A summer with Uncle Newt turns into a wild ride for 11-year-old twins Nick and Tesla Holt. First there's Uncle Newt himself, a scatterbrained inventor who has them sleeping on a "biomass thermal conversion center"—i.e., a bag of compost. Then there's the creepy old house nearby with locked grounds and guard dogs, where Nick sees a mysterious girl in the window. And what's up with the black SUV following them everywhere? Pflugfelder and Hockensmith get their Nick and Tesla series off to a strong start, with narration divided between the siblings and five plot-related DIY activities interspersed, such as making an "intruder alert system" from a string of Christmas tree lights. Fearless Tesla and sensitive Nick are a tenacious and entertaining team, and their new friends and offbeat uncle create a strong supporting cast. The mystery of the girl in the house is wrapped up nicely, yet the stage is clearly set for future action. Garrett's blue-tinted cartoons accentuate the plot's more dramatic moments, and a sharp overall design, with circuitry diagrams flanking the pages, gives the book a polished, classic look. Ages 9-12. (Nov.)

Gr 3-7—Eleven-year-old twins Nick and Tesla are sent to live with their absentminded Uncle Newt for the summer while their parents are in Karakalpakstan (a region of Uzbekistan) working on soybean irrigation (or are they?). When the kids arrive, their uncle is nowhere to be seen and when they find him glued to his basement laboratory floor in a giant orange blob, it is the first clue that they are in for a wacky summer. The twins have no time to be homesick when strange things start occurring-a black SUV seems to be following them and there's a mysterious girl in a window of a creepy "haunted" house. Befriended by two local kids, the foursome devise clever contraptions designed to outwit ferocious rottweilers (a Mints-and-Soda Fueled Robocat Dog Distracter) and solve the mysterious happenings before it's too late. The authors concoct experiments that science buffs will be delighted to try, with clear instructions and illustrations included (plus safety warnings about having an adult present and helping). Part mystery, part mad science, the story unfolds at a quick pace and is only a smidge far-fetched. With some unexpected plot twists and turns, and a cliff-hanger pointing to the next book in the series, the story will leave readers wondering what mayhem will be forthcoming.—Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA