Los caballeros de la mesa de la cocina/ Knights of the Kitchen Table (Torre De Papel: Torre Roja/ Paper Tower: Red Tower)

Time Warp Trio #1

by Jon Scieszka, Maria Mercedes Correa, Lane Smith (Illustrator)

When Joe, Fred, and Sam are sent back in time by a magic book, they find themselves face to face with giants, dragons, wizards, and the Knights of the Round Table.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Time Travel, Fiction, Humor, Adventure, Historical Fiction

78 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Jon Scieszka is an American children's writer, best known for picture books created with the illustrator Lane Smith. He is also a nationally recognized reading advocate, and the founder of Guys Read – a web-based literacy program for boys whose mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers."

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The antics that these three boys get into on their time warp journeys are hilarious! I enjoyed reading these books aloud to my Grade 3 students!

[Darla · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series that will most definitely appeal to elementary grade boys. Complete with regular boy stuff like baseball and potty humor. Plus exotic history locations like the Round Table complete with King Arthur and Merlin. Recommended for 2nd grade and up.

[Timilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the true vein of The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. I just wish I could get more of my students to give a book like this a try, instead of reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the 17th time.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son and I had a blast reading our first chapter book together. We thought this book was hilarious and a lot of fun. It's fast paced, filled with lots of action and that gross humor that young boys seem to love. (Do they grow out of it eventually?) My sons review: "I thought chapter books were boring but I was wrong." :)

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 2 out of 5]

ENGLISH: In the line of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, but without Mark Twain's humor and social considerations.

ESPAÑOL: En la línea de Un yanqui en la Corte del rey Arturo, pero sin el humor y las disquisiciones sociales de Mark Twain.

[Gary Vassallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun book for young readers. Great suspense and humour to keep young readers interested until the very end. A fantastic early chapter book. Highly recommended.

[Pedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you could time travel, when would you go? The past, the future? What if something bad happens while you are travelling? This science fiction story is about a book that gives you the power to time travel. I really like this book. It is full of action and suspense.

This story takes place in a house on Joe's birthday. Joe gets a book from his uncle for birthday. The book helps them time travel. The conflict in the story is person vs. person because at first the kids are fighting a knight, then they fight a giant. A theme of this book is friendship because the kids are always together and helping each other to figure out how to time travel back.

A major event that changed a character was when Joe learned how to learn magic. At first, he tried to do magic but he couldn't, then when he read the book from his uncle, he learned to do magic. The title relates to the book because the book talks about knights and King Arthur.

My favorite part was when Joe burned down the wizard's castle. Even though he did it on accident the wizard was angry and started yelling. I thought they would never find the book at the end, but they did. It was suspenseful.

I would give this book 5 stars because it was funny and I liked all of the knights. I would recommend this book to people who like books about time travel. You should check this book out! It's really funny.

[Desi A · Rating 4 out of 5]

The report is that it is pretty funny.

[L12_sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in Jon Scieszka's Time Warp Trio series. Overall, this is a fun book in which Joe, Sam and Fred find themselves transported back in time to Arthurian England, thanks to a book Joe received from his uncle, Joe the Magnificent (a magician), for his birthday. These 20th century kids defeat the black knight before running into the Knights of the Round Table and meeting all of the characters of Arthurian legend: Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and Merlin. When the castle is beset by a foul-smelling giant and a terrifying giant, the knights look to Joe, Sam and Fred to save the day.

The book version of this text includes short chapters with cliff hanger endings (perfect for class read alouds or reluctant readers) that include black and white cartoon ink drawings every few pages. The audio book version of this text, which I listened to, featured the voice talent of William DeFris, who is able to create an amazing number of believable character voices, from pre-adolescent boys to 20 foot tall giants. His reading is engaging and brings the text to life, highlighting the humor of Scieszka's writing, including the very informal narrating of the main character, Joe, who tells the story as he sees it.

Because each book in the Time Warp Trio series focuses on a certain period in history (with the exception of one book that seems to take place in the future), there are many cross-curricular connections that could be made. Students might enjoy learning about a civilization and then reading the appropriate book from this series and determing how accurate it is, etc., or they might start with a book in the series and then follow up with a more indepth history lesson. The series would also serve as an excellent mentor text for students learning to write historical fiction.

The fart joke humor and difficulty of the text make this series best suited for 4th and 5th graders (possibly even 6th, depending on the reader). The books themselves say "9 and up" is their intended audience.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Time Warp Trio series is part of the tapestry of my early literacy. I remember enjoying the first few, but then growing out of the books along with my increasing reading level. As a teacher, I've always recommended them to my students as fast, fun page-turners. However, revisiting the first book, Knights of the Kitchen Table, I am reminded that nuance is often lost in hindsight.

