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Mad Scientists' Club #2
The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club
A secret cavern becomes the perfect spot to restore a midget submarine, bank robbers must be apprehended, a flying sorcerer looms over Mammoth Falls and that's just the beginning of five more mad, mad MAD adventures!! This is book three in the Mad Scientists' Club series.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
36 people are currently reading
237 people want to read
About the author
Bertrand R. Brinley
20 books37 followersBertrand R. Brinley was born in Hudson, New York in 1917. He had a peripatetic childhood, living in Hudson, Lansdowne, Pennsylvania; West Newbury, Massachusetts; Evanston, Illinois; and Hollywood, California, to name just a few of the places. When he lived in Hollywood in the Twenties, he pitched pennies with Jackie Cooper, who became a child star, and sold newspapers to Charlie Chase, the silent comedy star, at the corner of Western Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard.
He attended high school in West Newbury in the same building in which I went to first grade, many years later. My father lived at what the family called "the Farm." It was indeed a farm; but, it was also home on and off for a variety of intellectuals during the Depression and a young man who was later to achieve great literary fame, John Cheever. We often visited the farm when we lived in West Newbury, and I remember the large library in one room.
West Newbury contributed a good many place names and several of the characters to the Mad Scientists' Club stories. My father graduated in 1935 and went West again to Stanford University, where he studied History, English, and Speech and Drama. During his years at Stanford, he worked at the Peninsula Creamery in Palo Alto, which is still in operation.
He was recruited by Harry Bridges' waterfront union to fight in Spain for the republican side in the civil war (Bridges' union was a Communist front organization). He and a colleague went along with the deal because they wanted a free trip to Europe: they planned to jump ship in Biarritz and tour through France. Alas, his father got wind of the caper and had my father's passport pulled. I remember my father telling me about a visit from a union recruiter one day while he was working at the Creamery who wanted to know if he was still going to join up.
It was in Palo Alto that my father met my mother at the Palo Alto Community Playhouse. He was the assistant director. Here is an excerpt from his resume: "Assisted in direction of major productions...directed workshop productions, handled publicity and season ticket campaigns...Appeared in major roles in ..ten productions. Typical productions: Winterset, Pygmalion, High Tor, The Importance of Being Earnest.. Stage Door, You Can't Take it With You, Our Town, Ah, Wilderness."
After they were married, they moved to Southern California, where he worked for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation as a systems analyst. Never far from the theater, he co-founded the Lockheed Players, producing and directing The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Blackmere's Fan, and Springtime for Henry.
In 1944 he entered the Army, which became his career and made his family international travelers. The service first took us to Germany and Austria, and later to Japan and Panama. Another excerpt from his resume gives a flavor of a long-lost time in our history: "...Assigned as Special Services Officer, Third U.S. Army in Munich and Heidelberg...Escorted USO shows. Directed Troop Entertainment Program for U.S. Occupied Zone, Germany...Organized road circuit of twenty-one show units and ninety-five dance bands..Arranged talent exchange with Bal Tabarin and Folies Bergeres in Paris, and the Palladium in London...Wrote and directed seven musical productions for troop entertainment...utilizing both soldier and professional talent, twenty-girl ballet, and concert orchestra."
Among his assignments were running The Stardust Club -- a nightclub for soldiers in Heidelberg, managing a resort hotel for Allied officers in Kitzbuhl, Austria, and serving as an aide to the commanding general of the Third Army in Vienna. In the latter assignment we lived in the Vienna Woods in a house that was built with straw instead of lathe to hold the coat of exterior stucco. It was our house of straw.
After returning to the States, he worked in public relations for the Salvation Army while we lived in West Newbury. He re-entered the Army during the K
He attended high school in West Newbury in the same building in which I went to first grade, many years later. My father lived at what the family called "the Farm." It was indeed a farm; but, it was also home on and off for a variety of intellectuals during the Depression and a young man who was later to achieve great literary fame, John Cheever. We often visited the farm when we lived in West Newbury, and I remember the large library in one room.
West Newbury contributed a good many place names and several of the characters to the Mad Scientists' Club stories. My father graduated in 1935 and went West again to Stanford University, where he studied History, English, and Speech and Drama. During his years at Stanford, he worked at the Peninsula Creamery in Palo Alto, which is still in operation.
He was recruited by Harry Bridges' waterfront union to fight in Spain for the republican side in the civil war (Bridges' union was a Communist front organization). He and a colleague went along with the deal because they wanted a free trip to Europe: they planned to jump ship in Biarritz and tour through France. Alas, his father got wind of the caper and had my father's passport pulled. I remember my father telling me about a visit from a union recruiter one day while he was working at the Creamery who wanted to know if he was still going to join up.
