The Mesmer Menace (Gadgets and Gears, 1) Paperback – June 2, 2015

Summary:The story is narrated by Noodles, an adorable Dachshund, who is loyal to Wally Kennewickett, a twelve-year-old inventor. The two live in the family's Amazing Automated Inn, where automatons staff and run the inn, and the basement is a laboratory. The Kennewickett's are brilliant inventors and are often called away to solve problems. In this tale, President Roosevelt calls upon Wally's mom and dad to help solve the case of evil Mesmers controlling the minds of very powerful people. The only problem is that they are set for a popcorn convention to show off Wally's mom's newest invention and dad's experiment with Tesla is about to happen as well. After some compromises, the eldest Kennewickett's leave with the President and Wally takes care of the Inn. Unfortunately, the horrible Mesmers end up at the Inn and Wally, with Noodles' help of course, must save the day.My thoughts:I'm obviously not the targeted audience, but I really enjoyed this short novel. The best age group for this would be around 4-6th grade. I think older may find it a little too childish and younger would have difficulty with vocabulary. While words are often described if they are difficult, it does have a fair share of historical and scientific aspects that a younger child will not understand. Other than that, this is a fun slightly mysterious tale. Wally is a very likeable character with out of the box thinking and great care for his parents, the automatons, and his unlikable cousins. My favorite character is Noodles, of course. He is adorable. I love his narration and all of his little aside comments. Plus, I love the loyal dog traits that are so apparent in my puppy that show up in Noodles' character. Maybe my little Aiden will have a hero heart as well.

Great introduction to steampunk for younger tweens.

I enjoyed this book right from the beginning. It's full of intriguing historical and scientific references and characters; and then there's Noodles the dachshund, who does his best to help his master, even if it involves--urk--flying. Fortunately Wally and Noodles are helped by Gizmo and the other automatons because Wally's scientist parents are off helping President Theodore Roosevelt save the world. (The story is set in 1902.) So Wally's at home fighting the evil Mesmers (another historical reference), hampered by his obnoxious cousins.The story is told from the viewpoint of Noodles, who is devoted to Wally and is intelligent, but is still a dog. Noodles has learned a lot from living with the Kennewickett family, who are scientists and inventors (they all share a laboratory down in the dungeon). The family, the Amazing Automated Inn, and Noodles are fun. This appears to be the first in a series, and I look forward to the upcoming book(s).This book would make a great gift; it's funny, and I enjoyed the way people we've only read about come alive. Highly recommended.

My grandson and I had a blast reading this story together. The narrator is a Dachshund, yes, a dog which was delightful. And as if that is not exciting enough, the dog, Noodles, lives with Walter ,his parents, the Kennewickett's, and his annoying cousins. They are not just a typical family; Walter and his parents are inventors which adds more interest to the story. They are so good at what they do, that the president Theodore Roosevelt himself seeks there help. So the plot is not set in the future as all the inventions and gadgets might lead one to think, the plot is set in the past. The book also mentions some of the people that history would never forget. A very entertaining and educational read with adventure.I believe all children will enjoy this one as much as my grandson and I did. Highly recommended and give this one a full 5 stars without hesitation.

The Mesmer Menace: Gadgets and Gears is a pretty interesting book. Told from the historical perspective of the first decade of the 20th century, Wally Kennewickett is the son of two scientists and is a brilliant tinkerer in his own right. The plot kicks off when his parents are called off by President Theodore Roosevelt to help their country which leaves Wally to fend for himself with the help of his trusty Dachshund, Noodles, against the forces of the evil Mesmers. Much of the book is told from the viewpoint of Noodles, which is certainly an odd twist and gives the book a very tilted viewpoint which is fun.I found the book to be cleverly written and I also enjoyed the sprinkling in of historical and scientific tidbits. My 12 year old son also read the book and he said it was very similar in overall style and setting to the Floors series of books by Patrick Carman. So for fans of the Carman books, I would think that The Mesmer Menace would be a similar read.

This book was well written as well as well told. I have to say I have a son that is ten that loves to create art and build things as well.I watched his eyes light up when reading. We have book club in our own house and disscuss all the books we read every two weeks. This gives us a break from the tech-bi era. We was so amazed how much my son talked about the book that we will be looking for more in the series. I have to say it is well written any any kid age 6 through 14 would love to read more of the adventures. Overall educational and a great read and fun for all kids.

My eight year old grandson is an advanced reader and belongs to a science club. I thought this book would be an excellent choice for him and I wasn't wrong. The hero is the son of scientists and also invents stuff. When his parents are called away to help President Theodore Roosevelt save the world, Wally and his dog, Noodles are left on their own to fight other evil forces. The story is very clever with a view point from the dog. The historical references are delightful. We'll be looking for a sequel.