Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray
(Elements of Genius #1)

Author

Jess Keating

Illustrator

Lissy Marlin

Publication Date

May 05, 2020

Genre / Grade Band

Fiction / 4^th − 5^th

Language

English

Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray (Elements of Genius #1)

Paperback

Currently out of stock

Description

Let the official record show that, I, Nikki Tesla, did not intend to destroy the world. There are only so many times a kid can invent an instrument of global destruction without getting grounded. So when Nikki's death ray accidentally blows up her bedroom (if you can call a pet ferret with an itchy trigger finger an accident), she's sent to the only place that can handle her. Genius Academy is a school for history's greatest brains. Leo da Vinci? Charlotte Darwin? Bert Einstein? All extraordinary. Yet even among her fellow prodigies, Nikki feels like an outsider thanks to a terrible secret she can't let anyone discover. Ever. But when her death ray is stolen, Nikki must stop worrying about fitting in and learn to play nice with her new classmates. Because it doesn't take a genius to track a thief around the world, outwit the authorities, and keep a French fry-fanatic ferret happy. It takes all of them.

Publication date

May 05, 2020

Genre

Fiction

ISBN-13

9781338295207

Lexile Measure

660

Publisher

Scholastic Press

Series

Elements of Genius

BISAC categories

Kirkus

Starred Review

Full STEAM ahead on a series debut equally charged with personal issues and science in (dramatic) action.

ALA/Booklist

Publishers Weekly

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.

Jess Keating

Jess Keating is a zoologist-turned-author who writes with the sort of wisdom you can only get from multiple crocodile bites and skunk sprays. She's received oodles of state awards and starred reviews for her books, which include the World of Weird Animals nonfiction series and the biographies Shark Lady and Ocean Speaks. She also dabbles in illustration, has her own Youtube Channel, and runs a blog that's popular with teachers and librarians for its exploration of STEM subjects and the writing process. Jess lives with her husband in Ontario, Canada.

Michelle Mee Nutter graduated with a BFA in Illustration from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, 3x3 Illustration, Creative Quarterly and she is the illustrator of the graphic novel Allergic. Nutter lives in Boston, Mass.

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Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray
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