Into The McNultyverse: A Multiverse Adventure for Kids

Mikael hides Mike in his master's workshop, a tower room with a purple fire, a six-legged table, and a jar of blue light that bites. That's where the truth comes out. Three days ago, Mikael broke the spell that keeps the valley warm, and now everything is slowly freezing. The only fix is a counter-spell cast from three points around the valley before sundown. Meanwhile, Garrick is knocking on the door with questions about Mikael's "cousin," and a woman named Hester arrives with warm pastries and bad news about the river.

In this episode: Mike, Mikael, Pib, Garrick, and Hester

Talk about it on the ride home:

• Mikael kept his mistake a secret for three days. Why is it so hard to tell someone when you mess up?
• Mike tells Hester that Mikael has to be the one to fix it. Do you agree? Why?
• Garrick is sure something's going on. Have you ever known someone who was always trying to catch you?

Next time: The mill, the frozen river, and something under the ice that Mike really wishes he hadn't seen.

Mike opens his eyes in a stone alley under a purple sky, and a talking crow named Pib is not impressed with him. Pib leads him through a town where the streets curl, the fountains flow up, and the apples watch you. At the end of the walk is Mikael, a version of Mike who is a wizard's apprentice and is losing a fight with a very grumpy snow cloud. The two Mikes are just starting to figure each other out when an older kid named Garrick turns the corner. Then Pib says one word: run.

In this episode: Mike, Mikael, Pib, and Garrick

Talk about it on the ride home:

• If you met another version of yourself, what would you want to ask first?
• Mikael's spell only worked once he stopped tensing up. When has calming down helped you?
• Would you rather have a talking crow for a friend, or a pet snow cloud?

Next time: A tower full of impossible things, the best pastries Mike has ever eaten, and a valley that's slowly freezing. Which might be kind of Mike's fault.

Mike barely sleeps. He keeps checking that the amulet is still under his pillow, and Olivia is sure something happened last night. In the back yard, Dad teaches him the eight rules: four the family made and four the universe made. Then he teaches Mike how to jump, and it doesn't work. That's the lesson. Mike gets through a whole school day without telling Nora, just barely. Then, halfway through a lesson on fractions, the amulet starts to get warm.

In this episode: Mike, Mom, Dad, Grandpa Earl, Olivia, Nora, and Mrs. Patel

Talk about it on the ride home:

• Some of Mike's rules can be broken and some can't. What rules in your life are like each kind?
• Mike almost told Nora twice. Have you ever had to keep a secret from a friend? How did it feel?
• Dad says you can't force the gift, only be ready for it. What's something you had to wait for?

Next time: Mike lands somewhere very, very different, and someone there has been expecting him.

Mike McNulty wakes up on his tenth birthday to real bacon, which means today is different. But the strange part is the Look: Dad and Grandpa Earl keep glancing at each other like they know something he doesn't. At a surprise Tuesday dinner in the dining room, Mike opens a small wooden box and learns his family's biggest secret. It comes with a warm silver amulet, an old leather journal, and rules he can't break, starting with this one: he can't tell anyone, not even his little sister.

In this episode: Mike, Mom, Dad, Grandpa Earl, Olivia, and Nora

Talk about it on the ride home:

• If your family had a secret gift, what would you want it to be?
• Mike can't tell his best friend or his sister. Would that be hard for you? Why?
• If you kept a journal like Mike's, what would you write on the first page?

Next time: Mike learns the rules, all eight of them. Then, on a perfectly normal Wednesday, something happens in math class that has nothing to do with fractions.