Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book. I enjoyed the characters - Rube, Boob and Pearl and the other middle schoolers as they prepare for the school science fair - Con Con. Rube, as you would guess by his name, is all in for this inventive assignment and is determined to win. His brain and his notebook are swimming with ideas of unique and amazing machines. The problem is that Rube tends to be very hard on himself and he gets anxious about how he can accomplish his grandiose plan. He worries about others messing up his hard work or not understanding his vision. So he does what he knows how to do - he shuts out his friends and goes it alone. He's used to it - with a Dad that is always away on business and a grandma who pops in to drop off meals - Rube is alone. But sometimes he is lonely too! Strange things start happening at school and as Rube spends more time on his inventions and less time on his assignments - he soon finds himself disqualified from Con Con due to poor grades. How can this be happening to Rube? How can he fix this mess and achieve his dream of designing the winning machine?
The story unfolds very smoothly and quickly to keep the attention of chapter book readers. The inserted illustrations were so detailed and interesting that I had to take a few minutes away from the text to enjoy them!
This is not just a book about science and inventions - it's more about friendship, sharing and caring about your friends, how to be a good friend and how to do hard things! Go, Rube!

A super fun introduction to an imagined child Rube Goldberg in this first in a new STEM middle grade series.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I teach a unit on inventors each year in science so I was hoping for more of this book to be about the machines. While the story was about a character named Rube Goldberg I'm not sure I would recommend this book to students because it was a bit scattered with quite a few subplots...some of which were never resolved, which felt odd.

I did really like this quote from the book, "Whenever you're feeling down about the state of things, do something nice for someone," and the message it gives kids about kindness.

I received an electronic ARC from ABRAMS Kids through NetGalley.
Readers meet Rube and his best friends Boob and Pearl right away. Middle school is rough for most students and these three experience their share of glitches and challenges. Snider's characters provide plenty of humor throughout and also show serious undertones as the story unfolds. Rube is locked inside his anxieties and his passion to invent. The more alone he feels; the more alone he sets out to be. He sabotages his friendships because he doesn't want to share what is going on in his mind. Readers see how alone he truly is as his dad is gone constantly and his grandmother lives in a separate home. In the end, the three find a way back to friendship and supporting each other. Rube finds the courage to share what is going on in his mind and his two friends see parts of him they did not realize were there. I appreciate the balancing act between a funny story on the surface and the depths of aloneness for each of the characters.
This is the first in a series and I look forward to seeing how their friendship evolves.

I was hoping this book would have been about Rube Goldberg or more based on him. It was a character with a similar name who had similar qualities.. However, the main character has inappropriate behavior and I would not recommend it to my students.