It was in Palo Alto that my father met my mother at the Palo Alto Community Playhouse. He was the assistant director. Here is an excerpt from his resume: "Assisted in direction of major productions...directed workshop productions, handled publicity and season ticket campaigns...Appeared in major roles in ..ten productions. Typical productions: Winterset, Pygmalion, High Tor, The Importance of Being Earnest.. Stage Door, You Can't Take it With You, Our Town, Ah, Wilderness."
After they were married, they moved to Southern California, where he worked for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation as a systems analyst. Never far from the theater, he co-founded the Lockheed Players, producing and directing The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Blackmere's Fan, and Springtime for Henry.
In 1944 he entered the Army, which became his career and made his family international travelers. The service first took us to Germany and Austria, and later to Japan and Panama. Another excerpt from his resume gives a flavor of a long-lost time in our history: "...Assigned as Special Services Officer, Third U.S. Army in Munich and Heidelberg...Escorted USO shows. Directed Troop Entertainment Program for U.S. Occupied Zone, Germany...Organized road circuit of twenty-one show units and ninety-five dance bands..Arranged talent exchange with Bal Tabarin and Folies Bergeres in Paris, and the Palladium in London...Wrote and directed seven musical productions for troop entertainment...utilizing both soldier and professional talent, twenty-girl ballet, and concert orchestra."
Among his assignments were running The Stardust Club -- a nightclub for soldiers in Heidelberg, managing a resort hotel for Allied officers in Kitzbuhl, Austria, and serving as an aide to the commanding general of the Third Army in Vienna. In the latter assignment we lived in the Vienna Woods in a house that was built with straw instead of lathe to hold the coat of exterior stucco. It was our house of straw.
After returning to the States, he worked in public relations for the Salvation Army while we lived in West Newbury. He re-entered the Army during the K
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
Want to read
November 8, 2014You know you've done well when the nephew takes the book, lets out a yelp of pleasure, and won't stop reading all morning.
November 11, 2014
I actually didn't read this book until I was in my 50s although I read the first one when I was about 14. I didn't know about this book until far into adulthood. This continues the escapades of the Mammoth Falls gang of budding young scientists using creativity and science to perplex the citizens of Mammoth Falls with good, clean fun. This book is a great read for a kid who has an active but realistic and technical imagination. The stories are a bit far out but still within the realm of possibility. While I enjoyed the book greatly I will say it is not as good as the original as the escapades are a bit less exciting. Still, a great book for any child to read in their youth or adult who simply enjoys things like this.
March 23, 2022
خیلی باحال بود
March 15, 2016
As a kid my friends and I were the mad scientist club of the neighborhood. My high school class voted me most likely to work in a secret goverment lab someday. This is a great book for a young reader that loves science. Very recommended
July 25, 2025
More of the same, but not as good
If you have read Bertrand R. Brinley's The Mad Scientists' Club, The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club will be familiar. It contains five more stories about the Mad Scientists' Club, to wit,
Blog review.
If you have read Bertrand R. Brinley's The Mad Scientists' Club, The New Adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club will be familiar. It contains five more stories about the Mad Scientists' Club, to wit,
The Telltale TransmitterThese vary in quality, but on the average they are not, in my opinion, as good as those in the first book. I enjoyed the first, "The Telltale Transmitter" quite a lot, but the rest seemed to be straining too hard to be zany and quirky, to the extent of occasionally betraying the boys' characters.
The Cool Cavern
Big Chief Rainmaker
The Flying Sorcerer
The Great Confrontation
Blog review.
May 6, 2018
I first read The Mad Scientists Club in 7th grade, all of us boys passed the book around and fell in love with the stories of The Mad Scientists Club. Fast forward to the internet age and I was able to track down all of the books written by Bertrand Brinley.
This was my umpteenth re-read of this book and it really does just keep getting better.
Originally written as short stories and later collected into book format we get the tales of a bunch of kids having adventures, using science to stir up trouble, to outwit their enemies, to outwit the adults as well. They lived the childhood that we all wanted when me and my friends read these books in the early 1980's (the stories were set in the late 60's/early 70's).
Highly recommended. Purple Press has great new editions of these books if you have a chance to pick them up.
This was my umpteenth re-read of this book and it really does just keep getting better.
