Frank Einstein and the BrainTurbo

felicisowl - I really liked "Frank Einstein and the Brain Turbo" - it was quirky, it was unexpected, and there was loads of fun for all ages included in this quick read! As an extra bonus for every science fanatic out there, the book has filled to the brim with medical research and facts (you'll probably learn more than a science textbook, in an even more fun way) and wacky, futuristic, even dangerous inventions to keep you on the edge of your seat! But everything begins with the Midville Mud Hens, a local kids baseball team. Unfortunately, Janegoodall, Frank Einstein's friend, can't throw fast enough to make it on the team (she's been practicing all week) and tryouts are tomorrow! And here enters one of her best friends, Frank Einstein, a fourth-grader genius scientist who also has his own lab. Together, Frank, Janegoodall, their friend Watson who is working on his own candy called the da Vinci, and Klink & Klank, two robots of mostly Frank's own invention start thinking, and Frank's brain with gamma brain waves thinks of a hypothesis - if they "boost" the brain, they could possibly get the other systems (circulatory, respiratory, or in Janegoodall's case, muscular) to work faster and better. As Frank Einstein is working on his machine, he starts to think of other ways he could use it positively, like repair some parts of his Grampa Al's memory, for example. However, on the other side of town, Frank Einstein's nemesis T. Edison is working on an invention that can control Midville Park, the United States, and the whole world! He thinks that everyone in the world deserves to be lead by him, as everyone and everything in the world is too stupid to do much better without him - but unfortunately, his evil mastermind plan fails miserably because his invention.. well, to put it simply, fails to work! But once T. Edison sets his eyes on Frank Einstein's incredibly genius Brainturbo (the invention that Frank Einstein had just completed and has great plans for) and suddenly thinks of all the negative ways the machine could be used - as in controlling the world, for example (yup, it's that powerful.) So if it falls in the wrong hands.. it could do anything! Once the BrainTurbo and Klank (Frank Einstein's trusty robot helper and friend) are at the mercy of T. Edison, T. Edison will be impossible - if only he could dispose of the only thing standing in his way, Frank Einstein and his friends. But neither side is willing to give in.. who will win? This book is probably one of my favorite science books ever, because it just has inventions that will have your imagination up and started and it just gives you so many things to think about! I mean, making something that can control the world - it's something you probably can't imagine, even in the far future! I learned a lot of AMAZING science facts that I didn't even know when I was reading this book! I also like how this book touched a little on history, with famous scientists like da Vinci, Einstein, and more mentioned, and also Janegoodall, one of the main characters, surprisingly has almost exactly the same personality as the real Jane Goodall. But.. I hated that the dialogue wasn't witty at all, except for a few jokes which fell mostly flat, and that the characters.. eesh, sorry, but one-sided. This is a common fault, but the book was way too short, and the climax? Even shorter and cheesier, in fact the climax didn't have much connection to the book! At all! But as in all books, some parts are pretty bad and some parts.. well, some parts set my imagination on fire! I'll be sure to read some other books in this series, as this is my first, as...

Can kid genius Frank Einstein improve on the human body? After investigating matter and energy and myriad related topics and scientists along the way, Frank has come to a question concerning anatomy. Can friend Janegoodall's natural pitching skills be augmented somehow in order to win her a spot on the Midville Mud Hens' roster? With the help of candy-loving sidekick Watson, Janegoodall herself, and self-assembled robots Klink (the smart one) and Klank (the...um, cuddly one), Frank works through the various systems of the body, one by one. From an exploration of the senses, he decides that boosting the brain is the best way to boost the body. However, rival genius (term used loosely) T. Edison and his signing sidekick Mr. Chimp try to take control and take credit. How can the good guys win when mind control comes into play? Scieszka's third joke-filled Frank Einstein adventure jam-packed with sneaky science lessons is perfect for young scientists who may prefer fact to fiction. Biggs' ample tricolor (orange, black, and white in this outing) illustrations extend both the story and the science. Aftermatter broadens the fun with additional science facts, puzzles, and even baseball tips. Halfway through the series, the science and the sly (and slapstick) laughs are still going strong. (Science fiction/humor. 6-10) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.