Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World

Move over, Thomas Edison Nikola Tesla takes the spotlight in a biography of the man who pioneered modern electrical engineering -- and changed the course of history.

When a Serbian boy named Nikola Tesla was three, he stroked his cat and was enchanted by the electrical sparks. By the time he was a teenager, he had made a vow: Someday I will turn the power of Niagara Falls into electricity. Here is the story of the ambitious young man who brought life-changing ideas to America, despite the obstructive efforts of his hero-turned-rival, Thomas Edison. From using alternating current to light up the Chicago World's Fair to harnessing Niagara to electrify New York City and beyond, Nikola Tesla was a revolutionary ahead of his time. Remote controls, fluorescent lights, X-rays, speedometers, cell phones, even the radio -- all resulted from Nikola Tesla's inventions. Established biographer Elizabeth Rusch sheds light on this extraordinary figure, while fine artist Oliver Dominguez brings his life and inventions to vivid color.
Back matter includes additional information about Tesla, scientific notes and explanations, source notes, a bibliography, and suggestions for further reading.

Author: Elizabeth Rusch
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Published: 09/10/2013
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.27lbs
Size: 11.60h x 9.90w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780763658557
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5.3
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 162951 / Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World


Award: Oregon Book Awards - Finalist
Award: Volunteer State Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Young Hoosier Book Award - Nominee
Award: Garden State Children's Book Awards - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 08/01/2013 pg. 65
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2013
School Library Journal 09/01/2013 pg. 178
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2013 pg. 178
Shelf Awareness 12/03/2013
Horn Book Magazine 01/01/2014 pg. 118
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2014 pg. 185 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Elizabeth Rusch is an award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction for children, including the picture book biography For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

Oliver Dominguez works as a freelance editorial illustrator and is the illustrator of Miracle Mud: Lena Blackburne and the Secret Mud that Changed Baseball by David A. Kelly. Electrical Wizard is his first picture book. He lives in Fort Myers, Florida.