Nick and Tesla's Special Effects Spectacular: A Mystery with Animatronics, Alien Makeup, Camera Gear, and Other Movie Magic You Can Make Yourself!

By Science Bob Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith

What do a pair of kid inventors with a knack for science and electronics do when Hollywood comes to town? Why save the day, of course!

In Nick and Tesla’s Special Effects Spectacular, 11-year-old siblings Nick and Tesla Holt find themselves on the set of a big-budget superhero movie. But someone’s sabotaging the onscreen debut of their favorite comic book hero, so the brother and sister sleuths must crack the case with the help of a fresh assortment of homemade special-effects gadgets. This cinematic saga features instructions for all-new movie magic projects that kids can build themselves, such as camera gear, stunt dummies, make-up magic, and more. Science and electronics have never been so much fun!

“How do you connect students interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) with fiction reading? Look for science adventures. Get started with the Nick and Tesla series. Each book contains an engaging adventure revolving around a ‘build-it-yourself’ science project.”—Teacher Librarian

“Real project blueprints are included along with this tale of 11-year-old siblings who create outrageous contraptions and top-secret gadgets.”—Los Angeles Times

• Language: English
• Publisher: Quirk Books
• Release date: May 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781594747809

Science Bob Pflugfelder

"Science Bob" Pflugfelder is an elementary school teacher based in Newton, Massachussetts. He has made many television appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Live with Kelly and Michael, The Dr. Oz Show, and other media outlets. These are his first books.

Book preview

sense.

There was a muffled boom, and then the whole house seemed to rise about half an inch before slamming down again. The lights flickered but stayed on.

Nick and Tesla Holt listened intently. After a moment, they could hear faint coughing coming from downstairs.

I’m all right! their uncle said from the basement. You don’t have to call the fire department this time! Uncle Newt was an inventor and a scientist, and he’d recently set aside his favorite project—a compost-powered vacuum cleaner—to begin work on something that he wouldn’t tell his niece and nephew about. It’s a surprise! Uncle Newt shouted, coughing a bit more. That was all he ever said about his new endeavor, no matter how many times Nick and Tesla asked him about it.

It would really be a surprise, Nick said to his sister, if his ‘whatever-it-is’ didn’t blow up all the time.

He could be tinkering with a new flavor of ice cream, and there’d be a 99 percent chance it would go up in flames, Tesla said to her twin brother. They’d known their uncle only since the beginning of the summer, when they’d been sent to stay with him in Half Moon Bay while their parents traveled abroad. But they’d soon realized that anything their inventor uncle happened to be working on was prone to exploding.

Nick was sitting on the floor of the bedroom he and Tesla shared, hunched over a battered but functional laptop (which they also shared). He shrugged at Tesla and then looked down again at the computer. When he clicked the mouse, a black-and-white image of a man with dark hair and a thick mustache, dressed in old-fashioned clothes, appeared on the screen. Tesla recognized the man instantly.

It was Tesla. Nikola Tesla, that is. The brilliant, eccentric inventor after whom she and Nick (Nikola, according to his birth certificate) had been named by their parents. (Who were also scientists but, unlike Uncle Newt, had never blown anything up. At least as far as Nick and Tesla knew.)

Nick scrolled down and another image slid into place: a long, single-story brick building with, looming over it, a tower topped by a huge, bulbous dome.

Tesla recognized this picture, too. It showed Wardenclyffe Tower, which was sometimes called Tesla Tower. Nikola Tesla had built it over a century ago. It was supposed to transmit electric power through the air like radio signals … except it had never worked properly.

Nick had been obsessively researching wireless power transmission for days. He was convinced it had something to do with their mom and dad’s disappearance. Supposedly their parents had left the twins with Uncle Newt so that they could fly to Uzbekistan to research soybean irrigation. Yet they had been out of touch ever since, and Nick and Tesla eventually found themselves being shadowed by spies and government agents. It was one of those agents who’d suggested that wireless energy transfer, the kind that Nikola Tesla tried to invent, had something to do with their parents’ vanishing.

You know, Nick said, without looking up from the laptop, someone with a real, working Tesla Tower could put every oil and gas company out of business overnight. Maybe that’s why it has to be such a big secret.

And someone with a real, working magic wand could turn the Great Lakes into chocolate syrup and put Hershey’s out of business, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen, Tesla answered.

Yeah, well, we’re a lot closer to having wireless power transmission than we are to magic wands. Now that he was getting excited, Nick looked up at his sister to continue the debate. "That solar power company Solanow has a prototype energy emitter, right?¹ And the Japanese government wants to build a network of space-based solar power transmitters.² And—"

I’m just glad Uncle Newt’s not working on wireless power transmission, Tesla said, interrupting her brother. If he were, every electrical appliance on the West Coast would’ve exploded already.

Ha, Nick said mirthlessly, and then he went back to staring at the computer screen.

Hey, Tesla said, trying not to sound like she’d been planning to ask this question the whole time, "why don’t you take a break and come help me? I need to build a stabilizer for Silas’s video camera. Something that’ll help him get cool, smooth shots. He’s at DeMarco’s house right now filming his superhero movie. You know, Bald Eagle: The Legend Takes Flight. You should see DeMarco’s little sister Elesha in that green alien makeup we made for them."

Tesla was talking about Silas Kuskie and DeMarco Davison, the only friends she and her brother had made (so far) during their stay in Half Moon Bay. Nick believed that no normal kids would want the kind of trouble that he and his sister tended to get into. But DeMarco was an adrenaline junkie, always up for something exciting and a little dangerous. And Silas … well, let’s just say that thinking ahead about the kind of trouble he might get into—or thinking ahead about anything, for that matter—just wasn’t his style.

Nick didn’t even look up as his sister continued her pitch.

Silas shot some footage of their stunt dummy dressed as the Bald Eagle, and the video was so jumpy and jerky that just watching it made Monique—Monique was DeMarco’s even littler sister—puke all over the yard.

Nick kept typing. Tesla frowned. She was sure Nick would enjoy the idea of one of DeMarco’s nasty little sisters getting so sick that she vomited. The two girls had been tormenting DeMarco ever since they were old enough to throw things at his head.

So, Silas needs something like a Steadicam, Tesla continued. You’ve seen those, right?

Nick still didn’t respond.

It’s a frame that spreads out a movie camera’s center of gravity via a counterbalance, making it easy to smoothly manipulate the camera with a special kind of joint called a gimbal. Tesla kept talking even though Nick continued to ignore her. Like the ones gyroscopes have. So, your video camera stays level instead of bouncing and jerking around and you get nice, even shots.

I know what a Steadicam is, Nick answered.

Well, we can’t make the real thing, of course. But I have some ideas for a simpler version that would work with that little video camera Silas uses. Then Tesla had an idea. We’ll call it a Silascam, she said. No, a Teslacam. No, wait—a Nickandteslacam. It could probably work with a phone camera, too.

Great. Go make it without me.

I can, of course. But it’d be a lot easier with you. Usually, Nick and Tesla built all kinds of things together: vinegar and liquid-soap volcanoes, homemade rock candy, robots, super-cyborg gadget gloves. Last week, they’d created an animatronic arm, mostly out of ice-pop sticks, which Silas used in his movie along with the alien makeup. They’d also helped Silas and DeMarco put together a stunt dummy for the action scenes (even stuntmanwannabe DeMarco had no interest in falling down a flight of stairs, jumping from an attic window, or doing any of the other crazy tricks Silas came up with). Tesla tried to distract herself from all the weirdness and worries about their parents by keeping busy with one project after another. Lately, however, Nick hadn’t been trying to distract himself from those concerns. On the contrary: he’d been wallowing in them, trying to find an answer by scouring the Internet for clues.

And now Tesla wanted to build something, anything, with her brother.

Nick clicked on a link, and a new webpage opened on-screen. The title was The SHOCKING Truth behind Tesla’s Death Ray.

Sorry, Nick said. I’m busy.

No, Tesla said, you’re obsessed.

Nick didn’t respond. So Tesla decided it was time to play dirty.

