In the Deep Blue Sea

Jack and the Geniuses #2

by Bill Nye, Gregory Mone, Nicholas Iluzada (Illustrations)

New York Times–bestselling authors Bill Nye the Science Guy and Gregory Mone take middle-grade readers on a scientific adventure in Book 2 of the exciting new Jack and the Geniuses series.

The series combines real-world science along with a mysterious adventure that will leave kids guessing until the end, making the books ideal for STEM education.
 
In the second installment, In the Deep Blue Sea, Jack, his genius siblings Ava and Matt, and inventor Dr. Hank Witherspoon travel to the Hawaiian island home of Ashley Hawking, a technology billionaire. Hawking and engineer Rosa Morris have built a revolutionary electricity plant that harvests energy from the deep ocean, but someone has been sabotaging the project.
 
In their search for the culprit, Jack and crew navigate an unusual world of characters and suspects, including Hawking and her obnoxiously intelligent son, Steven; a family of surfers who accuse the billionaire of trespassing on sacred land; an ex–Navy SEAL with a fondness for cat photos; and a cigar-chomping man who calls himself the Air-Conditioning King of Hawaii.
 
Readers will learn about the mysteries of the deep ocean, the scientific process, and the potential of green energy as Jack and his brilliant siblings use all their brainpower to survive. Integrating real science facts with humor and suspense and featuring a multiethnic cast of boy and girl characters, this engaging series is an irresistible combination for middle-grade readers.
 
With easy-to-read language presented in a fun and accessible way, these books are great for both inquisitive kids and reluctant readers. In the Deep Blue Sea: Jack and the Geniuses Book 2 includes information about the science discussed and used to solve the mystery, as well as a cool project that kids can do at home or in the classroom. 
 
Bill Nye’s brand-new talk show series for Netflix, Bill Nye Saves the World, premieres on April 21, 2017. 
 

Genres: Middle Grade, Adventure, Mystery, Science Fiction, Childrens, Chapter Books, Realistic Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Published September 12, 2017

About the author

Not to be confused with 19th century American humorist Bill Nye

William Sanford "Bill" Nye, popularly known as Bill Nye the Science Guy, is an American science educator, comedian, television presenter, actor, writer, scientist, and former mechanical engineer, best known in popular media as a science educator.

Reviews

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for boys or girls and has lots of science wrapped in it. If you have a middle schooler, make sure to get this series for them.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC received courtesy of Goodreads.com First Reads Give Away

I hadn't heard of this new series written by Bill Nye. I'm so incredibly glad that I ran across it on Goodreads. Our middle school is starting a new STEM program this year and I will happily turn this novel over to the 5th and 6th grade teachers!

The kids in the novel will appeal to both boys and girls. The mystery is wrapped in layers of science in which a kid could become interested. I loved the addition of "Big Questions about the oceans" at the end of the book. The experiment described for kids to try calls for materials that an average middle school kid would have access to use.

To top it all off, the novel is printed in orange ink, which if my research is correct, is trying to address some learning disabilities.

It's a win all the way around!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner in the new "Jack and the Geniuses" series. This one finds Jack, his siblings, and their mentor, Hank, traveling to Hawaii to help with a clean-energy machine.

As with the previous "Jack" book, there's science, new discoveries, and mystery! There's plenty of basic science that kids probably already know, but that builds up to "Really?" science that is explained in the book (mainly to help Jack, the not-genius of the family, understand what the geniuses know, but of course that also helps us readers, young and older, who don't know the science) and further explained in the afterword "Eleven Absolutely Essential Questions About the Deep Blue Sea." And once again, new scientific discoveries lead to possible jealousy and sabotage, and Jack is determined to discover who can and can't be trusted.

Like the first book, this one also hints at gender equality (half of the smart people are female), and now race equality, too. It's subtle, but it's there. Two sentences (one question and one answer) toward the beginning of the book, but just poignant enough that it sticks in the memory of the reader, young and older.

[Maximilian Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because I thought it was VERY realistic. It was realistic when the kid were lost at sea and didn't know their way back home (well, they kind of did). It also was not realistic because of the kids DID find their way back home! I did not like the ending because I thought it was kind of weird becsue it it just a few sentences that said that Hank's lab was a mess (like somone sabotaged it) right after they solved the mystery. I did really like the beginning because it connected perfectly with the last book.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea and hard for me to finish, but a good science/action-adventure book with a diverse cast of characters. Also, I read this without having read the first and it didn’t not effect my ability to understand what was happening.

[American Mensa · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Those moments when I know more than my siblings, well I live for them,” Jack often thinks about his genius foster siblings, Ava and Matt. In this adventure of Jack and the Geniuses in the Deep Blue Sea, the kids fly to an island in Hawaii called Nihoa on an underwater plane with their scientist mentor Hank Witherspoon and billionaire Ashley Hawking. Jack and his siblings investigate the Thermal Ocean Energy System, known as the TOES, the invention Rosa Morris created to make energy and reduce pollution by using cold water. They realize they were invited to Hawaii for Steven’s birthday party, but when the TOES stops working, they help find out what went wrong. There are many different suspects along the way, but only one is correct. Who has sabotaged the TOES?
Jack and the Geniuses is a science mystery book filled with inventors and inventions packed with creativity. My favorite part was when Jack, Ava, Matt, and Maya (the granddaughter of one of the suspects) venture out on a handmade boat to the middle of the sea and get stranded. They have to eat raw fish, use a jacket for toilet paper, and tap S.O.S in Morse code on a shark tracking device to get home.
I give this book 5 stars because of the twists and cliffhanger ending, cool science, and the exciting feeling you get when you really want to know who did it. I think this book is good for girls and boys who are interested in mystery books and science technology. Best for ages 7+. Jack and the Genius is a 300 page book and the second in a series you’ll want to keep reading.
Bianca M., 8, Denver Mensa