Originally written as short stories and later collected into book format we get the tales of a bunch of kids having adventures, using science to stir up trouble, to outwit their enemies, to outwit the adults as well. They lived the childhood that we all wanted when me and my friends read these books in the early 1980's (the stories were set in the late 60's/early 70's).
Highly recommended. Purple Press has great new editions of these books if you have a chance to pick them up.
July 1, 2008
After reading Bernard Brinley's MAD SCIENTIST CLUB in 1972, I eagerly awaited its sequal; THE NEW ADVENTURES OF THE MAD SCIENTIST CLUB, which came out in paperback in 1974. I bought it in elementary school thru Scolastic Books. It was as superb a read as the first book!
In 2006, I purchased the hard-cover reprint, published by Purple House Press. Last summer, I re-read the book with my son. It was a marvelous way to share the magic of reading. Now he loves these stories as much as I did when I was his age.
In my humble opinion, this is a definite children's classic.
In 2006, I purchased the hard-cover reprint, published by Purple House Press. Last summer, I re-read the book with my son. It was a marvelous way to share the magic of reading. Now he loves these stories as much as I did when I was his age.
In my humble opinion, this is a definite children's classic.
March 16, 2014
This book and its companion (in a series of 2) is responsible in large part for my early childhood interest in science and engineering. I always appreciated the adventure and creativity in these stories. I'm glad to see that they have aged relatively well upon reading again later in life.
September 14, 2011
I re-reading this one. Took me 20 years to learn there was more then one book about the Mad Scientists' Club.
September 21, 2011
If your kid is the curious, science-minded type who gets into trouble because of it, like I was (am), you need to get them (and yourself) all of Bertrand Brinley's long out-of-print, but now reprinted hard-cover editions (published by Purple House Press) of all the "Mad Scientists' Club" books, and Brinley's two other books as well.
I discovered them on my own at school when I was 7 years old, and they're the best type of kid's book (I took a "Children's Lit" course in college) - when I bought the reprints (thanks, Chip!) I enjoyed them as much as I did from 7 years old through high school.
The best Children's Lit books are ones that work for all ages, where a 6-7 year old "early-reader" like myself, or I'd guess 11-13 year old "normal" kid will love the stories - they're somewhat like a Hardy Boys book but much more fun, with real science behind crazy adventures. By high school I enjoyed the Real but Goofy Science, and today I enjoy the writing style, excellent story telling without the "formula" of the Hardy Boys and "adult" things I get now but not when I was young. So they're a fun read for all ages.
I've given copies of them to fellow geek / enginerd pals, who then read/give them to their kids. It's too bad more weren't written, since these are true classics, but Brinley died right when they finally started selling.
I'd rank these as the "Where the Wild Things Are" for kids 5-6th grade and up. And if your kids don't like them, and you like goofy adventures about science-based pranks gone wrong, and madcap results, you'll love these books yourself. The illustrations are spot-on perfect in a unique style, much like the original "Alice in Wonderland" or "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" stuff. It's a very 1950's style and shows "nerdy, outsider" kids as being very hip and fun.
Half-Kidding Warning: I did the "fake UFO" siting prank, and blew up a tree, and faked a "Loch Ness Monster" in a nearby lake, like in the books... so you might want to keep an eye on any kid who really takes to the stories. I still like to do the "UFO" thing even as an adult, but blowing stuff up was pretty stupid... but being "stupid" is part of being a kid I believe, and why I'm still a pyromanic and prankster, but with ethics and safety in mind being a reluctant adult.
Don't let that joking warning put you off - if your kids decide to learn how to make a remote-controlled submergeable "monster", they'll probably take to science courses in high school and then go on to do wonderous things in their life / career. And likely have a good sense of humor about it all.
Timeless classics all. Recommended!
I discovered them on my own at school when I was 7 years old, and they're the best type of kid's book (I took a "Children's Lit" course in college) - when I bought the reprints (thanks, Chip!) I enjoyed them as much as I did from 7 years old through high school.
The best Children's Lit books are ones that work for all ages, where a 6-7 year old "early-reader" like myself, or I'd guess 11-13 year old "normal" kid will love the stories - they're somewhat like a Hardy Boys book but much more fun, with real science behind crazy adventures. By high school I enjoyed the Real but Goofy Science, and today I enjoy the writing style, excellent story telling without the "formula" of the Hardy Boys and "adult" things I get now but not when I was young. So they're a fun read for all ages.
I've given copies of them to fellow geek / enginerd pals, who then read/give them to their kids. It's too bad more weren't written, since these are true classics, but Brinley died right when they finally started selling.
I'd rank these as the "Where the Wild Things Are" for kids 5-6th grade and up. And if your kids don't like them, and you like goofy adventures about science-based pranks gone wrong, and madcap results, you'll love these books yourself. The illustrations are spot-on perfect in a unique style, much like the original "Alice in Wonderland" or "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" stuff. It's a very 1950's style and shows "nerdy, outsider" kids as being very hip and fun.
Half-Kidding Warning: I did the "fake UFO" siting prank, and blew up a tree, and faked a "Loch Ness Monster" in a nearby lake, like in the books... so you might want to keep an eye on any kid who really takes to the stories. I still like to do the "UFO" thing even as an adult, but blowing stuff up was pretty stupid... but being "stupid" is part of being a kid I believe, and why I'm still a pyromanic and prankster, but with ethics and safety in mind being a reluctant adult.
Don't let that joking warning put you off - if your kids decide to learn how to make a remote-controlled submergeable "monster", they'll probably take to science courses in high school and then go on to do wonderous things in their life / career. And likely have a good sense of humor about it all.
Timeless classics all. Recommended!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2025
The second collection of Mad Scientists Club stories.
I recently reread The Mad Scientists Club, a collection of stories about the geeky kids in a science club that have various adventures in a small town called Mammonth Falls. I originally read some of the individual stories in the page of Boys Life magazine as a kid. When I found the book, I learned there were several other books in the series and decided to read them all to catch up on the stories I missed as a kid.
The second book includes more stories on things any kid of that age would have loved like refurbishing a WWII Japanese mini-sub and keeping it in an underway cave in the local lake. As in the first volume, our scientists like the occasional prank too, so there's a tale of building a radio controlled flying saucer with sound effects and lights to get in on the UFO craze of the time.
And there's also a bit of crime-fighting when the kids build a seismometer to record local tremors. What they discover instead of earthquakes is a gang of crooks working nights in a basement next to the town bank. They're pounding a hole in the concrete wall with sledge hammers. In an attempt to stop them before they reach he bank vault, two of the mad scientists get kidnapped. But don't worry, the Mad Scientist Club has better crime-fighting tech than the local police department.
Recommended for anyone nostalgic about the being a kid in the good old days.
I recently reread The Mad Scientists Club, a collection of stories about the geeky kids in a science club that have various adventures in a small town called Mammonth Falls. I originally read some of the individual stories in the page of Boys Life magazine as a kid. When I found the book, I learned there were several other books in the series and decided to read them all to catch up on the stories I missed as a kid.
The second book includes more stories on things any kid of that age would have loved like refurbishing a WWII Japanese mini-sub and keeping it in an underway cave in the local lake. As in the first volume, our scientists like the occasional prank too, so there's a tale of building a radio controlled flying saucer with sound effects and lights to get in on the UFO craze of the time.
And there's also a bit of crime-fighting when the kids build a seismometer to record local tremors. What they discover instead of earthquakes is a gang of crooks working nights in a basement next to the town bank. They're pounding a hole in the concrete wall with sledge hammers. In an attempt to stop them before they reach he bank vault, two of the mad scientists get kidnapped. But don't worry, the Mad Scientist Club has better crime-fighting tech than the local police department.
Recommended for anyone nostalgic about the being a kid in the good old days.
November 28, 2022
I was a young lad in grade school when I ordered, received and devoured the first book, The Mad Scientists’s Club. It was one of my favorites. So I was elated when I discovered there was more to the series.
This 2nd collection of five short stories chronicles more adventures of the seven members of the Mad Scientists’ Club. The stories are a throwback to the days when life seemed simpler, kids got outside, explored their surroundings, and pulled harmless pranks. These kids also are very adept at using the technology of those days. They foil a bank robbery, cross paths with their rivals, and prank Mammoth Falls with a flying saucer.
These stories are fun, interesting and held my attention, even today, when I’m an old adult. Rediscovering the gang and learning of their new adventures was a great read. There are two more books and I can’t wait to get to them.
This 2nd collection of five short stories chronicles more adventures of the seven members of the Mad Scientists’ Club. The stories are a throwback to the days when life seemed simpler, kids got outside, explored their surroundings, and pulled harmless pranks. These kids also are very adept at using the technology of those days. They foil a bank robbery, cross paths with their rivals, and prank Mammoth Falls with a flying saucer.
These stories are fun, interesting and held my attention, even today, when I’m an old adult. Rediscovering the gang and learning of their new adventures was a great read. There are two more books and I can’t wait to get to them.