You know, I found something really interesting online last night, Tesla said. Here, let me show you.

She plopped down next to her brother and shouldered him away from the keyboard.

Hey! he said in protest.

This’ll just take a sec. Trust me, you’re going to be amazed.

Tesla opened a folder on the desktop, found the icon she was looking for—a tiny traffic signal—and double-clicked it.

There, she said. Done.

Nick squinted at the screen.

Nothing’s happening, he said.

Exactly. I just turned on Stoplite.

What’s Stoplite?

A program that automatically freezes your computer for six hours, so you won’t waste your whole day on it.

"What?" Nick shoved his sister aside and began jabbing at the keyboard. The screen remained frozen.

I’ll just restart it, he said.

He held down the power button but … nothing happened.

Stoplite’s really good, Tesla said.

"Oh, man! This is not funny, Tez!"

It’s not supposed to be funny. It’s supposed to get you off your butt so you’ll come downstairs and help me.

"Oh, yeah, right. Like I’m going to help you after you did this."

Nick folded his arms across his chest and stared at the wall.

Suit yourself, Tesla said. I’m going down to the lab to get the parts. If Silas never finishes his cinematic masterpiece and doesn’t become the world’s greatest twelve-year-old film director, it won’t be my fault.

She got up and headed for the door.

Nick stayed put.

Well, good luck building your little whatever, he said with a growl. Because you won’t be getting any help from me.

Uncle Newt let Tesla stay in the basement laboratory just long enough to gather the materials and tools she needed.

Shoo! Out! he said, flapping his hands at her when she’d collected an armful of PVC tubing.

It smells weird down here. Like … the air after a thunderstorm, Tesla said.

Go! Top secret! said Uncle Newt, still flapping.

And what happened to you?

Uncle Newt’s long, unkempt gray-blond hair was standing up so straight that the ends were brushing the rafters overhead.

Vamoose! Scram! he said.

Okay, okay, I’m going. Geez.

Tesla stomped up the stairs and through the kitchen to the dining room.

Nick was sitting there waiting for her.

All right, he said with a sigh. What are we making again?

"I don’t think you appreciate the gravity of your situation, Bald Eagle! Lady Evilika said, cackling. The scaly green alien pointed her power scepter at the feather-covered superhero standing stiffly on the tree branch above her. Mega-mass blast!"

Bald Eagle toppled over and plummeted to earth, his crimson cape flapping the whole way down. He landed headfirst, yet he didn’t crumple. Instead, his body slammed backward against the tree trunk and remained absolutely rigid, with his helmeted head on the ground and the soles of his white boots facing the sky.

Bald Eagle was standing on his head.

Cut! yelled the director, a.k.a. Silas Kuskie. Which was completely unnecessary—Silas was also the cameraman, so he was only yelling at himself.

Silas switched off the camera and stalked toward the fallen hero—which was really just a newspaper-stuffed stunt dummy, still leaning against the tree from which it had fallen.

You can’t just push Michael over! Silas shouted to a small, wiry, twelve-year-old boy perched precariously on a branch. (Michael was what Silas called the stunt dummy, by the way. He’d named it after

Reviews for Nick and Tesla's Special Effects Spectacular

[empress8411 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read all the previous books, in the series, and adored them. This one felt - different. The story seemed a bit sparse compared to the previous four. However, this did not detract from the over all feel of the book. It was still full of laughs, adventures, and of course - science! The Science of Movies, to be precise. All of us, young and old, have dreamed of being in the movies or being part of one. Setting the story on the lot of a movie, with oodles of movie lingo and characters - perfect! The science was fun as well - I mean, how to make your own Zombie make-up? Awesome! Once again, I highly recommend this book, and this series. Note: I received this book free as part of LibraryThing's Early Review Program, in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

[jacobdecker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Continues along the same principles as the last book, but if it isn't broke don't fix it. Interesting story about a brother and sister duo getting into mischief and using their wits to solve the issue. My daughter loves these books and I hope they continue with them.

