Chapter 1 · Paperback pages 7-12
The Protest
Roman joins the friends in investigating why people want books removed from the library.
Read Chapter 1 freeA question to read withHow can curiosity begin with something happening in your own town?
The inventor
Meet Roman
Roman's next question is usually about how something works.
AI-generated fictional illustration. Not artwork from the printed book. Image model and directing model/effort not exposed.
Image details
AI-generated with OpenAI tools, directed in Codex. Image model and directing model/effort not exposed.
Created October 19, 2026. Proportionally resized and WebP encoded; not cropped. Original fictional character illustration, not artwork from the printed book. Faces, clothing and staging are artistic interpretation. Exact image-model and directing model/effort identifiers were not exposed by the available tool receipt.
An imagined workbench portrait based on Roman's interest in invention, not a documented device or literal scene.
Roman's basement is full of inventions, and his dream is to build an exoskeleton that would let him fly. A science-and-technology prodigy who watches MacGyver reruns, he brings an inventor's curiosity to the adventure. Faced with a magical trip through time, Roman wants to understand how the transport works.
- Age in the story
- 15
- Home
- Crystal City
- The beginning
- Summer after ninth grade
An ambition is not an accomplished invention: the flying exoskeleton is Roman's dream. When Franklin offers a trip through time, the possibility catches his imagination, but he still wants to know how the transport could work.
Start with Chapter 1 freeFollow Roman into the story
Chapter 2 · Paperback pages 13-18
The Book
Roman asks how the book will transport them, rather than simply accepting the offer.
View Chapter 2 reader accessA question to read withHow is Roman's question different from Alex's? Why might both matter?
Chapter 1 is free. Later chapters require reader access. Questions are invitations from this site, not quotations from the characters.
Beyond the page
Talk it over
Choose an everyday object or a rule at school. What would you need to find out before you could explain how it works, or suggest a useful change?
Bring your own answer, or discuss it with a friend, family member or teacher. Nothing is recorded here.
AI-generated fictional illustration. Not artwork from the printed book. Image model and directing model/effort not exposed.
Image details
AI-generated with OpenAI tools, directed in Codex. Image model and directing model/effort not exposed.
Created October 19, 2026. Proportionally resized and WebP encoded; not cropped. Original fictional character illustration, not artwork from the printed book. Faces, clothing and staging are artistic interpretation. Exact image-model and directing model/effort identifiers were not exposed by the available tool receipt.
An imagined workbench portrait based on Roman's interest in invention, not a documented device or literal scene.