Jeff Tapia

There are many stories about kid crusaders who save something, but none like this one. With steampunk, tall tale, and just plain silly elements, the story of how ten-year-old twins Jimmy and Stella found out about the unique vehicle called the hippomobile, learned its history, and then used it to rescue their beloved town of Wymore is an original variant on a tried and true theme. A cast of wildly eccentric characters, most of whom are the twins' forty-seven grandmas and grandpas; a liberal sprinkling of diner slang and odd colloquial phrases, many explained in footnotes; and a sense that the events described never took place but could have are among the surprising ingredients of this unconventional creation. The fact that there really was a hippomobile with its own history doesn't interfere with the fun.