Kelal & Temple are best friends and young inventors. They had no idea of the discoveries they would make while building their inventions and attending a new highly technological school called Wala Kee Kee’s School for Young Scientists. 
 
Kee Kee’s is no ordinary school. Everything inside the school is operated by special microchips that are implanted into each student's hand. They also receive a digital avatar for support through the year and a programmable fly carrier which they use for transportation. 
 
For some reason, Kelal has a hard time receiving his microchip and may have to leave Wala Kee Kee’s School. Students that cannot receive the chip are expelled! 
 
Kelal & Temple meet two other students at the school. They become close friends and do everything together. While on a mineral digging mission, they uncover a mineral that is attracted to the Northern Lights’ magnetic pull. Together the four students endeavor on a time-traveling adventure via the Northern Lights. 
 
During their travels, they meet inventors from the past and are given parts to aid them in completing their own inventions. They are then whisked off by drones that carry them to a strange place that starts another adventure. 
 
Through it all, the four remain friends and learn that perseverance is the key to success.
 
REVIEW:
Four young inventors attend a prestigious school in this middle-grade adventure.
In the year 3000, Kelal and his best friend, Temple, have been accepted to Wala Kee Kee’s School for Young Scientists. Both boys have a passion for inventing and have an appointment with the Commandant to tour the school and begin their education. They travel via fly carriers—jet-pack devices programmed for the journey. At the school, the boys learn about the technology that will aid their education, including advanced laboratories, customized avatars, and microchips. Kelal and Temple, both characters of color, meet fellow student Naamah, who is Chinese and hopes to invent a refrigerator for use by the blind. She mentions the school’s long-running Continuum Contest, which awards a trip to Mars to children with the best inventions. The students take part in a mining expedition, and the minerals they extract from the Earth help to launch a time-travel adventure that reinforces their urge to improve society. Walkes’ middle-grade series opener spotlights African American inventors, like Garrett Morgan, who created the traffic light, and aims to spur her target audience on to further research. The children time travel using the northern lights and mineral energy—a unique method that will spark readers’ imaginations. A cast of characters with diverse skills and backgrounds supports the notion that every child has the potential to excel in scientific fields. Despite the glossary, there are some words and phrases that children may need explained, like a QR code, for example. Straightforward prose keeps events moving briskly, while dramatic twists and a rousing finale hint at grander adventures for Kelal and company.
 
This brightly conceived middle-grade story highlights African American inventions and every child’s potential to contribute.
 
KIRKUS REVIEW
 
AUTHOR BIO:
Jacqueline Walkes is a native New Yorker and one of four siblings. Her mother was a nurse at the Brooklyn V.A. Hospital, NY. Her father was a member of the United States Army where he served for 22 yrs. He fought in the Vietnam War and Korean War. Jacqueline grew up in many different places due to her father being in the Army and her family was able to travel with him. One of the many places she lived was Germany where Jacqueline and her family lived for six years. She speaks and understands some German and can count in four different languages 
 
Jacqueline earned a Master of Science Education at Brooklyn College, Brooklyn New York. She became a teacher for the New York City Dept. of Education and retired in October 2016. By December 2016 she began working for a Non-Profit Oraganiztion which has one of the largest after school programs in New York. Jacqueline Walkes lives in Far Rockaway, New York and has two children and three Grandsons.
 
CATEGORIES:
CHILDRENS BOOKS: Science Fiction & Fantasy
 
KEWORDS:
childrens science fiction & fantasy; childrens science fiction; fantasy for children; science fiction young adult; kids science fiction books; fantasy stories for kids; fiction fantasy books; black american history; black american heroes; black american inventors; black American history month; black American history for kids;