The Jim Henson Company introduces young readers to a new sci-fi high school. A genre that has garnered a lot of popularity in the last few years, but was predominately geared toward girls due to the main characters. While I do have girls, they also love science and science fiction novels.
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I like that the first story starts out with the main character not knowing who he is and where he was. It’s a unique way to be introduced to a character. Especially when you’re at a school with a bunch of scientists. Unlike other genres that have the children of fairytale creatures or are younger versions of superheroes, Franken-Sci High is home to children of famous scientists along with fresh new faces. As you meet new characters, you also learn about their famous parents and the things they discovered or created.
The series is written by Mark Young, a multiple Emmy winner who has written and produced animated TV shows for Netflix, Disney, Nick Jr., ABC, CBS, and NBC. The book features art that is illustrated by Mariano Epelbaum, an illustrator and character designer from Buenos Aires.
From the publisher:
Franken-Sci High is the ONLY school in the world for aspiring mad scientists and it’s located on a craggy island in the Bermuda Triangle, of course! The school was founded in 1536 as a refuge for generations of brilliant—and yes, eccentric—young minds. Students are encouraged to use their brainpower for good, but the teachers accept that some kids will still want to take over the world…and the school cafeteria.
In the first book in the series, What’s the Matter with Newton?, Newton Warp is a mystery, even to himself: He wakes up one day in the library with no idea of who he is, how he got there, or where he came from. Newton is quickly assigned to a dorm and makes a friend: Shelly Ravenholt, who creates living, breathing monsters for fun. He’s eager to find out who his family is, but this is high school after all, and he soon has other problems: Newton has to create a last-minute project for the Mad Science Fair and Shelly’s friend Theremin (a robot) is really jealous of him. And that’s not all: the other students at Franken-Sci High soon realize that Newton has a few useful, but surprising quirks. Wherever Newton came from, they start to suspect that he’s not entirely human!
In the second book, Monsters Among Us, Newton Warp’s friends notice he’s being followed around by a strange new professor, Dr. Flubitus, but have no idea why. Newton wonders if it has something to do with the barcode on his foot. He doesn’t have much time to dwell on it, though, because soon there are reports of a giant monster loose on campus! Shelly assumes a school for mad scientists would have top-notch security against monsters, nosy tourists, and other invaders, but soon she and her friends Newton and Theremin discover a gaping loophole in the system. If a marauding monster can find its way to the school’s secret location in the Bermuda Triangle and figure out how to open a portal to the campus, anyone else could get in, too! Then Shelly finds out she might be the reason the monster is there in the first place…
We are reading the books together before bedtime and Squish really loves them. She is such a S.T.E.M. Girl and anytime she hears about something interesting she wants to explore it until she fully understands.
What’s the Matter with Newton? and Monsters Among Us! books are available now!
I would love this book for my son. He loves the Muppets and I think he would like this.