Richard Kirsch answers these questions in his next intriguing story.  “The ‘Big One” is the second of his “Bicycle Tales”.  

Being accidentally transported into a Lionel train set is only one of the problems besetting our reluctant heroes: Rich, Mickie and Bill.  No one ever told these kids you can’t ride in your own train set.  With the help of a magical, triangular stone the kids travel through space and time.

With the world rushing headlong to an impending climactic disaster, Mary O’Malley is the one person who can reverse its fate.  Mary and her family are newly arrived immigrants to the United States.  We meet them first at Ellis Island, New York.

8,000-year-old brother and sister, Aralic and Benowin, know of Earth’s impending doom but do not interfere with the surface world.  They are inhabitants of Urgin, a 10,000-year-old sunken continent.  Their only recourse to fend off what “could” happen is to enlist the help of Rich, Mickie and Bill.

The kids find “the gatekeeper” in a model train set.  With the assistance of Aralic and Benowin, they are able to work through the mysterious maze.  You’ll need to read the book to discover how this latest “Bicycle Tale” turns out.  Twists and turns in the story are only a small part of the excitement in this new adventure.  An old foe makes a return appearance to complicate everything.