Time Villains (Time Villains #1)

A notorious historical villain overstays his welcome after three Maryland students inadvertently summon him to a dinner party in this engaging fantasy series opener. Every year at Finistere, “a full-on, spires-and-everything medieval castle turned into a school,” students must complete the same dinner party assignment: “If you could invite any three people, living or dead, who would you invite?” This year, 12-year-old Javi Santiago, who is Puerto Rican and an aspiring chef, isn’t sure whom to include, so he recruits his bookish best friend Will “Wiki” Green to help choose the perfect guests. But when Javi, his younger sister Brady, and Wiki accidentally wield a magic table’s summoning powers and let a cartoonishly rendered pirate Blackbeard loose in their world, they must race to send him back before he can enact his evil plans. Confident third grader Brady (“Now find yourself another Pirate Queen, ya scurvy dog!”) steals scenes—and Blackbeard’s respect. Great for fans of Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, debut author Piñeiro’s writing offers plenty of humor, as well as clever historical and literary Easter eggs for readers to puzzle out. Includes a character guide. Ages 8–12. [em]Agent: Elana Roth Parker, Laura Dail Literary. (July) [/em]