Book excerpt: Christmas is fast approaching and with it the exciting anticipation of magical surprises. But when Katie, Nick, Gary, Helena, and Zach log onto the new Tri-Con Dynamics quantum computers, their surprises are anything but magical. The five children are excited to be the first test group to determine whether the new Tri-Con Dynamics quantum computers are kid friendly. When they boot up the computers, mysterious drawers next to the USB ports slide open, revealing black rings trimmed in silver. An onscreen message instructs the children to wear the ring at all times while interacting with the computers. But when the students begin their research, something truly shocking happens. Catapulted back in time, the group finds themselves trapped in a parallel universe where ghosts from the past become their Michigan history teachers. As the five travelers encounter terrifying challenges, including quicksand and cannonballs, they discover the pen that was supposed to take them back to their own time isn’t responding. Who—or what—is in control of their future? In this novel, five students testing new quantum computers find themselves transported into a parallel universe, where they learn the history of their state and face unexpected dangers.