Stay a Spell

School librarian Ms. Tremt sends Jada and her friends back to 1977 to learn a valuable lesson in this second zany novel, part of the all-new In Due Time series.

Now that librarian Valerie Tremt has given her students access to a time travel portal, they are all abuzz thinking about where they should go. But Jada doesn’t want to go anywhere special. All she wants to do is go back to last week and study for the spelling test she failed to make her parents happy. Why does she need to know how to spell? She’s going to be a famous fashion designer when she grows up.

With a twinkle in her eye, Ms. Tremt says Jada can use The Book of Memories to go back and pass her test, but instead of going back in time one week, Jada ends up in 1977! Lava lamps! Disco music! Huge bell-bottom jeans! And everyone is talking about a cool new movie called Star Wars. Jada finds herself in the designer’s studio where her Aunt Katie is an intern. She watches as Katie learns just how important spelling can be—no matter what career you choose. And just when it’s time to head home, Jada finally realizes all the endless possibilities that come with having a time machine so she decides to make a quick trip to ancient Egypt to get some fashion tips from Cleopatra. But being in the past is so thrilling that Jada almost misses the deadline to return home. Could she get stuck in ancient Egypt forever?

At 110 years old, Nicholas O. Time is a retired physics professor and the oldest player in the North American United Soccer League. He built his first time machine when he was twelve, successfully sending his pet mouse back to the Stone Age. Unfortunately, a glitch in the machine caused the mouse to clone upon return. After several trials, Nick’s parents destroyed the machine and adopted a thirty-pound feline named Barney to address the growing rodent problem. Nick and his wife, Rose Maryann, have one son, Justin.

Stephen Gilpin graduated from the NYC School of Visual Arts where he studied painting and cartooning. He is the illustrator of the Who Shrunk Daniel Funk series and The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy series. Stephen currently lives in Hiawatha, Kansas. Visit him at SGilpin.com.