** spoiler alert ** A world where those of magic have separated themselves, hidden themselves from the humans... and early on magicians wrote their secrets into three books, and buried them to keep them protected. and a prophecy (and we never hear the prophecy) says three children will be the key to unlocking their hidden places and be able to access their magic.

The first book is the 'Book of Beginning' - creation - and time travel. Kate time travels with the book, and through her traveling she rectifies, piece by piece, the problems of the present of Cambridge Falls - saving the children, getting the right dwarf to be king, defeating the Countess and Dire Magnus. the time traveling gets to be a bit confusing.

Each child makes a big mistake, but is forgiven and brought back into the fold... Stephens creates some very interesting characters, Robbie & Hamish (dwarfs), Salo and Abraham (servants in Dr. Pym's household), Gabriel, the Countess, Dire Magnus, ... but the storyline resolutions seem too contrived... and there are pieces of other similiar stories...