* "...Shusterman and Elfman have crafted a plot more devious, characters far quirkier, climaxes (yes, there are two) more breathless, and a narration much, much funnier than recent mad-science offerings. Sticking with a third-person narration frees the authors to be as wryly and sophisticatedly witty as they please without compromising the veracity of their middle-school cast, resulting in storytelling as delightful as the story being told."—Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books (starred review)
"This collaboration between Shusterman and Elfman tempers the scarier elements of Nick's quest with deft, humorous writing and plenty of the ordinary adventures of a new kid in school finding his niche. Hand this one to fans of Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles or Kenneth Oppel's Airborne."—Booklist
PRAISE FOR BRUISER
"This is a wrenching but ultimately redemptive look at how pain defines us and how love, whether familial, romantic or friendly, demands sacrifice and brings gifts of its own. Once again, Shusterman spins a fantastic tale that sheds light on everyday life." —-Kirkus Reviews
PRAISE FOR UNWIND
"The shocking premise is unveiled immediately, and a nail-biting pace is sustained throughout, with the teens flung headlong into a true life-or-death struggle...these haunting debates will likely linger in the reader's mind even after the riveting plot fades...an ideal blend of philosophy and action set in a compelling futuristic landscape."—-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
PRAISE FOR EVERFOUND
* "Shusterman ends his provocative trilogy with a rock-solid adventure that manages to examine deep questions of faith and morality....Rich in detail, with exceptional characterization and shot through with unexpected (and very necessary) humor, this is an engrossing and thoroughly satisfying ending to a unique saga of life after death."—-Kirkus Review, starred review
PRAISE FOR EVERWILD
"Thought-provoking and scary, invoking elements from history and mythology, the novel ends with a shocking event that will leave its fans wanting the next volume immediately."—-Horn Book Magazine
PRAISE FOR BRUISER
"Shusterman's novel reveals its secrets and their implications slowly, allowing readers to connect the dots before the characters do and encouraging them to weigh the price of Bruiser's gift' against the freedom from pain that Tennyson and Bronte enjoy." —-School Library Journal
Praise for Tesla's Attic
"Lively, intelligent prose elevates this story of teenagers versus mad scientists, the third-person point of view offering a stage to various players in their play of galactic consequence. A wild tale in the spirit of Back to the Future, with a hint of Malamud's The Natural tossed in."—Kirkus Reviews
2013-12-07
In Book 1 of the Accelerati Trilogy, Nick Slate cleans out his attic, holds a garage sale and changes "the very course of human existence." The junk in the attic of Nick's new house seems to be a "boneyard of uselessness," but the old toasters, electric mixers, cameras and tape recorders turn out to be lost inventions of a mad scientist, and finding them makes Nick and his friends "part of some invisible clockwork…churning its gears toward some dark, mysterious end." The box camera foretells the future, the See 'n Say toy channels the universe, little brother Danny's baseball glove draws stars from the sky, and a depleted wet-cell battery brings the dead to life. A posse of sinister scientists is after these objects for their own questionable ends, and if Nick's garage sale has unleashed forces that might end the world, they also might reveal a way to head off the extinction of the human race. Lively, intelligent prose elevates this story of teenagers versus mad scientists, the third-person point of view offering a stage to various players in their play of galactic consequence. A wild tale in the spirit of Back to the Future, with a hint of Malamud's The Natural tossed in. (Science fiction. 8-14)
