Two misfit 12-year-olds, Lisa Garski and Charlie Pocante stumble on a rip in space/time visible only in front of a large black rock by a lake near their houses. They jump into an adventure far more dangerous than they had anticipated but with courage and compassion for the diminutive creatures they found in troubled Moon World. To survive, they must learn the pictographic language of these creatures, a language carved in stone and written in sand. 14 drawing in the Moon Worlders' language were written in sand by the characters and are embedded in the story for the reader to decipher along with Lisa and Charlie. When the adventurers are finally rescued they find unexpected skepticism and even hostility from some humans on Earth. Lisa makes unexpected discoveries about herself as well.