A review by jbrooxd
Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray (Elements of Genius #1), Volume 1 by Jess Keating, Lissy Marlin
4.0
A fun addition to the spy-kid genre. My favorite thing about this was the fact that the term "genius" was broadly applied to not only math and science but also to writing and leadership and psychological skills.
At its core, this is a friendship story that really digs into the desire to protect yourself when you have been hurt before and weighing the costs and benefits of opening yourself up to potential friends after being hurt. At times, it can be hard to "like" Nikki because she is holding so much of herself back and pushing the others away. But the author does a great job of showing early on WHY Nikki is doing that, so the reader knows it's okay to hope that with some time, Nikki will warm up to her team and give them a chance. Science pieces as well as some history (all of the kids are named for historical figures), but never anything that would be over the heads of any middle grade reader. A terrific series launch with a great cliffhanger right at the end to propel kids to book 2 (Feb 2020).
At its core, this is a friendship story that really digs into the desire to protect yourself when you have been hurt before and weighing the costs and benefits of opening yourself up to potential friends after being hurt. At times, it can be hard to "like" Nikki because she is holding so much of herself back and pushing the others away. But the author does a great job of showing early on WHY Nikki is doing that, so the reader knows it's okay to hope that with some time, Nikki will warm up to her team and give them a chance. Science pieces as well as some history (all of the kids are named for historical figures), but never anything that would be over the heads of any middle grade reader. A terrific series launch with a great cliffhanger right at the end to propel kids to book 2 (Feb 2020).