Martin, author of Charlotte and the Rock (2017) and Stewart's Best Pen (2018), offers kiddos another hilarious and imaginative story with this time-travel romp. Max, an overall-clad white girl with a black bob, has made a big mistake: she broke her family's vase, a prized heirloom. Now it's up to her and her trusty dog, Boomer, to figure out how they can get themselves out of trouble. Max could come clean and face the truth of her actions she could build a time machine in order to undo the accident. However, time is a tricky thing to tinker with. Max skips through history, making one mistake after another, learning the hard way why it's important to face her mistakes rather than hide them. Li's action-packed digital illustrations are eye catching and colorful, matching Max's wild energy as she propels through history (her time-traveling aim being as poor as her Frisbee throws). A little sci-fi, a little STEM, and a whole lot of fun.

PreS-Gr 2 -Max and her dog Boomer are playing frisbee when the runaway orb shatters a family heirloom that belonged to her great-great-great-great-great-great grandma. Instead of being honest about the broken vase, Max cooks up a convoluted plan to build a time machine, go back in time, and smash the vase in the past, so "there would be nothing for her to break in the future." Needless to say, mess after mess occurs, when finally Max realizes that she must convince her old self not to build the time machine. This is a rather silly story that attempts to teach children to tell the truth, even when they have done something wrong. The illustrations are vibrant, and show the different time periods that Max visits. VERDICT A light, funny but largely forgettable look at damage control and facing consequences.-Maeve Dodds, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC