A Starter Guide to the Accelerati Trilogy

But what is the Accelerati Trilogy about, specifically? The series starts with fourteen-year-old Nick, who’s just relocated with what’s left of his family after a devastating fire claimed his mother’s life and their family home. He’s already got a lot in his plate, what with the inherited house full of junk his family has moved into and a new school, but things really begin to spin out of control when Nick unknowingly sells Nikola Tesla’s inventions—disguised as normal household objects—at his garage sale. Members of a secret society called the Accelerati come crawling out of the woodwork to get their hands on the devices in order to achieve their own nefarious ends. After Nick realizes the significance of the items—and the attic he calls his room—he must work with his new friends Mitch, Caitlin, and Vincent to track down all the items. Unless he wants the world to end, of course.
So it’s an “a group of teens saves the world” series? It is, but it’s also so much more. It involves a fantastic science-based concept that will have everyone clamoring to find out more about Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and their inventions. As the series progresses, the ideas presented and the scientists’ rivalry only become more intriguing. This series does with inventors what Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series did to Greek Gods: make them interesting and relevant to today’s audience. And as our society grows increasingly dependent on technology, this book highlights some of the problems, as well as benefits, inherent in technological progress. Basically, it makes you think about technology and how we interact with it, without being preachy.

Is my kid the right age for it? The series is marketed towards 9-12 year olds, and there is a lot of death, and dark themes that might prevent younger audiences from enjoying it as much. But while it’s perfect for middle grade readers, there’s a lot here for older audiences to enjoy too. Co-author Neal Shusterman is widely celebrated for his young adult series, Unwind Dystology, and he brings the same dark wit and exciting plot sensibilities to the table here. The pace never lets up, with the plot combining treasure hunting and mystery, so it’s also a great choice for reluctant readers who find it hard to get invested in a series.
But what if my kid hates science? Then don’t just walk to buy this series—run. Tesla’s recent pop-culture resurgence meant that I had some vague knowledge of who he was and what he did before I started reading the series. But within the first few chapters, I wanted to know everything about every one of his inventions and ideas. The way the inventions are described will fill any reader with a sense of wonder. Instead of feeling like science is just cold, hard facts, this series will make readers curious about the unknown possibilities of scientific discovery.

So does that mean this is fantasy or sci-fi? What feels like magic to us, is science in the series. It’s just a type of science we don’t understand yet, causing us to interpret it as magic. And in a way, that’s always been true. Throughout history, science and magic have been intermingled, with people calling unexplained phenomena magic, only to have later scientists discover a scientific explanation.  So maybe some of the impossible, crazy, and wonderful inventions we dream of in the present could be real someday, if only the right ingenuity is sparked. We don’t know what amazing inventions the future holds, but it’s sure fun to read about some of the possibilities.
Why will you and your kid love it? Besides the compelling look at real life historical figures and the never-lets-up action, the series also manages to flesh out multiple characters, including some of the antagonists, and it’s also filled with humor. The dialogue and situations are often laugh-out-loud funny, while the action is downright scary at time. Multiple times, you’ll fear for the safety of the main characters in this book because it really does seem like no one is ever truly safe in this world. Often, it’s impossible to put down because you just desperately want to solve the multiple mysteries along with the characters.
Okay, I’m sold. What are the books in the series? The first in the series is Tesla’s Attic, followed by Edison’s Alley. The third and final book of the trilogy is the just released Hawking’s Hallway.