I sincerely believe that The Mad Scientists' Club was the reason I started reading voraciously as a kid and that the trend has continued into my adulthood. A series of stories first published in the popular 60's magazine Boys' Life, the words practically leap off the page with thier exuberance and brilliant ingenuity.

The club is comprised of six 'junior geniuses', with our narrator as one. Each is given a distinct personality, and by the end we know (and in the case of former club-member and now sworn arch-enemy Harmon Muldoon, despise) each one of them like they were old friends. I still have my copy, completely tattered though it is, because I've read and re-read it at least 100 times. Even now as I write this review, I have to be careful not to start reading for fear of being swept up in the fun.

And each tangled situation our boys find themselves in (or in fact, help to create), is more outrageously inventive than the last. The real kicker is how authour Bernard Brinley keeps the prose totally accessible to youth but throws in enough engaging characters, thrilling action sequences and hilarious dialogue to entertain even adults sick of reading thier kids sugary-sweet Disneyized junk. He even sneakily gave me an education in basic mechanics by expertly describing the various machinery the boys build to wreak their harmless havoc on the citizens of little Mammoth Falls.

And I see here on Amazon.com that Brinley has continued the series with other books. If he brings even 10 percent of the sheer brilliance he displays in the first one, no adult should have a problem inducting thier children into this club.

I sincerely believe that The Mad Scientists' Club was the reason I started reading voraciously as a kid and that the trend has continued into my adulthood. A series of stories first published in the popular 60's magazine Boys' Life, the words practically leap off the page with thier exuberance and brilliant ingenuity. The club is comprised of six 'junior geniuses', with our narrator as one. Each is given a distinct personality, and by the end we know (and in the case of former club-member and now sworn arch-enemy Harmon Muldoon, despise) each one of them like they were old friends. I still have my copy, completely tattered though it is, because I've re-read it at least 100 times. Even now as I write this review, I have to be careful not to start reading for fear of being swept up in the fun.

And each tangled situation our boys find themselves in (or in fact, help to create) is more outrageously inventive than the last. The real kicker is how authour Bernard Brinley keeps the prose totally accessible to youth but throws in enough engaging characters, thrilling action sequences and hilarious dialogue to entertain even adults sick of reading thier kids sugary-sweet Disneyized junk. He even sneakily gave me an education in basic mechanics by expertly describing the various machinery the boys build to wreak their harmless havoc on the citizens of little Mammoth Falls.

And I see here on Amazon.com that Brinley has continued the series with other books. If he brings even 10 percent of the sheer brilliance he displays in the first one, no adult should have a problem inducting thier children into this club.

I remember reading The Mad Scientists' Club for the first time when I was only about eight years old. I must have read and re-read that book from cover to cover over a dozen times since. It is a collection of stories about the escapades of six boys in the town of Mammoth Falls who use their wits and scientific knowledge to get in (and out) of all kinds of fun mischief, including "haunting" a house, creating a lake monster, and entering a hot air balloon race. Essentially, these six young men dive head-first into all the kinds of adventures that I longed to have as a young man. Brinley's book influenced my own adventures and ideas as I grew up, and my own stories and writings have been heavily influenced by the memories I have of this book. If you ever get a chance to read this book - DO IT!!! You will discover the adventures you always wanted to have become real in The Mad Scientists' Club.

Black-and-white illustrations by Charles Greer enhance the entertainment value of The New Adventures Of The Mad Scientists' Club, an engaging read for young readers ages 10 to 16 by Bertrand R. Brinley. The New Adventures Of The Mad Scientists' Club is comprised of five madcap adventures of seven young "Mad Scientist" geniuses. A hullaballoo over alleged flying saucers leads into an exciting confrontation in this wacky and enjoyable narrative. Also very highly recommended is the first book in Bertrand Brinley's "Mad Scientist" series for young readers, The Mad Scientists' Club (1930900104).

I loved the Mad Scientist club series (see my review of the "Mad Scientist Club" book). This is a continuation of that. Yes, the Hardy Boys are good, but this is better!

The original Mad Scientists Club was my favorite book as a kid. This one is equally outstanding. Sadly, it is out of print.
On the bright side, the first MSC has been rereleased recently, with plans for the New Adventures and the rare 3rd book THE BIG KERPLOP! Help keep this wonderful series alive! Your kids will love them! I can't wait until my 2 1/2 year old son is old enough to enjoy these books.

This is the first title in an outstanding series of Alvin books by Clifford Hicks. Sadly, they all seem to be out of print.
The Alvin books were my favorites as a kid. I checked them out from the library repeatedly and devoured them. As a 10 year old, I wanted to hang out with Alvin and Shoey. The books are full of laughs, adventure, and great storytelling. They take us back to small town America, before kids had to deal with grownup problems.
If you have a kid, buy this book for him. Buy it used, buy it on Ebay, buy it at a used bookstore! The other titles (all very good) in the series are ALVIN'S SECRET CODE, ALVIN'S SWAP SHOP, ALVIN FERNALD FOREIGN TRADER, ALVIN FERNALD MAYOR FOR A DAY, and ALVIN FERNALD SUPERWEASEL. All are great. Another great series if you like the Alvin books is the Mad Scientists Club books by Bertrand Brinley. Check them out.

