Cousins in the Time of Magic, by Emma Otheguy for this week's Timeslip Tuesday

Time worked in my favor of the first time in a while, so here's a Timeslip Tuesday book--Cousins in the Time of Magic, by Emma Otheguy (Feb 2025, Atheneum). Not only was it an exciting story, but I learned things I wasn't taught in school-I love it when that happens!

Jorge, Camila, and Siggy are cousins who are looked after by their Tia Zia...in a rather loose sense, because she's very scattered and has a lot on her mind. On the day the story begins, she has a diamond-encrusted sword to look after, which surprises the kids when they see it (which Tia Zia hadn't wanted them too). She also has a time portal in her backyard, which surprises the kids even more...and then they follow her through it, back to 1862, in a small boat. But their Tia is nowhere to be found. Instead, their boat attracts the attention of a Confederate war ship, and they take to the woods.

Camila always dreamed of having a magical adventure, like she'd read about in so many books, but the reality proves to be distinctly unpleasant. Lost in both time and space, and plunged into the Civil War, adventures seem over-rated. Fortunately, they meet a Cuban American boy looking for his father, a ballonist working for the Union. They join forces, narrowly missing capture by Confederates, and learning lots about the details of the war while rescuing their new friend's father. For instance, the French are about to invade Mexico...

Somehow the diamond sword has to be transported there, to be delivered to General Ignacio Zaragoza. The hydrogen balloon is their best chance, so off the three cousins go, landing in the middle of the town of Puebla just as the French are planning to attack. There they learn that Tia Zia is in Puebla as well, but finding her is complicated and dangerous as they witness first hand the Battle of Puebla that is the reason Mexico celebrates Cinco de Mayo....

Time travel here provides both adventure, education, and dangerous situations in a lovely mix! The characters of the three kids are distinct enough that each is taking in from their situation different things, which adds balance to the adventure part. Allies in the past, an enslaved boy in the Carolinas and an indigenous girl in Puebla, add cross cultural perspective and eye-opening time travel depth. And though there's a didactic element to the story, the learning goes down nice and easy and one is left with a greater understanding for and appreciation of the diverse Latine communities in American past and present. (As well as, in my case, learning about the Battle of Puebla for the first time, and how pivotal it was not just for Mexico, but for the US, which is a tad embarrassing....)