Eleven-year-old Oscar Ogilvie lives in Cairo, Illinois with his father. The two share a love of model trains, and spend evenings working on their elaborate set up in the basement. The stock market crash of 1929 does not affect them immediately, but ultimately it causes his father to lose his job, the house, and the model train collection. Oscar Senior heads to California to look for work while his son moves in with a straightlaced aunt. The only joy in young Oscar's life is the time he spends with Mr. Applegate, a former math teacher who is also drifting around looking for work. One day, Oscar is at the bank where Mr. Applegate has gotten a job as the night guard. The train set that the Ogilvies lost ended up decorating the bank lobby, and the two enjoy spending time watching it run. When two armed robbers break into the bank, Mr. Applegate yells at Oscar to jump. He jumps-- right onto the train set, where he magically finds himself in a full-sized station and hops the first train that comes. The train catapults him 10 years into the future, so when he is reunited with his father in California, it is 1941 and the 11 year old Oscar (in a 21-year-old body) is in danger of being arrested for draft-dodging. A little reminiscent of Edward Bloor's "London Calling," Wells' story has enough going on that it could easily become convoluted, but she manages to keep the story moving and the reader engaged throughout as Oscar hops multiple trains in an effort to get back to his correct time period. The resolution is a little too pat, but overall, this is a charming story of adventure and the bond between father and son. Beautiful illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline help immerse readers in the 1930's and 1940's.