It's all a bit simple. The plot. The humor. The history, too, is vague, not even as fleshed out as The Magic Tree House books (of which I am hardly a fan). I realize it's in the 2nd-4th grade range, but I still expect substance from books that will influence young readers.

Then again, it's no secret that Fred, Sam, and Joe's adventures through time are targeted at boys, specifically boys who are "reluctant to read." To authors and book publishers--not to mention some in the education field--this is a key phrase that allows the reigns of quality to slack in favor of buy-in from the demographic.

I don't remember if the stories get more complex further into the series. I hope they do because Jon Scieszka is an imaginative storyteller and I know for a fact kids love his works. In this case, my rating and review have been marred by the grown-up gaze.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly, fun little book about three goofy guys that go back in time and end up with Sir Arthur and his knights fighting a smelly giant and a fiery dragon.

Fun series for young readers.

BOB 3/4

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like this book because I do not like giants and fire-breathing dragons. I enjoyed this book because I liked the part when they escaped the Black Knight. They journeyed into Camelot.

[Peter Derk · Rating 3 out of 5]

So sexist. All the heroes are boys, and the only female character is a princess who is described by her beauty.

LOL, just kidding! Can you imagine if I was really like that. Gross.

[Norah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really weird and funny

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading these books in the third grade. I read this one to my 5-year-old, I think he's still a little young for it. He liked it though. I'll probably read the rest to him when he's older.

[Eloise Sunshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun and adventurous book series that is aimed for boys not too eager to pick up books or to read them by themselves. So the author has done his best to get them engaged - the heroes are young boys, they get in trouble, but find a way out of it just as easily, the visit different famous times, people and places, which educate the reader at the same time. Not to mention the humorous situations which make reading fun. Suppose my 11 year old has already outgrown this, but I'll try to get him to read it anyway, even if just to see what he thinks of it...

So anyway. Joe has a birthday and just before ice cream is served, he opens a present from his uncle, who so happens to be a magician and has sent him a book of "magic". Some unexpected magic is actually there and takes Joe together with Sam and Fred to the court of King Arthur. There they have to conquer some obstacles and find their way back home to New York and the present day.

[Chelsie Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Time Warp Trio: Knights of the Kitchen Table is the first book in the Time Warp Trio series. These stories are full of humor, adventure, and suspense and are sure to keep the reader on their toes!

Knights of the Kitchen Table begins at the birthday party of one of the main characters, Joe, at his house in New York City. He is celebrating with this two best friends, Sam and Fred, as well as his mom and dad. His mother gives him a present from his uncle, Joe the Magnificent, a practicing magician. Joe opens the present and finds a very old book. Upon opening the book, the three friends are transported back in time to the Medieval Ages, full of knights, wizards, and lots of adventure! The three friends first take down a large, black knight. After conquering the knight, the three friends are mistaken as wizards and are taken off to meet King Arthur and Merlin. At King Arthur's castle, Joe, Sam, and Fred conspire to take down a giant and a dragon. The boys become bored with the Medieval Ages and decide to try and find their way back home.

I truly enjoyed reading this book! The novel started with the boys facing the scary, black knight before flashing back to the "real world" where the reader is introduced to the characters. The reader is instantly hooked in the story and has to keep reading to find out what happens! The story is continually exciting and engaging, while being easy to read and follow. The illustrations help to take the reader fully into the story. They are drawn/sketched completely in black, but depict each character wonderfully. The description of the black knight matches identically to the sketch of the black knight on his giant horse.

I believe this book would be best suited for 4th through 6th grade. The content and language used in the lesson is not very complicated and is easy to understand. This book would appeal very well to young boys and would be a great way to get them interested and engaged in reading.

[Nape · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another read that I did on my own time, just for the sake of revisiting a book I loved as a kid.

I checked out pretty much every book from The Time Warp Trio when I was in elementary school, but this was the one I liked the most--because it was a fantasy story. I vaguely remember reading one about cavemen, and another one that was set in the future, where pizza was really expensive, but that's about it.

Knights of the Kitchen Table still made me laugh twenty years later, so there's something to be said for that; and it also reminded me that The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales also exists. This is a good, short little book. Younger kids should like it and have no problem reading it or gagging at the nasty illustrations.

[Jakey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the part where the black knight fell down. He first said, "None shall pass!" and then he said, "Prepare to die!" His lance was so big, at the end it had a very crooked end. The story went back and forth and back and forth. We should have read it in order, so Chapter 2 first and then Chapter 1.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lent to me by a fourth grader. About a group of friends who travel back to Medieval Times and meet up with King Arthur and Merlin. Quick, easy read. Like Magic Tree House with more spunk and sass. I can see why it would be a draw for reluctant readers, but I didn't love it. There wasn't enough substance for me.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book in so many ways, for so many reasons - and I can't believe it's taken me this long to read it! I kind of want to plow through the entire series...but I don't have time. :( Then again, they're super short... so maybe I can pull off one a week or so!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a good book to get a little boy interested in reading. It has just the things that would appeal to a boy's sense of humor. It was a cute story and a fun idea for a time-traveling series.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book just as much as the first time I read it 25+ years ago! It is absolutely fun and cheeky!

