George, the Third Lord of Devonshire, and inventor Ada Byron have a challenging friendship, each always trying to one-up the other in bigger, better, and more daring feats of science. Tensions are high, as both friends are expecting another attack to come from the eerie Society of Nobodies, the antagonists from their first mysterious and madcap adventure (The Inventors at No. 8, 2018). When Don Nadie, an exceptionally tall and revenge-bent Nobody, appears to have successfully unleashed his wrath on the First Lord of Devonshire, George and Ada must put their heads together to save the kingdom, and maybe the world, from the Nobodies. They'll sail the high seas in a submarine shaped like a whale, and be forced on the run when George is implicated in the murder of the king. For middle-grade STEM enthusiasts, this sequel is not to be missed: Ada's inventions are delightfully described and fun, and George's terrible luck continues to bring laughs. Familiarity with the first book is essential; purchase as a companion title.

Pursued by the Society of Nobodies, George (the third Lord of Devonshire) and his friend Ada Byron escape in Ada's mechanical whale. Can they find the treasure George's grandfather hid in a cryptic map before the Society attacks the scientific convention known as C.R.U.M.P.E.T.S.? The byzantine plot is a bit abstruse, but the strong character relationships and far-flung settings will entertain readers hungry for action-adventure in this follow-up to The Inventors at No. 8.

George and his friend Ada Byron are swept up in an adventure when the house next to George's on Dorset Square is newly occupied by a scheming villain in this sequel to The Inventors at No. 8 (2018).Twelve-year-old George, the third Lord of Devonshire, grows truffles in his damp attic for a living and enjoys a friendship with Lord Byron's clever daughter, Ada. Unjustly accused of trying to poison the king, George must escape imprisonment. Behind this plot is the new neighbor, Don Nadie, or "Nobody," whose reprehensible plan is to corral the world's best scientists in this ante-Victorian era and build an unbeatable weapon. The narrative point of view stays with George as he and Ada make several daring escapes; travel seas in a mechanical whale of Ada's making; find their friend Oscar, Oscar's pirate father, and the orangutan Ruthie; and visit both the Alhambra and an island in the Galápagos. The treasure-map puzzle George's grandfather left him is always on his mind. Though he believes himself cursed with bad luck, George's resilience and optimism are apparent, and revelations about his heritage allow him to grow in confidence. Morgen's jam-packed plot is well-focused and filled with excitement and humor, and it clearly delights in extravagant technological invention. Most characters are default white, with brown-skinned, mixed-race Oscar and some other secondary characters notable exceptions.Swashbuckling fun. (Adventure/steampunk. 9-13)