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Victor Piñeiro
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Time Villains (Time Villains, 1) Hardcover – July 6, 2021

by Victor Piñeiro (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 88 ratings
Editors' pick Best Books Ages 9-12
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★ "Magnificent."―Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review

Story Thieves meets Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library in this wacky, hilarious, and fast-paced middle-grade series starter, with the perfect combination of magic, imagination, and adventure.

Javi Santiago is trying his best not to fail sixth grade. So, when the annual "invite any three people to dinner" homework assignment rolls around, Javi enlists his best friend, Wiki, and his sister, Brady, to help him knock it out of the park.

But the dinner party is a lot more than they bargained for. The family's mysterious antique table actually brings the historical guests to the meal…and Blackbeard the Pirate is turning out to be the worst guest of all time.

Before they can say "avast, ye maties," Blackbeard escapes, determined to summon his bloodthirsty pirate crew. And as Javi, Wiki, and Brady try to figure out how to get Blackbeard back into his own time, they might have to invite some even zanier figures to set things right again…

Praise for Time Villains:

"Piñeiro scores with this tale of friendship, magic, and adventure... Magnificent."―Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review

"It's got heart, it's got thrills, it's got pirates! You won't be able to put down this action-packed, relentlessly funny adventure."―Sarah Mlynowski, author of the New York Times bestselling Whatever After series

"A magical table that pulls in famous people from history and fiction? Is this the greatest idea for a book ever? Yes. Yes it is. Come join the best dinner party in history (and books), full of pirates, sandwiches and history's greatest figures!"―James Riley, New York Times bestselling author of The Story Thieves series

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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    8 - 10 years, from customers
  2. Book 1 of 2
    Time Villains
  3. Print length
    336 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    3 - 8
  6. Dimensions
    5.25 x 1 x 8 inches
  7. Publisher
    Sourcebooks Young Readers
  8. Publication date
    July 6, 2021
  9. ISBN-10
    1728230497
  10. ISBN-13
    978-1728230498
  11. See all details
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From the Publisher

What if you invited the worse villain of all time to your dinner party.. and he actually showed up?

Praise from Sarah Mlynowski, author of NYT bestselling Whatever After series

"Great for fans of Mr. Lemoncello's Library." -Publishers Weekly

"Is this the greatest idea for a book ever? Yes, yes it is." -James Riley, NYT bestselling author

"Magnificent." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Filled with educational back matter and facts about some of the most infamous characters in history

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 4–6—Puerto Rican siblings Javi and Brady along with their friend Wiki have discovered a purring table. Well, it does more than purr. Andy, as they nickname him, can bring people from the past for a dinner party. Super cool for a school assignment that asks which three people would you invite from history for a dinner party. Not so cool when one of the guests you invite is Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard the Pirate, and he escapes into your world. Now Javi, Brady, and Wiki aren't sleeping and aren't concentrating at school (by the way, what is up with the ancient castle they go to school in and the teachers who seem a little too much like some people they have read about?) because they are worried they are going to be killed by Blackbeard if they don't use Andy to bring his crew to this world. It appears that all is lost, but when past fabled and famous people join together and combine with stories from Wiki's Haitian family, defeat is impossible. The informal writing style and vocabulary try to capture the narrative voice of tween Javi, but the writing ends up being stilted and sometimes the plot feels awkward, with abrupt ends of events or giving readers déjà vu by repeating certain circumstances. This book combines the many myths of Edward Teach and the glorified stereotype of pirates in an attempt to create an engaging tale, but the humor falls flat. A short appendix includes accurate historical or literary biographies of each of the people encountered in the novel yet the portrayals of a number of them in the actual story contradict the facts given for them. The concept of having historical and literary figures visiting the modern world might strike the funny bone of some readers, but the inconsistent way they are incorporated into the modern world takes some of the fun out. VERDICT Though this has great potential as a story and is a wonderful concept, the execution of the plot and the portrayal of the characters does not recommend it for purchase.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury P.L., MA

Review

"Piñeiro scores with this tale of friendship, magic, and adventure... Magnificent. " ― Kirkus Reviews, STARRED Review

"Piñeiro incorporates the characters’ ethnic backgrounds...creatively and authentically into the story...The historical and literary figures who appear around the table and in the classroom include both classics...readers will appreciate the back matter with information about each." ― Horn Book Magazine

"It’s got heart, it’s got thrills, it’s got pirates! You won't be able to put down this action-packed, relentlessly funny adventure." ― Sarah Mlynowski, author of the New York Times bestselling Whatever After series

"The novel is rich with the family's Puerto Rican traditions... [and] the many clever references to literature and history (Does the name Edward Teach ring a bell?) may inspire kids to further reading." ― Jean Westmoore, The Buffalo News

"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." ― Publishers Weekly

"I recommend this book to fantasy lovers, people who like a little mystery, and children who love history. This book was truly amazing. I can’t wait to read it again!" ― Ania, Age 10 (Kids Book Buzz)

"A magical table that pulls in famous people from history and fiction? Is this the greatest idea for a book ever? Yes. Yes it is. Come join the best dinner party in history (and books), full of pirates, sandwiches and history's greatest figures!" ― James Riley, New York Times bestselling author of The Story Thieves series

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sourcebooks Young Readers (July 6, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1728230497
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1728230498
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 10 years, from customers
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 8
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 88 ratings

