Summary
Nikki is a brilliant inventor, but her brilliance often leads to trouble. Like the gaping hole in the floor of her bedroom so big she can see into the first floor. How could she have known her ferret would get a hold of the death ray she was building?
Nikki’s mom has done a lot to help her genius daughter – home schooling, shielding her from reporters, and moving whenever one of her inventions destroyed something and drew unwanted attention. The world knows Nikki’s father died working on a bomb he planned to use on innocent people. Too many folks would think Nikki was following in his footsteps.
The death ray incident gets Nikki invited to Genius Academy. It’s a school for kids like Nikki, and it has the resources to protect her – and others – from her inventions. If she doesn’t go, her mom could go to jail for a long time. Nikki would do anything for her mother – even risk the bullying and angst of going to a school with other kids again. She doesn’t need to be friends with these people. She just has to stay out of trouble, for her mom’s sake.
Review
I have been looking forward to this for months! And it did not disappoint. I loved the kids at Genius Academy, and I’m eager to see where things go in the series for Nikki.
There’s a lot of great science and history stuff here. Each of the seven kids is named for a real person – Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, Mary Shelly, etc. The book also highlights a variety of types of genius which I loved!
At the core, this is a kid-spy story and a friendship story. Nikki and her peers have a quest to undertake which involves surveillance and investigation. And through all of it, Nikki is trying to maintain the walls she lives behind so no one can embarrass her, hurt her, or betray her. That behavior makes sense with her history and her fears of being vulnerable. But it’s hard to build a team when one member walls herself off. I think there’s a lot here for readers to consider and explore. Don’t miss this one! Book 2, Nikki Tesla and the Fellowship of the Bling, releases in February 2020.