Book Description

Ten-year-old twins Lacey and Casey Nicefolk live on a tiny herb farm in California, wishing they could see the world . . . but how, when times are so hard? That is where Sucoh Sucop comes in (you may notice his name is Hocus Pocus spelled backward).The mysterious man leaves the twins a magic box that can transform any toy into a life-sized reality. Soon Casey and Lacey, and their faithful hound Floopy, are soaring cross-country through the sky in the enchanted Vin Fiz, Casey’s model of a Wright Brothers biplane.Yet the ride is not a smooth one. The twins encounter danger after danger, and must rescue a town held captive by gold-hungry bandits, not to mention a runaway train full of terrified passengers!

In the tradition of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang comes an old-fashioned adventure full of magic and heroism that will take young readers on a journey not soon forgotten.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5–Cusslers first childrens book is a tribute to an airplane that crossed the United States in 1911. It is the tale of Casey and Lacey Nicefolk, who receive a gift from a hired hand that allows them to make their toys real and life-sized. First the twins make a tractor for their parents farm, and then they use the magic to create an airplane designed by the Wright brothers that they call Vin Fiz. They decide to fly across the country to New York. On the way, they rescue townspeople who have been turned into gold-mining slaves by an evil man, keep a steamboat from crashing into a barge, stop a runaway train, and rescue two girls from going over Niagara Falls in a boat. Unfortunately, the book suffers from a lack of characterization as well as problems with gender stereotypes. Lacey, the female twin, is never the hero in the adventures. The writing is stilted and the story fails to come to life even though the situations have the potential to be exciting.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　–Tasha Saecker, Caestecker Public Library, Green Lake, WI