About the Book Nina is determined to help her best friend Maya win the race for 6th grade representative. But when she uses her robotics skills to spy on Mayas opponent, the girls wind up in detention. There, they are asked to write a letter to a woman from history. Nina pours her heart out to Cleopatra, and instead of throwing the letter away so her parents dont find it, she slips it into a battered old mailbox she and Maya find in the woods. It was all just a game...until a giant scroll arrives at Ninas house, signed by Cleopatra herself! Do the girls really have a pen pal from 2,000 years ago? Will their friend Zoe ever speak to them again? Why is their science teacher acting so oddly? And what on Earth is a time taco?-- Book Synopsis Girls running for office, secret leadership lessons from the past, and a dash of mysterious mailbox magic? Yes please! --Kate Messner, New York Times best-selling author of Breakout and the History Smashers series A school election. A mysterious mailbox. And a letter from . . . Cleopatra? Middle school is so weird. Nina is determined to help her best friend Maya win the race for 6th grade representative. But when she uses her robotics skills to spy on Mayas opponent, the girls wind up in detention. There, they are asked to write a letter to a woman from history. Nina pours her heart out to Cleopatra, and instead of throwing the letter away so her parents dont find it, she slips it into a battered old mailbox she and Maya find in the woods. It was all just a game . . . until a giant scroll arrives at Ninas house, signed by Cleopatra herself! Do the girls really have a pen pal from 2,000 years ago? Will their friend Zoe ever speak to them again? Why is their science teacher acting so oddly? And what on Earth is a time taco? Original story and characters by Anna McCleery About the Author Marti Dumas is a mom, teacher, writer, and creative entrepreneur from New Orleans. An expert in childhood literacy, Marti has worked with children and teachers across the country for the last 15 years to promote an early love of reading both in and out of the classroom. Her best-selling Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest series combines literacy with STEM skills and humor and adds much-needed diversity to the childrens chapter book landscape. Her latest book, Wildseed Witch, is a middle-grade fantasy that is already being heralded for its skillful combination of technology, history, and magic. Yaoyao Ma Van As is a Los Angeles-based art director, painter, illustrator, and occasional animator. She has worked at Disney TV Animation, Warner Brothers Animation, Rick and Morty, Stoopid Buddy Studios and Starburns Industries. Yaoyao Ma Van As is a Los Angeles-based art director, painter, illustrator, and occasional animator. She has worked at Disney TV Animation, Warner Brothers Animation, Rick and Morty, Stoopid Buddy Studios and Starburns Industries.