World's Worst Time Machine by Dustin Brady, illustrated by Dave Bardin

Dustin Brady, creator of the Escape from a video game and Trapped in a video game adventures, has a knack for writing stories that grab the attention of reluctant readers. His newest series starter is no exception.

Liam, in his usual race for the school bus, is startled to see a huge crowd of strange people outside his eccentric neighbor's house. Belatedly, he realizes that he's missing the garage sale of the century, and is not comforted by the practical reminder of his sort-of-friend Elsa that he has a report on Thomas Edison due soon and he hasn't read the book.

After some encounters with a bully, Liam finds a treasure in the old house - a real time machine! Excitedly, he ignores the "World's Worst Time Machine" label and sets it up in his basement, only for things to go immediately go drastically wrong. Now he's got a wanna-be gangster, real-life (and scary) gangsters, missing parents, and an annoyed bully on his trail! His only hope is Elsa's mysterious familiarity with the time machine and a good supply of Cheetos...

Spot illustrations and one-page spreads are scattered throughout the book, showing the action and giving pictures of the three (white) young protagonists. Back matter includes profiles of the real-life gangsters and their fates as well as historical context for the Depression-era people Liam meets. Brady keeps the action moving with a constant stream of disasters, most caused by Liam's headlong rushes into events without stopping to think or ask questions. There are some fun call-outs for local libraries and lots of snarky dialogue. One thing that really shines in this book is Brady's ability to write a strong girl character and mesh her smoothly into the story, showing her as competent and in charge but also vulnerable and making mistakes. Although Liam is shown as the main character, both in the description and images, we get a good understanding of Elsa's character and motivations as well and she is a strong protagonist in her own right.

Some promotion for this book leans heavily into the "reluctant boy reader" which I really dislike, but the cover and description are generally neutral, if leaning a little heavily on Liam as protagonist, (he's more of a catalyst in some respects) so if you want to play it that way you can.

Verdict: Recommend this to readers who want fast-paced action, humor, and strong characters without lengthy emotional scenes as well as those who want a book that doesn't double as a doorstop. It will please the parents who insist on their kids reading "real" books, not graphic novels, with a few illustrations to sate the kids. Brady has written a great series starter that also has a nice sprinkling of history, a little science, and engaging, fun characters. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9781524884130; Published April 2023 by Andrews McMeel; Purchased for the library; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library so I have 2 copies, which I will definitely use!