From Powells.com
From hilarious picture books to DIY craft projects, our 22 robot-themed picks for kids are the perfect way to get a little science into your spring.
Synopses & Reviews
New York Times bestseller
"I never thought science could be funny...until I read Frank Einstein. It will have kids laughing." — Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid
"Huge laughs and great science — the kind of smart, funny stuff that makes Jon Scieszka a legend."
— Mac Barnett, author of Battle Bunny and The Terrible Two
Clever science experiments, funny jokes, and robot hijinks await readers in the first of six books in the New York Times bestselling Frank Einstein chapter book series from the mad scientist team of Jon Scieszka and Brian Biggs. The perfect combination to engage and entertain readers, the series features real science facts with adventure and humor, making these books ideal for STEM education. This first installment examines the science of “matter.”
Kid-genius and inventor Frank Einstein loves figuring out how the world works by creating household contraptions that are part science, part imagination, and definitely unusual. In the series opener, an uneventful experiment in his garage-lab, a lightning storm, and a flash of electricity bring Frank’s inventions — the robots Klink and Klank — to life! Not exactly the ideal lab partners, the wisecracking Klink and the overly expressive Klank nonetheless help Frank attempt to perfect his inventions....until Frank’s archnemesis, T. Edison, steals Klink and Klank for his evil doomsday plan!
Integrating real science facts with wacky humor, a silly cast of characters, and science fiction, this uniquely engaging series is an irresistible chemical reaction for middle-grade readers. With easy-to-read language and graphic illustrations on almost every page, this chapter book series is a must for reluctant readers. The Frank Einstein series encourages middle-grade readers to question the way things work and to discover how they, too, can experiment with science. In a starred review, Booklist raves, "This buoyant, tongue-in-cheek celebration of the impulse to 'keep asking questions and finding your own answers' fires on all cylinders," while Publishers Weekly says that the series "proves that science can be as fun as it is important and useful."
Review
"Jon Scieszka's new series has the winning ingredients that link his clever brilliance in story telling with his knowledge of real science, while at the same time the content combination of fiction and non fiction appeals to the full range of the market." Jack Gantos, Dead End in Norvelt
Review
"Kids will love Frank Einstein because even though he is a new character he will be instantly recognizable to the readers...Jon Scieszka is one of the best writers around, and I can't wait to see what he does with these fun and exciting characters." Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl
Review
"Scieszka mixes science and silliness again to great effect." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"In refusing to take itself too seriously, it proves that science can be as fun as it is important and useful." Publishers Weekly
Review
"In the final analysis, this buoyant, tongue-in-cheek celebration of the impulse to 'keep asking questions and finding your own answers' fires on all cylinders." Booklist (Starred Review)
About the Author
Jon Scieszka has sold more than 11 million books, including The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, the Time Warp Trio series, Guys Read, Spaceheadz, and most recently, Battle Bunny with Mac Barnett. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Brian Biggs has collaborated with Garth Nix, Cynthia Rylant, and Katherine Applegate, in addition to working on his own picture books in his Everything Goes series. He lives in Philadelphia.