Young Bertie Wells has always had the imagination of an inventor. But when he accidentally creates a black hole in his bedroom, he’s not prepared for either that or for the sudden appearance of a strange woman bearing an invitation for him to attend the Everwhen School of Time Travel and Other Odd Sciences. Not only is this a school set outside of the time-space continuum for bright students such as himself, it’s also offering him a highly coveted Time Scholarship, by way of the kind, if eccentric, Professor Darla Marconi.
Bertie doesn’t want to tell Professor Marconi that the black hole was created less on purpose than by accident. The last thing he needs is further ammunition for his disapproving father’s continuing belief that Bertie is never going to amount to anything. This, perhaps, might be his best chance of escaping the drudgery of finding a trade to apprentice in, so off he goes to Everwhen, little realizing that he’s embarking on the adventure of several lifetimes.
Everwhen is weird and wonderful, filled with fantastic scientific marvels from all eras of time. Bertie quickly makes friends with Millie da Vinci, the much put-upon younger sister of the celebrated Leonardo, and Zoe Fuentes, a brainiac recruit from 2025 who’s accompanied everywhere by her trio of colorful slimes. The three new friends are assigned, as all first-year Time Scholars are, to Haz-Labs, the clean-up crew of the entire school. Haz-Labs is not only considered their extracurricular for the whole of first year but also makes up their team for the Ever-Ring Competition, a school-wide contest that rewards the best half-year student invention. This is a big deal because the winning student’s lab gets the best school perks, including choice of classes, housing and extra free periods.