[purplethings · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nick and Tesla are at it again! A movie is filming in their town and with their friend's aunt as one of the producers, the kids are able to get on set. While there, they discover someone is trying to sabotage the production. Tesla decides they need to investigate and the friends do some snooping around the movie lot. There are mechanical arms, stunt dummies, and alien makeup involved in the story and you can make it all yourself! This is the third Nick and Tesla book I've read. Super Cyborg Gadget Glove is still my favorite, but this one was very good too. The movie part was interesting but the mystery part could have been more suspenseful. Kids will pick up some movie industry slang and learn a little bit about the special effects process. The DIY gadgets seem like ones young movie makers might like to try and mystery fans will enjoy the story. Great for kids who enjoy science and mystery.

[sszkutak_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nick and Tesla is the 5th book in a series but I did not realize that and honestly it did not matter all that much as far as the plot went. Nick and Tesla are twins whose parents have been missing and they are staying with their uncle and whilst doing so have run into many mysteries and helped to solve them. In this book Nick and Tesla are helping their friends mom on a movie set and someone has been trying to sabotage it. They are trying to figure out who it is and why. The book was very fun, it includes projects for parents and kids to do together, these ones were special effects related, so there was a grabby arm, a prop dummy, and zombie paint. All of which include a step by step and a list of materials you will need to complete the projects. They go along with the story too so they are just popped in randomly.The mystery bit of the book was entertaining and I think young readers will enjoy it and even the series, even though I have not read the whole series. There is an underlying theme about trying to figure out where their parents are but as a reader you didn't need to have read the other books to get the plot.Overall, I thought this was a fun and easy read and thing young readers will love the mystery and the projects.

[mclane_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the fifth book in the Nick and Tesla series, in which a 12 year old brother and sister and their friends use their scientific and technological skills to investigate mysteries and solve crimes. It includes instructions to construct many of the fascinating tools and equipment described in the story. This book involves the kids in solving a mystery while visiting an on-location movie set in their home town. It is filled with action, information and humor. Highly recommended for middle school and junior high students. both girls and boys. They will all identify with Nick, Tesla and their friends.

[kiesa-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the 5th book in the Nick and Tesla series. It's very similar to the other four books in terms of layout. Nick and Tesla find a mystery and solve it using inventions they create (and have instructions for) throughout the book. As always, my son loved it.

[leesylou · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

More of the same. Cute and funny but my ten year seems to have lost interest because the stories just aren't compelling enough. My older intellectually disabled child still liked it and wanted more from the series. Neither seemed inclined to try the science projects in this volume though they had in earlier books in the series.

[janeslist · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as a part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program. I've read most of the Nick and Tesla series so far and this was my least favorite. Its plot was disjointed and felt like it was just a middle book in the larger plot about the missing parents, without moving that part of the story forward. The ending fell flat and didn't fully follow up on the movie that Silas was working on or his desire to be "seen" by the famous director. I do generally like this series, however, and look forward to reading the next one. As an early reviewer, I was also disappointed that they did not include the pictures for some of the instructions in this edition.

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have read every book in this series. Originally I got the first book for my nephews thinking this might be a book they would like. Well it ends up that I have fallen in love with this series just as much as them. I have grown very close to Nick, Tesla, their Uncle Newt, and their friends. Each of the mysteries that they find themselves solving is crazy fun. Nick and Tesla have solved several mysteries now so they are really getting better at solving them quickly. However for some reason I could not get into this story as much as I have the other ones. While I did like the different setting. The mystery this time did not pull me in. It felt like the story either was fast paced by this I mean (glossed over with details off the antics) or not enough detail was spent on the mystery. Although I still enjoyed seeing how Nick, Tesla and their friends solved the mystery. There are some cool gadgets to build in this book. I do look forward to reading the next book in this series.

[shazzerwise_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nick and Tesla continue to amuse and delight me. This most recent installment delves into the magic of movie making (where of course something fishy is afoot.) The story is loaded with inside jokes for movie fans and tons of cool projects you can attempt at home. Little progress is made in this book about solving the mystery of Nick and Tesla's parents, but for series filler, this one is doing it right.

[deathsmistress · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've gotten all the previous books in the early reviewers program, and I have to say, they're pretty awesome. I'm not even close to the age group they're meant for but they're just so darn cool. This time around Nick and Tesla, the genius twins, are trying to figure out who's sabotaging the Metalman movie being made in Half Moon Bay. They use their brains to make cool gadgets in various, and hilarious, scenarios to capture the saboteur. Honestly, I think this book has some of the cooler gadgets. Kids will love the zombie makeup tutorial and awesome grappling hook invention.I'd recommend this book, and all the others in the series, for anyone who has kids or likes a quick, clever read themselves.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First book I've read in this series. Nick, Tesla and their friends solve a light mystery about a movie star's true intentions on the set. The movie-making-themed STEM projects (steady cam set-up for a cell phone, zombie makeup, robo arm) will excite and inspire maker kids and prospective inventors. I read the ARC, which was missing illustrations and other projects.

[docwithapen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the premise of this book. The author cleverly weaves science experiments into the story. The writing was fun and engaging.

[randal37 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I gave this book a quick look and the projects looked really fun and well illustrated. I gave this book to my cousin that has a four year old. I was told She absolutely loves this book. What better endorsement do you need.

[lpmejia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a great addition to our home school library, a fun read for kids that features fun activities with movie special effects. I love books that make learning fun, and this series certainly fits the bill. Recommended not only for home school families but anyone with kids who are interested in movie making.

[pat2011-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this as a review copy. Neat story of 2 imaginative kids who make science fun. This time they are involved with a superhero movie that is being sabotaged. Nick and Tesla come to the rescue. The book make science interesting for kids and adults. A plus is the inclusion of the instructions and drawings for their inventions.

[rsps_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another fun entry in the series. This time Nick, Tesla, and their friends must stop a plot to destroy the Superhero movie that DeMarco's Aunt is producing. Lots of new gadgets and mystery.

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great continuation of the Nick and Tesla series. I enjoy the humor and mystery in these books as well as how creative Nick and Tesla are. Some of the projects/experiments in this book are more approachable than in previous books. While there are a couple more complicated experiments; there are others that would be quick and fun to do and require minimal parental assistance. However, keep in mind most of these projects do require a parent to help.The main story in this book is wrapped up nicely, however the over arcing story doesn’t make much progress. There are some tidbits about Nick and Tesla’s missing parents at the beginning and then at the end of the book. This has kind of become the norm for this series and it’s getting a bit frustrating. I would really like to see the main story make some good progress on the whole missing parents issue.I did enjoy the movie production setting for this story. It was a neat (if pretty light) look at movie production and ways kids can get into that on their own.Overall this was a great continuation of this series. It’s a fun mystery read with some science, some humor, cute illustrations throughout, and some neat experiments/projects. I would recommend to middle grade readers who like mystery and science.

[jugglingpaynes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The latest Nick and Tesla, Special Effects Spectacular, has the twins and their friends trying to figure out who is sabotaging a local movie set. Just like all of the books in the series, readers are invited to build projects along with Nick and Tesla as they read the story.The story itself is OK. I don't think it is as well written as other stories in the series. The over-arching plot regarding the parents barely moved forward in this book. Some scenes, like the group picketing the set, seemed too contrived. There seemed to be more overt teaching, with the narrator stopping to explain vocabulary rather than allowing young readers to figure out meanings through the storytelling. I also think there was a bit too much complaining about CGI effects and not enough discussion about how on-set special effects are done. Considering special effects was part of the title of the book, I expected more behind-the-scenes facts. That said, there were some interesting facts about movie sets and film production. Because this was an advanced reader edition, it did not include several projects and, with the exception of the camera steadier and grappling hook, none of the projects have their final illustrations. I tried to visualize these projects based on the written instructions, but some were too dependent on the missing pictures. I was able to follow the instructions for the camera steadier and grappling hook, so I'm sure the finished version will be up to the standard set by earlier books once they are illustrated.Overall, it is a good book for the ages it is aimed at and does a good job of continuing Nick and Tesla's summer adventures. It is still a fun series that offers plenty of ideas for kids to try.