December 14, 2019
I'm thoroughly enjoying these madcap adventures of the "Mad Scientists' Club," not only because they are well crafted and entertaining, but because both the books themselves and the stories they tell are marvelous examples of the very sorts of things that I've been reading about in Anthony Esolen's "Defending Boyhood" (another great book, by the way, though not fictional). Even though some of the escapades now seem "quaint," since technology has made so many things commonplace and relatively "easy" in the 50+ years since these stories were first written, they retain their appeal. And I find that they have a way of bringing back fond memories of my own boyhood "adventures."
November 19, 2022
For teenage male fiction, Brinley really did a good job with his three collections. The club members' use of 60s technology may seem a little strained or far-fetched at times, but it doesn't matter! Just use your imagination, and enjoy the ride to the end. This collection of five adventures has one distinctive difference: one of the stories has them succeeding at what they attempted, but leaving the whole county dismayed at what they achieved. It's no wonder the local mayor and local law enforcement, especially in this series, look with a wary, suspicious eye at the Mad Scientists.
August 7, 2020
This is a fun book that allows for an escape in troubled times. Henry, the mad scientist and his gang set out to keep things interesting in their little town and, of course, beat their rivals. I read the scholastic version from days when children creating their own UFO's was believed to be possible.
October 16, 2020
Got a kid who loves science? This is one in a series of books that will indulge that passion. This particular one involves the club and flying saucers. What could go wrong with that combination? For the child who wants to become a scientist, engineer, or who just loves reading about exciting adventures!!
February 27, 2019
Wonderful childhood memories of reading this
Wonderful childhood memories of reading this
Looking forward to rereading the more recently republished books not available on kindle. Thanks
Wonderful childhood memories of reading this
Looking forward to rereading the more recently republished books not available on kindle. Thanks
July 24, 2020
I thought I had read this in grade school but now I’m not sure. Either way, I’m very glad I read it now. I can’t remember laughing so hard while reading as I did during The Flying Sorcerer! Bertrand Brinley was a genius writer.
July 6, 2021
My kids enjoyed it, not my favorite. There were some entertaining plots. Each chapter was like a short story, so it was difficult to find a stopping place if it was getting close to me needing a break from reading aloud. Also, there was more name calling than I would prefer, so I edited a lot.
July 12, 2021
More shenanigans from a group of boys dedicated to science and mayhem. This collection of short stories isn't quite as enjoyable as the first series and seems a bit mean-spirited at points. Still well worth the read for fun and nostalgia.
August 1, 2021
Classic adventures of the MSC
Reading this to my son now with memories of when this was a favorite from the Scholastic Book Club (Millennials, this is pre-Amazon). Henry Mulligan, Jeff Crocker and company carrying out complicated pranks and schemes including fooling the town with a flying saucer and doing battle with their nemesis Harmon Muldoon.
Reading this to my son now with memories of when this was a favorite from the Scholastic Book Club (Millennials, this is pre-Amazon). Henry Mulligan, Jeff Crocker and company carrying out complicated pranks and schemes including fooling the town with a flying saucer and doing battle with their nemesis Harmon Muldoon.
January 12, 2025
A fun book about a bunch of kids who have adventures and pull pranks using technology-based contraptions of their own handiwork. Among the things they do is create a fake UFO and food out the tow through cloud seeding.
November 21, 2017
I used to read the adventures of the Mad Scientists' Club as a young boy in Boys' Life - the magazine of Scouting. As a youth and a Scout I loved the stories and the mix of science and adventure. I have read some of the stories in the first volume and one of the stories in this one as serial stories in Boys' Life, so I confess to a certain nostalgia. The stories are dated because of the changes in culture and technology but they are still entertaining and they take me back to another time when life was a bit more carefree. They are, of course, targeted for young adults, but they are quick read and for many adults of today I believe they would harken back to a time when youth was a wonderful adventure.
October 30, 2018
Creative and a fun read.
August 24, 2020
Read aloud with boys. So funny!
August 13, 2021
The best.
I’ve been reading and rereading these books since childhood. They never get old. Great antics and such fun for boys and girls.
I’ve been reading and rereading these books since childhood. They never get old. Great antics and such fun for boys and girls.
August 21, 2021
The boys enjoyed this set of adventures also, though I think the first book in the series is still their favorite.
September 18, 2021
This book is one of my favorite children's books. It has fun, it has humor, and it has adventure. Read it!
January 12, 2022
The cover illustration is definitely new.
May 22, 2022
I liked the first book better. The flying saucer story was great but the kidnapping story was quite dull.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews