Nick and Tesla's Secret Agent Gadget Battle

By: "Science Bob" Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith
Illustrated By: Scott Garrett
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publication Date: May 2014
ISBN: 978-1-59474-676-5
Reviewed By: Kristi Benedict
Review Date: April 29, 2014

In the newest book in the 'Nick and Tesla' series, trouble seems to always surround the pair. Just a couple short weeks after this dynamic eleven-year-old duo solved a kidnapping they have now discovered that they are being watched by a spy! After hearing an alarming message from their mother warning them to be cautious of everyone, the siblings are instantly on high alert for anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly everyone who Nick and Tesla come in contact with becomes a potential suspect and when some unexpected guests come to Uncle Newt's house, the list of potential spies becomes larger and larger. Housekeepers, exterminators, a new lab assistant, and Uncle Newt's potential love interest all find themselves on the list of suspects. However, when Tesla's pendant disappears there is no doubt that the person looking for them is lurking within the walls and watching their every move.

Now the gadgets come out as Nick and Tesla plot to capture this thief/spy red-handed by using Nick's pendant as bait. Putting all of their greatest scientific ideas together and with the help of their friends Silas and DeMarco, this brother and sister team identify fingerprints, plant hidden cameras, and set alarms to catch the unknown spy. The sky is the limit when this team puts their heads together to solve a case and keep each other safe from the unseen dangers they will soon be facing.

This is now the second book in this series that I have read and in regards to the gadgets being showcased this book once again did not disappoint. It does not take long for these siblings of science to put their brains together and come up with amazing inventions that I could never have imagined. It is great reading a book for middle school age kids that shows science in such a positive and intriguing light. The first Nick and Tesla story I read was the High-Voltage Danger Lab and with that book an element of mystery was also added to the concept of science. In this book, Secret Agent Gadget Battle there was not quite as much mystery which I do admit I missed, for it was easy for me to keep the pages turning when I was trying to solve the kidnapping right along with Nick and Tesla in the High-Voltage Danger Lab. With this book I did not get that excitement quite as fast.

However, this book was still very well written and I read straight through it in one sitting wanting to know if the gadgets worked for Nick and Tesla. With the warning message from their mother a new element of danger descended on the story which makes me think that the adventures are definitely going to continue for this brother and sister duo and I'll be eagerly waiting to read the next installment of this series.

Quill says: The new gadgets and in this next story of Nick and Tesla definitely do not disappoint giving the reader another great read!