This four-book STEM-focused series by Kati Naumann is a lot of fun for 7- to 9-year-olds who are reading independently but still enjoy short chapters and illustrations. The story is told in a diary format is similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid or the Big Nate series, which make it stand out among German kids literature.
Egon, the main character is a self-declared scientist and inventor who keeps a “researcher’s diary” hat includes sketches, notes, and observations. Each book gives Egon and his best friend Jojo — a boy who is terrified of everything — a new catastrophe to tackle through DIY inventions and experiments. In the first book a mysterious smoking mountain appears in the local forest, which Egon is convinced is a volcano; later volumes feature rogue robots, dinosaur tracks, and a runaway rocket. The boys’ gadgets and contraptions never quite work as planned, resulting in escalating chaos that eventually resolves itself in unexpected ways.
At the end of each book there are also science experiments and building instructions based on the theme of that volume (volcanos, robots, dinosaurs and rockets), so children can replicate simplified versions of Egon’s experiments at home. The combination of hands-on science content and humor makes this series unique among German books for this age level. As an aside, the only other series I know of for this age group that combines science and humor in a similar way is the Hieronymous Frosch series by Andreas H. Schmachtl.)
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