Jon Scieszka (Science Curse) combines scientific principles and classic science fiction in a page-turning mystery starring kid genius Frank Einstein and his best friend, Watson.
Frank designs a SmartBot with scraps from the household and his Grampa Al's Fix It! shop. Hoping to route the energy of a lightning strike to give his invention a necessary charge, Frank attaches the robot with a rope harness, looped over a pulley and wired into the motor of Grampa Al's garage-door opener. Once the lightning hits, he explains, his robot "will be able to think, learn, and become smarter and smarter." Sadly, a power failure intervenes, and the SmartBot falls to the floor ahead of the required jolt. But during the night, scientific serendipity strikes, and the SmartBot comes to life. Klink, "the self-assembled artificial intelligence entity," creates a companion, Klank. Together, Frank, Watson and the two robots invent the titular antimatter motor. They feel certain they'll win the Midville Science Prize. But on the day of the Science Fair, Klink and Klank go missing, and more trouble follows.
In this launch of a new series, Scieszka introduces a formidable number of science ideas and explains them all easily and accessibly. (Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, from I, Robot, form an essential plot element.) Brian Biggs's red-and-black illustrations contribute to the aura of humor and inventiveness, including diagrams that demonstrate matter and antimatter. Author and artist emphasize an atmosphere of playfulness in Frank's lab, along with the idea that happy accidents contribute as much to science as planned experiments. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness