Side effects may include time travel.

Abstract

Alexi Anna Mackey is a thirteen-year-old with all the problems of growing up: her little brother, Mikey, annoys her as often as not; she's a little clumsy, which makes her chosen sport of pole-vaulting a bit challenging; and she struggles daily to overcome a mostly-invisible disability--dyslexia. When Alexi's mother disappears, two mysterious strangers recruit her to help rescue Mrs. Mackey from time-traveling kidnappers. Besides her personal struggles, all that Alexi will have to overcome in order to rescue her mother is her tag-along brother, a prairie tent revival, an evil preacher and his henchmen, a bank robber, a fire, a flood, her recruiters whose faith in her is doubtful, and, oh yes, time traveling back to pre-statehood Oklahoma. This historical fantasy novel provides middle grade readers with a look at early life in Oklahoma, and encourages them to overcome their own life's challenges no matter how difficult or impossible they may seem. It also introduces readers to Oklahoma's diversity of cultures while working to avoid stereotyping and cultural insensitivity. To encourage learning, particularly of Oklahomans and their history, some of the characters and actions in this novel are based on historical persons and events from pre-statehood Oklahoma. Finally, to further interest readers in the people, places, events, and setting included in this story, the novel also provides a chapter that shares additional information about many of these items, and gives other resources for the reader's independent research.