The Wells Bequest

Gr 6–9—When a tiny time machine arrives in his room carrying another version of himself and a beautiful girl, Leo is extremely surprised. Before he leaves, his future self tells Leo to read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Leo's search for the time machine brings him to the New York Circulating Material Repository, which is home to what Leo previously believed to be fictional magical objects. It is there that he meets and befriends Jaya, the girl from the time machine. He begins working at the Repository to gain access to the special collections, specifically the Wells Bequest, where he hopes to find the machine. When the future of the world is threatened with disaster, Leo and Jaya set out to change the past. Although this is a companion to The Grimm Legacy, it is not necessary for readers to be familiar with it in order to enjoy this. Though a bit slow in the beginning, the action picks up quickly as Leo faces an enemy who will stop at nothing in order to get his hands on the time machine. Narrator Johnny Heller gives the characters distinct voices and accents. An author's note at the end explains the real-life elements of the story, and an additional note explains how the call numbers were assigned to the objects in the Repository.—Elizabeth Elsbree, Krug Elementary School, Aurora, IL