HARPER WELLS

An Australian preteen’s new bed enables her to travel into the past.

Twelve-year-old Harper Wells wants to grow up, something her dad has been reluctant to let her do ever since the disappearance of her mum six years ago. But after getting a new bed from a thrift shop, she’s transported back in time every time she falls asleep. With the help of Maximilian Durand, the boy sent to check up on her time wanderings, Harper learns about the World Office of Timeline Officials. The organization sends out Timeline Officers, all of whom are kids, to keep an eye on the past and make sure nothing changes, thus avoiding “catastrophic results further up the timeline.” The officers use Wollemi Beds (the Wollemi are trees)—and Harper’s bed actually belongs to Officer 42, who’s gone missing. WOTO will kill Harper if they find out she’s not really Officer 42. With Maximilian as her guide, she sets out to complete the case assigned to Officer 42, but as more Timeline Officers disappear, Harper must figure out for herself what the right thing to do is. This debut, a trilogy opener, dances around some big themes—class disparity, racism, and Australia’s difficult history—but this volume doesn’t explore them in depth. Still, readers looking for a fun, fast-paced time-travel series will be satisfied, and they’ll anticipate the many mysteries left for Harper to unravel. The leads are cued white.

Enjoyable and adventurous.