When Sam, almost 12, and his sister, Abby, 7, receive an antique stereoscope with a puzzling note and mysterious 3D photographs, they begin a quest to discover the identity of a man dressed as Santa in the pictures. They accidentally find themselves trapped in 1893, where they are befriended by trend-setting reporter and world traveler Nellie Bly; visit the grounds of the Chicago World's Fair; and meet mad scientist Nikola Tesla, all in an effort to return to the present. In the process, they discover that the popular story "The Night Before Christmas" is at the heart of an elaborate coverup to conceal the identity of the real Santa. "Secret Santa: The Mystery of the Stereoscope" adds a fun and mysterious twist to the origin story of the man behind the beard. This is the first book in the Secret Santa series of middle-grade novels by David Tank. Includes fun facts about actual events that inspired the story. This is the first book in the Secret Santa Mystery series.