Tesla's Attic

Published in 2014, Tesla’s Attic, by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman, is a science-fiction novel for middle-grade readers. It recounts the adventures of teenager Nick Slate and his friends as they learn to operate the strange devices he finds in the attic of his house while keeping them away from a secret society bent on acquiring them for evil purposes. At once thrilling and humorous, Tesla’s Attic is the first of a three-book series.

Neal Shusterman has written over 50 books, primarily for young readers, and has garnered more than 70 honors, including two National Book Awards. He also writes for film and TV, and some of his books are in development as motion pictures.

Screenwriter and children’s author Eric Elfman has penned more than 13 sci-fi and fantasy books, including The Very Scary Almanac, Three-minute Thrillers, and Almanac of the Gross, Disgusting, and Totally Repulsive.

Readers are cautioned that the book contains several instances of mildly sexual humor that may not be suitable for the youngest readers. The e-book version of the 2015 paperback edition forms the basis for this study guide.

Plot Summary

Fourteen-year-old Nick Slate, his kid brother Danny, and their father, Wayne, an ex-baseball professional, move to an old, broken-down Victorian house in Colorado Springs after their Tampa, Florida home burns down, killing the boys’ mother.