Nikki Tesla and the Fellowship of the Bling (Elements of Genius Series #2)

by Jess Keating, Lissy Marlin (Illustrator)

Overview

Ocean's 11 meets Spy School in this hilarious illustrated middle-grade adventure series featuring the world's greatest tween geniuses.

"For a group of geniuses who are supposed to help people, we do an awful lot of stealing."

Nikki Tesla and the rest of the Genius Academy team have agreed to pilfer a completely priceless, totally lethal high-tech ring. Why? Because a mad scientist on a power trip plans to use it to do some serious damage. And because the very same mad scientist has kidnapped Mary Shelley. Mess with one genius, and you mess with them all.

But mostly they're planning the heist of the century so Nikki can get to know her long-lost father who claims he isn't the criminal mastermind she believes him to be. After all, if a little international thievery can protect the world from evil, it just might save Nikki's family.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338295252
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/04/2020
Series:	Elements of Genius Series , #2
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	573,199
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	660L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

As a zoologist and author, Jess Keating has been sprayed by skunks, bitten by crocodiles, and victim of the dreaded paper cut. Her books blend science, humor, and creativity, and include the acclaimed My Life Is a Zoo middle-grade trilogy and award-winning picture books, like Shark Lady and Pink Is for Blobfish. Jess lives in Ontario, Canada, where she loves hiking, nerdy documentaries, and writing books for curious and adventurous kids. Jess can be found online at www.jesskeatingbooks.com or on Twitter at @Jess_Keating.
Originally from the Dominican Republic, illustrator Lissy Marlin has a simple mission: bring a little bit of magic to everyday life one piece of art at a time! She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Elements of Genius #1: Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray:

* "Full STEAM ahead on a series debut equally charged with personal issues and science in (dramatic) action." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Keating's action-packed mystery...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." — Booklist

"Nikki is a heroine readers will want to tag along with in the promised series...[which] calls up Disney's Kim Possible, an apt echo as fans of that show will enjoy the female-led action here." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"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." — Publishers Weekly

Praise for My Life Is a Zoo:

* "Humor, poignancy and fascinating zoological facts infuse the narrative with a warm conversational tone that welcomes readers into the drama that is middle school." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "With her trademark kid-oriented wit and lighthearted touch, Keating leads readers through the daily emotional ups and downs of the typical just-turned-teenager." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

From the Publisher

02/28/2020

Gr 3–7—In the second book in the "Elements of Genius" series, Nikki Tesla and her classmates from the Genius Academy are sent to the Galapagos Islands. Their task is to find a ring that allows its wearer to shape-shift; what science calls "cellular realignment." The ring is also a lethal weapon that a criminal mastermind can sell to the highest bidder. During their adventures, Nikki manages to find her father who has been presumed dead for seven years. She must decide if he is the terrible person she believed him to be, or a loving father who acted in her best interest all along. The Galapagos setting could have been more important, but in the end it is just an island where the story takes place. Nikki's reluctance to trust her father is a constant source of conflict, as is the need to capture the bad guy's technology. The plot is definitely action-driven, and sometimes the action moves so fast that it might confuse readers who take breaks during their reading. Nikki's reunion with her father opens new opportunities for future installments. VERDICT While not as strong as the first in the series, this adventure will please young fans of science fiction. Purchase if Nikki Tesla has proven popular with patrons.—Julie Overpeck, Gardner Park Elementary School, Gastonia, NC

School Library Journal

2019-09-24
Nikki works through abandonment issues while joining the rest of her Genius Academy class in taking on a mad, bad scientist.

In a storyline high on angst and action but airily free of internal logic, the Genius Academy squad is abruptly dispatched to the Galápagos Islands to find a hidden ring with unknown but dangerous "technologies." Could the mission have anything to do with Nikki's long-thought-dead criminal father or a similar ring made by his rival? Keating continues to name and model her cast after actual historical figures; it's a cute tweak, but she squanders any scientific could-be-ism as, in a cloud of vague references to "cellular realignment" and "nanomachines," she has the rings magically transform wearers into another person, animal, or monster (clothes included) with a wish backed by any strong emotion. Being so obsessed and enraged by her dad's long absence, for example, that she has trouble thinking of anything else, Nikki turns out to be a dab hand at changing herself and others into ferrets…a skill that plays a crucial role in the climax as the "crazed" but clever baddie, despite violent mood swings oddly reminiscent of Nikki's own, nearly pulls off a slick escape. In all, it's a sad follow-up to a promising first outing. Nikki presents white; her fellow geniuses are diverse.

A slapdash contraption made up of contrivances and losing STEAM at every joint. (Science fantasy. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews