Review Detail

Growing up I was always fascinated by history and the concept of time travel due to being an avid reader of the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. Cousins in the Time of Magic delivers on both of those elements blending the past with an adventurous journey that will be exciting for any reader. Jorge, Camila, and Siggy couldn’t be any different from each other, but they put aside their reservations to achieve the task at hand.

This novel is fast-paced, and action-packed from start to finish. I love the concept of family magic giving Tia Xia and the cousins the power to travel through time. Otheguy does a fantastic job of making this novel an atmospheric read and immersive with all the attention to detail. Readers will feel as if they themselves have transported back in time with our main characters giving them a fish out of water feeling about their new surroundings. While there is danger lurking around every corner and time is limited, it only raises the stakes of their quest.

The cousins (and the readers) get a crash course in history that is clear, concise, and informative in this novel. Like Otheguy states in her author’s note, students are taught the Battle of Puebla (Cinco De Mayo), and Civil War are taught separately when they occur during the same time period. Discussing both events in connection educated me further and will give readers a greater understanding of history. By having the concept of time traveling through these events made historical points even more engaging.

This novel is thrilling and heartfelt with themes of family, history, and aspirations for the future. Any reader that enjoys fantasy will enjoy this novel and I hope to see more of the family’s traveling adventures in future novels if Otheguy chooses to expand this story into a series!