THE DOOMSDAY VAULT

Can 12-year-olds from different eras save their Time Machine school from destruction when a Time Bomb threatens the universe’s Time Stream?

Everwhen School recruits history’s brightest students, including Herbert George “Bertie” Wells, an English boy who has a black hole in his bedroom in 1878; Amelia “Millie” da Vinci, an Italian girl who builds a flying machine in 1471; and the socially inept Zoe Fuentes, a Latine-presenting girl from Queens who creates sentient slime in 2025. While adapting to their excitingly bizarre school, the hapless Bertie struggles with imposter syndrome, Millie loathes comparisons to brother Leonardo, and genius Zoe forsakes friends to fulfill promises to her deceased mother. But when Everwhen’s leader vanishes and the enigmatic Rose Gold demands access to the Doomsday Vault, the Time Stream is in danger—unless Bertie, Millie, and Zoe can overcome their fears, rebuild their broken friendships, and save the world. Earnest messages underpin this exuberant adventure, including valuing dreamers and inspiration and the necessity of making and learning from mistakes in science and friendships. The main characters are sympathetic and flawed, though the secondary characters remain more one-note. Though swiftly paced, the storyline occasionally pauses for comical interludes, including school memos, smoothie bar menus, and articles in the school paper. While the intricate plot may confuse some readers, they’ll still gleefully hang on for the wild ride.

This hilarious time-travel romp bursts with creativity and heartfelt messages.