[Roger Flores-Chacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose the book because it was continuing my reading from where Jack left off on the first one. It was quite nice and I had no idea what would come next. The book is about Jack traveling to one of Hawaii's islands along with his siblings. They find themselves in a water powered base. The base is not working because someone was sabotaging it. Jack and his siblings along with a new friend try to sneak into the base to see if the sabotager would come back. They fail on getting there and drift away from the Island. They have to survive on a small boat in the middle of the ocean. A day later, they find themselves approaching home base while sending an SOS. They come back onto the Island and realized that the sabotager was the base designer's son. He didn't like the place and wanted to go so they left a few weeks later. Bill Nye has been educating kids since the 80's and is still doing that. Even in books like this one! This book almost bored me but I still thought that the book was amazing! The title does support the book since Jack is mostly surrounded by water.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Focusing solely on the story, I have to say that it is a great follow-up to the first book in the series and I know that my students enjoyed it as well and are looking forward to the next book in the series. However, I'm not too happy with the publisher. I was given a signed copy of the book as a gift, however, as I was reading the book, I discovered that a whole section of the book was missing. I contacted the publisher, and have yet to hear back. So for several days, I was not able to read the story as I waited to hear from the book store to see if they could get their hands on another signed edition of the book. They were, and I was able to exchange it for a completed copy, but it was a pretty frustrating situation.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Jack and his genius foster siblings, Ava and Matt, are invited to a private Hawaiian island as birthday guests for obnoxious Steven Hawking, whose technology billionaire mother’s Thermal Ocean Energy System (TOES) project has been sabotaged. Thrown into the middle of a mystery, Jack, Ava, and Matt use common sense, intelligence, and survival tactics to uncover the culprit. Back matter includes an “Eleven Absolutely Essential Questions About the Deep Blue Sea” section about the ocean related to Jack and the geniuses’s scientific adventure and an experiment for budding scientists about how much of the Earth is covered by ocean. Readers who missed Jack and the Geniuses: At the Bottom of the World (2017) can read it while awaiting the next book in the series.

[Elza Kinde · Rating 2 out of 5]

After their success in the Antarctic, Jack and the Geniuses are called in to the Hawaiian islands--supposedly to aid repair work on a recently-sabotaged invention. Determined to suss out another suspect, Jack is prepared to do a little covert sleuthing once they arrive, but nothing goes quite to plan when the kids and their mentor arrive.

I found this sequel bland compared to the first installment of the series. I'm willing to chalk it up to "second movie syndrome" and give the third book a try.

[George the Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son has somewhat outgrown children's books, but that didn't stop him from devouring this one. I can't blame him. Fun, adventurous, full of cleverness, this is a series to invest in. Makes a great gift for the young reluctant reader as well, as I can say from expwrience2.

[Steve Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is second in the series and my students loved it as much as the first. It's a great upper elementary, middle school book that's a light, mystery, read. Humor is mixed in with science based mysteries. Highly recommend, even for your reluctant readers.

[Mathew Benham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 7hr audio book. Another amazing book, by one of my fav teachers. The story in centered around Jack and his siblings figuring out another mystery, this time on a island off Hawaii. Thank you for the adventure Bill.

[Felix · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book

[aem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bill Nye, science guy us a good story teller too!!!

[Apollo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with a spectacular twist at the end, but Jack is a bit too silly

[Kristina Callender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting pace and plot makes science & reading fun. I read all 3 and as an adult I enjoyed them and learned a few things.

[Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I love it because it gives random facts about the ocean and sea life.

[Debbie Ladd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as exciting as book one and the red text was difficult to read under lamp light:(

[Stephen Chase · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like the books for adults better than this ****ing ****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kathy Nealen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good way to promote science to children through fiction. The author helpfully differentiates which of the scientific products in the story are real or under research at the end of the book.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tremendous fun!

[Sarah's Reading Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Deni · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband read this to book to our 11 and 8 year old kids and they all really liked it.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series good for marrying science and adventure. This time Jack and the Geniuses are solving a mystery in Hawaii. Not as much potty humor as in the first book, but the kids will definitely laugh at loud at some of it.

Book 2. Although not really necessary to read them in order, but some of the adventures from earlier are mentioned.

[Aryan.Hasan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was such an enjoyable book or edition and it was astounding. It also gives awesome facts about the ocean and also technology. Just like I said for the first book I like mystery books that last till the end of the book. I am reading the whole series now because the two books that I have read was very nice that I am willing to read the third one.

[Tasha (Amaysn Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Jack and the Geniuses series and it was just as good as the first one.
This follows Jack, Hank, Matt, and Ava as they go on another adventure. This book has all the elements that I am coming to thoroughly enjoy about these books: science made easy, explaining concepts without coming off as condescending, and raising awareness of global issues. On top of all that, it tackles family dynamics. Everything that I enjoy in a middle grade. The story never felt predictable or that it was falling into a formula and the mystery was just great.
Again I highly recommend these books and I can't wait for the next one to come out!

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a great book but you must read the first book before reading this book

[E.R. Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable addition to the budding Jack and the Geniuses series. Though I am an adult, I eagerly await the third volume and Jack's next scientifically fueled adventure!

[Sandra]

Really annoyed at this one, will review when less cranky.