middle-aged tourists only. Middle-aged tourists only. Middle-aged tourists only. . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “At least we know Uncle Newt’s around here somewhere,” Tesla said.\u003cbr\u003e       “How do we know that?” asked her brother Nick.\u003cbr\u003e       Tesla nodded at the lawn mower. “Who do you think started that?”\u003cbr\u003e       “That doesn’t prove anything,” Nick said. “If you could rig it to mow by itself, you could rig it to start itself, too.”\u003cbr\u003e       “True. Want to go check for a timer?”\u003cbr\u003e       The lawn mower wasn’t burning anymore, but the engine still sizzled and smoldered ominously.\u003cbr\u003e      “Maybe later,” Nick said.\u003cbr\u003e      “All right then.”\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla picked up her suitcase and started toward the house. She’d taken it upon herself to be the leader lately. She was the elder sibling, after all.\u003cbr\u003e      She’d been born twelve minutes before her twin brother.\u003cbr\u003e      Nick got his own suitcase and followed her onto the porch.\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla started to reach for the doorbell. It chimed when her finger was still two feet from the button.\u003cbr\u003e      “Hey,” Tesla said, looking around the porch.\u003cbr\u003e      Nick looked, too.\u003cbr\u003e      “Motion detector?” he said.\u003cbr\u003e       “Could be.”\u003cbr\u003e       Tesla was standing on a welcome mat. Printed on it were the words IF YOU’RE SELLING GIRL SCOUT COOKIES, I’M NOT HOME.\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla noticed a wire running from the mat to the door frame. She stepped off the mat, then back on.\u003cbr\u003e      The doorbell chimed again.\u003cbr\u003e      “Pressure sensor,” Nick said. “Nice.”\u003cbr\u003e      “Yeah. Only, if Uncle Newt’s so smart, how come he wasn’t at the airport?”\u003cbr\u003e      “Mom and Dad always said he was a little . . . off. Maybe he just forgot.”\u003cbr\u003e      “Forgot that his niece and nephew were coming today to live with him?”\u003cbr\u003e      Nick gave his sister a sad, weary shrug.\u003cbr\u003e      Their summer was off to a pretty lousy start. Two days out of school and bang—their trip to Disneyland is canceled, their scientist parents tell them they have to rush to Central Asia to observe dramatic new soybean irrigation techniques, and they’re shipped off to live with the reclusive uncle no one else in the family can talk about without smirking or shivering.\u003cbr\u003e      Fun in the sun it was not.\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla sighed.\u003cbr\u003e      “We’re not here to sell you Girl Scout cookies!” she called out.\u003cbr\u003e      Still no one came to the door.\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla reached for the knob. The door wasn’t locked.\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla opened it.\u003cbr\u003e      “Are you sure you should do that?” Nick said.\u003cbr\u003e      “Why not?” Tesla stepped inside. “This is supposedly our house now, too. For the next three months anyway.”\u003cbr\u003e      “But . . . what if Uncle Newt has, like, a vicious attack dog?”\u003cbr\u003e      “Then it would’ve started barking the second the doorbell rang.”\u003cbr\u003e      “Oh. Right.”\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla moved deeper into the darkness of the house.\u003cbr\u003e       Nick stayed on the porch.\u003cbr\u003e      “What in the—? My begonias!” he heard someone say behind him.\u003cbr\u003e       Nick looked over his shoulder.\u003cbr\u003e       A small but muscular woman in sweaty workout clothes was stepping out of a big shiny car in the neighbor’s driveway. She was gaping in horror at the chewed-up flowerbed and the smoking lawn mower.\u003cbr\u003e       Scowling, she turned toward Uncle Newt’s house. And the scowl didn’t go away when she noticed Nick looking back at her. In fact, it got scowlier.\u003cbr\u003e      Nick smiled weakly, waved, and hurried into the house. He closed the door behind him.\u003cbr\u003e      “Whoa,” he said when his eyes adjusted to the gloom inside.\u003cbr\u003e       Cluttering the long hall in front of him were dozens of old computers, a telescope, a metal detector connected to a pair of bulky earphones, an old-fashioned diving suit complete with brass helmet, a stuffed polar bear (the real, dead kind), a chainsaw, something that looked like a flamethrower (but couldn’t be . . . right?), a box marked KEEP REFRIGERATED, another marked THIS END UP (upside down), and a fully lit Christmas tree decorated with ornaments made from broken beakers and test tubes (it was June). Exposed wires and power cables poked out of the plaster and veered off around every corner, and there were so many diplomas and science prizes and patents hanging (all of them earned by Newton Galileo Holt, a.k.a. Uncle Newt) that barely an inch of wall was left uncovered.\u003cbr\u003e      Off to the left was a living room lined with enough books to put some libraries to shame, a semitransparent couch made of inflated plastic bags, and a wide-screen TV connected by frayed cords to a small trampoline. The ceiling over the trampoline was cracked and cratered, as if someone kept bouncing a little too high. A dented football helmet was lying nearby on the floor.\u003cbr\u003e      To Nick’s right was a dining room with a conveyor belt running to the kitchen, a gas grill built into the middle of the table, and straps and buckles hanging from the ceiling, instead of chairs.\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla was petting a hairless cat that stood on the table licking the frosting off a chocolate cake. As Nick came closer, he saw words written with yellow icing.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e WELCOME\u003cbr\u003e ICK AND TESLA\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e      The cat had eaten the N.\u003cbr\u003e      “So Uncle Newt didn’t forget we were coming,” Nick said.\u003cbr\u003e      “Apparently not,” said Tesla.\u003cbr\u003e      “Where is he, then?”\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla gave the cat a scratch behind one hairless ear. The cat just kept licking at the cake, but now it was purring.\u003cbr\u003e      “I don’t know,” Tesla said. “Maybe the cat ate him, too.”\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla cocked her head to the side.\u003cbr\u003e      “Hey,” she said. “Do you hear something?”\u003cbr\u003e      Nick cocked his head just as his sister had, though he wondered why anyone bothered doing that.\u003cbr\u003e      \u003ci\u003eDoes lifting one ear at an approximately thirty-degree angle really increase one’s ability to detect faint noises?\u003c\/i\u003e he thought. Because he was that sort of kid.\u003cbr\u003e Then he heard it.\u003cbr\u003e      “Someone’s shouting,” he said. “But I can’t make out the words.”\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla cocked her head even more and then bent over, bringing her ear closer to the floor.\u003cbr\u003e      Nick did the same.\u003cbr\u003e      Without a word, Tesla walked out of the dining room and into the kitchen, still tilted to one side. Nick followed at an identical angle.\u003cbr\u003e      On the far side of the kitchen, beside the refrigerator, was a door. It was covered with signs.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e KEEP OUT\u003cbr\u003e PRIVATE PROPERTY\u003cbr\u003e AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY\u003cbr\u003e TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED\u003cbr\u003e HAZARDOUS\u003cbr\u003e FLAMMABLE\u003cbr\u003e POISON\u003cbr\u003e HIGH VOLTAGE\u003cbr\u003e DANGER\u003cbr\u003e BEWARE OF DOG\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e      The word \u003ci\u003eDOG \u003c\/i\u003ehad been crossed out and replaced with \u003ci\u003eCAT\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e      As Nick and Tesla crossed the kitchen, the muffled\u003cbr\u003e cries grew louder.\u003cbr\u003e      Tesla reached out and opened the door. Just beyond it was a dark stairwell.\u003cbr\u003e      Something at the bottom of the stairs hummed and glowed.\u003cbr\u003e      “HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLP!” someone said.","brand":"Quirk Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233432383717,"sku":"NP9781683693796","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781683693796.jpg?v=1767733701","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/nick-and-tesla-and-the-highvoltage-danger-lab-isbn-9781683693796","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}