Do you have a budding mad scientist at home? And one that is almost looking for the next adventure? Maybe Franken-Sci High is the perfect place for them, a school that is meant for young minds that are making interesting creations and finding themselves in interesting situations.
The fantasy series for kids 8–12, created by the world-renowned The Jim Henson Company and Emmy Award-winner Mark Young (Once Upon a Forest and All Dogs Go to Heaven 2), is published by Simon & Schuster. And this year, the first two books have released and we’ve partnered with Jim Henson Company to give one of our readers the books so your tweens can start their own journey with these fun new characters and stories.
About Franken-Sci High:
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, 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…
And, be on the look-out for two new books in 2020: The Robot Who Knew Too Much that debuts on April 28; and Beware of the Giant Brian, available July 21
How Can You Win a Set?
Enter to win a set of Franken-Sci High books by leaving a comment below and using the form to enter.
Leave a comment telling us your favorite Jim Henson movie, story or your favorite book as a tween!
My favorite book when I was a teen was The Stainless Steel Rat.