About the author

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Victor Piñeiro

Victor Piñeiro

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Victor Piñeiro is director of digital innovation at HBO and has managed @YouTube and launched @Skittles, creating its award-winning zany voice. He's also designed games for Hasbro, written/produced a documentary on virtual worlds, and taught third graders. Time Villains is his first novel.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
88 global ratings
A fun and thrilling read!
5 Stars
A fun and thrilling read!
Piñeiro has written a thrilling and imaginative adventure that wonderfully sent me back to my childhood in the best possible ways. This is absolutely the kind of novel I would have devoured as a kid. Total page turner and so inventive.
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Top reviews from the United States

Lois Fisher
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book For Kids
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a clever novel. It's a smart book, too. The author never writes down to his reader. The lead trio of characters, Javi, his sister, Brady, and his best friend, Wiki, are nicely drawn. Except Wiki's supposed to be brilliant. Yet he's mostly unable to figure out what's going on. And a lot is going on. A table that purrs. A bell that brings and sends people from history into the moment. Oh, and a notorious pirate, Blackbeard, who out smarts the bell, and is loose on the town. The kids are in big trouble!

The book is a delight. I had a little trouble with a few scenes, which seemed silly, but the author's love of history and literature punctured the problems. This is a book where you learn something without realizing you're learning anything but enjoyment of a story. I'm a senior citizen who enjoys books for young people. This is one of the unique ones I've read. Must be a sequel! Highly recommended for people of all ages.
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hungry reader
5.0 out of 5 stars AHOY, Magic Matey!
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
"Wait--we're going to try and stop Blackbeard ourselves?" A purring table, school secrets, a tough little sister, somersaults, and swords: Sixth-grader Javi Santigo wields a mighty pen against pirates in Victor Pineiro's TIME VILLAINS. Weaving history, humor, fast action and fun dialogue, Pineiro puts the old question on the antique table: "If you could invite any three people to dinner, living or dead, who would they be?" And so, homework-turns-adventure in the fact-or-fiction tale. "...We're Puerto Rican, and in Puerto Rico, most people think that curses are a real thing, and that ghost stories are true..." Land ho, VILLAINS reaches a new limit in fantasy and #OwnVoices. You know a book is THAT GOOD if you can't wait to share it with a certain eight-year-old!
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Sharon
5.0 out of 5 stars Such a fun read aloud!
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2022
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I’ve been teaching for 23 years, and a good read aloud is my favorite part of the day! Finding a fun new read aloud is such a thrill! This book is funny with relatable characters. The storyline is fast moving, and it lends itself to discussions about other people throughout history. My kids not only looked forward to listening to this story each day, but we made inferences and tried to make predictions about what was to come! You know it’s a good story when your kids beg you continue reading at the end of read aloud time each day!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An engaging, informative, and fun read!
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021
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This was an engaging, humorous, informative, and suspenseful read! I loved the premise - who hasn’t been asked who they’d love to have dinner with, dead or alive, either as a school assignment or as an icebreaker? This book takes it a whole step - as a matter of fact, a whole RIDE, further. I’m a speech therapist, and i found myself thinking of all the great skills I could work on with my students - vocabulary, inference making, character traits, comparing and contrasting, you name it. I enjoyed Time Villains as an adult, and I am excited to share this with my students. Great debut by Victor Pineiro - can’t wait to see what he comes up next!
3 people found this helpful
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Nathan Peters
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, Imaginative, and Smart!
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2021
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I've been reading this book aloud to my nearly-5-year-old daughter and we're both having a blast! The references are usually over her head, but she's fully hooked by the story and always asks for just one more chapter. There's a ton of creativity throughout the story, and I've loved seeing it spark my daughter's imagination.

The writing style is super approachable, yet maintains a clever wit that never underestimates the reader. You can tell a lot of love and care went into writing this book, and I've truly enjoyed reading it despite being quite a bit older than the target audience.

I recommend the hardcover — it's gorgeous!
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Lauren
5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING NEW TYPE OF STORY
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2021
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I am 31 years old and loved loved loved reading this book. Yes, it is children’s literature but it is SO well written. And dare I say that it’s going to be the next big children’s series?!? The book brings together history, literature, friendship, sibling love, and so much action! Any child any age would love to read or be read this great piece of fiction. It also brings Puerto Rican heritage into the forefront which you never see in kids’ lit. I am Puerto Rican so i greatly appreciate how cool Victor made us Puerto Ricans! I can’t wait for the next to come out!
2 people found this helpful
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Frances
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting page turner
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2021
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As a retired school librarian, I enjoy reading children’s books to recommend to young family members. Time Villains did not disappoint. It is a fast-paced page turner. I especially liked how the author introduced fictional and actual people from the past. Some children may actually recognize these characters as they read the book, but for those who don’t, there is a brief bio of these characters at the back of the book. I also liked the fact that Javi’s sister is portrayed as a strong female. This book should appeal to both boys and girls alike.
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Sarah B.
5.0 out of 5 stars My kids loved the book so much they fought over it.
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2021
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My kids enjoyed reading the book so much that I had to help them negotiate who got to read it at bedtime, for the four nights in a row it took them to finish it. They mostly settled on reading it together. They are 8 and 11. From the kids: ‘It was really great, I liked when all the pirates fight the good guys, and when they tracked the pirates down.’ and: ‘I liked how the girl was very tough!’
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