I am 45 years old... my 44 year old brother came over and talked about how this book changed his life. He read it as a kid and became an inventor of sorts himself... a perpetual tinkerer. He wasn't sure of the name and I found it for him and ordered him a copy as well as my 9 year old son. It took some insistance to get by boy, Nick, to read it. He couldn't put it down and when my brother came over to visit he quized Nick on select parts of the book. They both smiled and laughed. Having read it myself I can tell you it is a most wonderful book. Buy it! Your kid will remember it always.

A VREY GOOD BOOK. I like the inventions that Alvin made and how the book was written. It was neat how Alvin solved the mystery with his great inventions. I reccommand this book to you if you enjoy reading mystery books. So go to the bookstore and but it, Right Now!

Buffalo Jones had to deal with horrible weather, a pack of wolves, and other difficulties in his quest to capture buffalo calves. The clever way he outwitted the wolves adds a surprising twist to an exciting story. Especially good for readers 8 to 12 who like true adventure, but older readers (including adults) will enjoy it, too.

Fast-paced and colorful, this book describes one of Jones' expeditions in which he captured buffalo calves to create a captive herd and preserve the species. The difficulties Jones had to overcome make exciting reading, especially the ingenious way he protected the calves from wolves. Great for ages 7 to 10, but older and younger folks will enjoy it, too.

This is another of the charming adventures of Miss Pickerell.

This time, a strange illness threatens the pets of Square Toe County, including Miss Pickerell's beloved cow and her new pet cat Pumpkins.

New mold spores have recently been discovered by the crewman of a lunar base, and Miss Pickerell convices the authorities to allow her to journey to the Moon in search of a mold spore cure.

The science in the Miss Pickerell series is a bit dated, being written several decades ago, but children's stories with a science backdrop are few and far between.

Although not as accurate scientifically, the stories may invoke an interest in science in the younger reader.

The sad thing for the older reader who recalls Miss Pickerell from younger days, is that we are nowhere near as advanced in space research and colonization as the series hopes we could be.

Still, the adventures are fun. Miss Pickerell has also journeyed to the Arctic, been aboard a Supertanker, helped fix a weather satellite, experimented with submarines, geiger counters, and lasers.

Fun for all!

I read this book in 1963 at age 14 and was captivated by it. My friends and I were hunters and campers and we read all the books about the northern wilderness that we could find even though North Carolina was a far ways from the frozen tundra. As a kid I ranked this book above "White Fang". I bought a copy for my son several years ago and it helped stimulate his interest in reading. It's about Jamie, a greenhorn kid from the city and his new friend, a Canadian Indian boy named Awasin. They become stranded in the wilderness with winter coming on and have to improvise survival techniques. A classic.

This is a tale of adventure, growing up, making bad decisions and living with the consequenses, but most of all friendship.
Jamie and Awasin want an adventure into the Arctic, but don't count on having to do it alone. Together they learn from each other how to survive in very brutal conditions. The story contains great descriptions of survival techniques and of the Arctic wilderness and the creatures that survive there.

I first read this book under the title "Two Against the North", back in the 1970's. I found it had been re issued under this current name when I was searching for it for my nephews. If your reader is interested with Gary Paulson(Hatchet,etc) or Jean Craighead George (My Side of the Mountain,etc) They will certainly enjoy this as well.

This book, about two boys who's canoes broke and were lost in the barrenlands is another great book by Farley Mowat. The book is action-packed with adventure. Read it and you won't be able to stop.I read this book in two days. I was reading it till the late hours of the night until I had finished it and then I had wanted to read it again. The sequel Curse of the Viking Grave, I have not been able to read yet but I will be reading it soon. Hats off to Farley Mowat.

This book was really exiciting.
Virginia Sorenson is brilliant

I am a student from Long Island.My teacher assinged the girls to read Plain Girl and the boys Jip.When i first started I hated this book and could not wait until it was over.Then all of a sudden the book got better.Maybe it was because Esther started school and was turning out to be just like her brother.I don't know.But I do know that this is a great book. I can't wait until they make a sequil or a movie out of this book.

This is about a girl named Esther who is Amish. Her brother Daniel had attended a public school earlier and had changed his ways of life. Now, she goes to a public school and meets many new friends. She has problems with her father because she is curois about many ordinary people ways, but is afraid to ask. Esther secretly meets up with her brother during school lunches and finally he comes back home with the family.

I remember this series fondly from my under 12 days. Miss Pickerell was a great detective who, unlike Encyclopedia Brown, found answers that made sense. This is also a very well written book and will be the delight of all young readers who have the mystery bug.