Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray

May 20, 2019
Genius kid Nikola “Nikki” Tesla doesn’t intend for her latest invention—a death ray—to vaporize her bedroom, but sometimes accidents happen, especially to Nikki. Even though she and her mother have moved several times, trying for a fresh start, their connection to Nikki’s father, a brilliant, troubled weapons-inventor known to have perished in a lab explosion, always follows them. In addition to reporters, Nikki’s latest incident attracts two mysterious agents, who invite her to enroll in a special boarding school: the Genius Academy. She was bullied badly at her last school, so she’s reluctant to accept this new offer. But after an agent blackmails her by threatening to arrest her mom, Nikki reluctantly agrees. At the Academy, she discovers a group of six other geniuses: Charlotte Darwin, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Grace O’Malley, Adam Mozart, and Mary Shelley. Instead of classes, the students are tasked with saving the world, X-Men–style. The latest threat? Nikki’s death ray has been stolen. This fast-paced caper features plot twists galore and a main character who confronts her past and learns that she can make friends along the way. A lively series kick-off. Ages 8–12.

June 1, 2019

Gr 4-6-Twelve-year-old Nikki Tesla and her pet ferret Pickles have been sent to the Genius Academy, where she can make inventions in her own laboratory without the threat of blowing up her home. Nikki has never been good at making friends, and she has no intention of making any at this school, either. That is, until her death ray is stolen. Now she has to learn how to work with her classmates as they race around the globe piecing together clues to save the world from destruction by an evil villain. Occasionally the plot is lost as Nikki explains repeatedly why she doesn't want or need friends, but it comes back around. Each Genius Academy student (Leo da Vinci, Charlotte Darwin) is modeled on a notable historical figure. Most of the personages referenced were white and European, though the characters named after them appear more diverse in the book's illustrations. The integration of art and geography into the science fiction plot is seamless. The end pages contain information about the real Nikola Tesla and his possible invention of a death ray. VERDICT Readers will enjoy this fast-paced adventure.-Julie Overpeck, Holbrook Middle School, Lowell, NC

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 15, 2019
The Genius Academy turns out to be about more than dull classwork, as a lonely young inventor discovers. Unable, despite her mother's earnest pleas, to stop concocting devices like the death ray that blows a hole through the floor, Nikola reluctantly agrees to be shipped off to a (supposed) boarding school for geniuses. Hardly has she arrived, though, than the death ray is stolen and Nikki discovers that she and her six classmates are actually a team of secret agents employed to save the world on a regular basis. Fortunately, the young folk are an unusually talented bunch. Unfortunately, Nikki has a lot to learn about teamwork, trust, and friendship before the trail of clues dropped by the thief leads to a tense and twisty climax. Cleverly modeling her preteen cast on a gallery of historical geniuses, Keating has done her homework: Nikki reflects her near namesake not only in her work on electrical inventions, but also in other respects from eidetic memory to deep-seated distrust of others. Likewise, her associates include sharply observant Mary Shelley, musical and math prodigy Adam "Mo" Mozart, biology whiz Charlotte Darwin, and multiskilled Leo da Vinci. The white default is in place, but the kids' adult overseer has dark skin, and in Marlin's illustrations so do Mo and charismatic team leader Grace O'Malley. Full STEAM ahead on a series debut equally charged with personal issues and science in (dramatic) action. (author's note) (Science fiction. 10-13)

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May 1, 2019
Grades 3-6 Everything is going great with Nikki Tesla's latest invention?a death ray, no less?until her ferret, Pickles, gets her paws on it and blasts a hole in the floor. Hey, accidents happen! But for Nikki's mother, it's one accident too many, which is how the young inventor ends up at the Genius Academy?an elite boarding school for brilliant kids. Ferret and inventions in tow, Nikki is immediately plunged into dangerous situations?for example, teamwork and saving the world. Having extensive experience with being bullied, she has no intention of trusting the academy's other six students, all playfully named after some of history's greatest minds: Leo (da Vinci), Charlotte (Darwin), Mary (Shelley), Mo (Mozart), Al (Einstein), and Grace (O'Malley). However, when Nikki's death ray is stolen, she is forced to work with the academy kids to recover the ray. Keating's action-packed mystery kicks off her new Elements of Genius series, which combines intelligence with superhero appeal. Nikki's comical narration is printed on graph-paper pages and embellished by illustrations, all of which give STEM a fun new spin.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)