Spin the Golden Light Bulb

December 1, 2017

Gr 4-6-Eleven-year-old Kia Krumpet is a young inventor who dreams of going to a school where her STEM dreams will flourish. In the year 2071, middle schoolers from around the country are chosen to compete in an invention contest called the Piedmont Challenge where the top prize is a spot at the prestigious Piedmont Inventors Prep School (PIPS). Here, Kia's aspirations of being a great inventor will hopefully come true. She has a lot to live up to as her grandmother was the winner of the very first Piedmont Challenge. After a grueling initial test, Kia is chosen, along with four other students from her school, to compete against students from 49 other states for the chance to win. Even though the five students in Kia's group (affectionately called "The Crimson Five") come from different backgrounds and have various ideas for the winning project, they must band together to prove that they have what it takes to succeed. Young readers who are interested in STEM will find themselves reflected in these characters. An open-ended resolution leaves room for a sequel. VERDICT A strong secondary purchase for those looking to add fiction with a STEM focus to their middle grade collections.-Christopher Lassen, BookOps: The New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library

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