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!

"Bestselling adult author Cussler meshes fantasy and adventure in this lighthearted tale, which opens on a California farm. After an itinerant farmhand arrives to help the Nicefolk family with the harvest, twin 10-year-old siblings Casey and Lacey begin to hear 'unexplainable tinkling and clinking noises' coming from the barn. On his departure, the stranger gives the kids a contraption that can make toys life-size — but they must only use the device to do good and must keep it a secret. Cussler sets his tale at a time when steamboats still traveled the Mississippi: Casey builds a replica of the Wright brothers' biplane, 'Flyer', which he names 'Vin Fiz' (after his favorite soda pop), and uses the magical machine to enlarge it. The twins and their dog take off on a cross-country flight in the aircraft, which possesses a 'mystical vision' that draws it to people in danger. Under her guidance, the youngsters help free Nevada townsfolk forced by scoundrels to labor in a gold mine, halt a runaway train overtaken by bandits in Ohio and stop two girls from tumbling over Niagara Falls. Cussler sprinkles his folksy narrative with instructional notes ('A 'line', by the way, is nautical talk for rope') and facts (almost 800,000 gallons of water rush over Niagara Falls every second), and characters' names emphasize the text's tall-tale quality (e.g., Ever and Ima Nicefolk, Stoke and Blaze Firepit). This genial, at times suspenseful, caper wraps up with a note about the real 'Vin Fiz', and Farnsworth's drawings dramatize the climactic scenes. Ages 7-up." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

The bestsellling adventure author pens his first tale for kids. Twins Casey and Lacey Nicefolk are given a magic box that can transform any toy into a life-sized reality. Soon, the twins are soaring in an enchanted model of the Wright Brothers' biplane.

Cussler collects classic automobiles. He divides his time between Arizona and the mountains of Colorado. He has discovered more than 60 lost ships of historic significance. He has led expeditions to find famous aircraft and shipwrecks.

Farnsworth is a graduate of the Ringling School of Art and Design.