Read a preview
Chapter 1
Chapter 1: The Worst Night Ever
Toby Grant flopped onto his bed with a dramatic groan that could probably be heard three houses down.
"This is SO unfair!" he announced to his ceiling, which didn't respond because it was a ceiling.
It had been the worst evening in the history of evenings. First, his mom had made him eat broccoli—actual broccoli—with dinner. Then his dad reminded him about his math homework, which took forever because fractions were clearly invented by someone who hated children. And now, at exactly 8:30 p.m., his parents had declared it bedtime.
"But I'm not even tired!" Toby had protested.
"You're always not tired," his mom had said, kissing his forehead. "And then you're always exhausted in the morning. Funny how that works."
Toby didn't think it was funny at all.
His little brother Max was already snoring in the next room. Max was only five, so he had an even earlier bedtime, which Toby thought was the only fair rule in the entire house.
Toby rolled over and felt something hard poke his hip. He reached under his blanket and pulled out a coin he'd found at the playground that afternoon. It was old and tarnished, with a strange symbol on one side that looked like a star inside a circle.
He turned it over in his fingers, watching it catch the moonlight streaming through his window.
"I wish," Toby whispered, squeezing his eyes shut, "that everything worked the opposite way. No more rules telling kids what to do. I wish grown-ups had to ask US for permission!"
He flicked the coin into the air. It spun, glinting silver, and landed somewhere on his floor with a soft clink.
Toby yawned. Despite claiming he wasn't tired, his eyes were getting heavy. Within minutes, he was fast asleep, dreaming of a world where kids were in charge.
He had no idea his wish was about to come true.
