  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 12/15/2016 With a veteran cowriter’s help, the Science Guy ventures into fiction with an adventure replete with both cool gadgets and working scientists of both sexes. Three foster siblings—15-year-old brainiac Matt, 12-year-old gifted (and “coffee” colored) gearhead Ava, and Jack, the narrator as well as instigator and born sleuth of the trio, also 12—meet Henry Witherspoon, the fabulously wealthy inventor of, among many other useful items, a portable nose vacuum. This series opener finds Henry, who is also the sole judge of a million-dollar science competition, and his new accomplices flying to Antarctica, where a contestant has vanished after hinting at a stunning biological discovery. The ensuing investigation mixes enticing depictions of life and research at remote McMurdo Station with hidden clues, multiple suspects, a gun-wielding culprit, and a climactic ride into a vicious storm, inside an untested inflatable vehicle. The cast and plotline are strong enough to bear the informational load, and two appendices fill in details about Antarctica and some of the episode’s techno wizardry. For inveterate geeks, there’s even a relevant science project!HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Bill Nye the Science Guy is always a fan favorite, and this best-selling duo will have no problem finding an audience for their sleuthing scientist heroes. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. Loading...
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