There is lots of witty humor, smartass comments, slapstick humor, exaggerations and irony. The books in this series are absolutely hilarious and I still chuckle to myself reading them as an adult!

All three main characters in these books are very lovable and they all have such distinct personalities!

Fred is the cocky and prideful jock. Fred is also a bit of a clown too. Sam is the wise and clever, and Joe is the glue who holds the group together and is fairly witty and clever himself.

Together the three get into all sorts of trouble, but always manage to somehow get out of it!

In addition…
This particular novel has a very special place in my heart not only because it is the first book in the time Warp Trio series, but also because it is probably one of the first chapter books I ever read! And I love knights, dragons, and fantasy characters too and this one has it all!!!

I grew up with Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith books like the Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, The True Story of the Big Bad Wolf, and The Time Warp Trio series, so I was a huge fan of Jon Scieszka from a young age.

He was always my favorite children’s author. And I’m pleased to announce I had the pleasure of meeting him in person at the Illinois Reading Council Conference as a librarian!

It was an amazing experience to be able to get a picture with him, have him sign some of the original books that I’ve held onto all these years later, and to tell him how much I loved his stories, how much they made me laugh, and how he inspires me to want to be an author some day!

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5yo son and I loved this book! It was short and sweet (1 hour audiobook) and the narrator was fantastic. He had lots of great voices that held my son’s attention. We both laughed at the humor. The characters were witty and smart and creative. And they got themselves into funny situations. The book had history and fantasy. We will definitely be reading more books. The Time Warp Trio is a fantastic name.

SPOILERS and book notes:
This book is quite funny!!! Joe is the main character and has nice wit. Fred is a troublemaker and Sam is like the nerd. It’s a book that transported them back to the time of knights! With King Arthur and his round table. Mirland and gwenavire. And Sir Lancelot the greatest knight that ever lived. Camelot is in trouble from the dragon Smaug!!!! And the black knight they defeated kept saying “you shall not pass!!” All these subtle hobbit/LOTR references. Fred defeated the black knight with a stick. Sam gives hilarious commentary. Joe is the pretend magician. They are now faced with a giant wanting all the fair maidens. They defeated the giant by tricking him into fighting the dragon! The giant was easily tricked. Merlin sent them back to the present with a magic book with baseball haha.

[Elza Kinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Joe receives a magical gift from his eccentric Uncle Joe, the last thing he expects is to land in the middle ages with his best friends, Sam and Fred. Armed with a baseball bat and 20th century smarts, the Time Warp Trio face down knights, an angry magician, a dragon, and much more in their very first adventure.

I used to watch the Time Warp Trio television series, so I'm very excited to work my way through the books. This not-quite-historically-accurate time travel series is a lot of fun to read, full of sharp humor, and kept incredibly short. Perfect for reluctant readers or beginners, especially boys.

Perhaps not the most accurate historical fiction out there, but the TV series did fuel my love for history as a kid, and Knights of the Kitchen Table promotes critical thinking through puzzle solving, slight of hand, and riddles. This would be a good fit for fans of the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne (although, I prefer Time Warp Trio myself).

[Paul Large · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time warp is exactly what this book is! It was interesting as the main characters in the story were transported back in time to knights at the round table era. To me, it was kind of a history lesson because it gave some things that possibly could have been true to the time period. It was interesting to see how Jon Scieszka portrayed the knights because most of the time knights were seen as the protectors and the gentlemen of the era, and Jon does show that in his writing. Scieszka also was great at changing the pace in his book because the reader never knew what was going to be happening next in this great action pack adventure! Sometimes never knowing what is going to happen is the best part of the book to a child as it leaves it open to the imagination to fill in some gaps or imagination what could happen next!

[Anna Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm reading thru the books we have on our children's shelf, to see what we can shed.

This. Is. Garbage.
And it's most definitely going away.

Whereas the stories I have from the 70s and 80s have morals, decency, children learning to be gracious and of good character? Here we have three raging brats who get zapped at a birthday party into the Middle Ages. Where my books from the 70s and 80s have beautifully drawn sketches in charcoal? This is badly scrawled drivel I wouldn't say enriches a single child.

And it gets WORSE. What do the three children transported to Medieval humanity immediately do? Stick their fingers in their ears and bad-mouth the very first knight they encounter. You actually *HOPE* they get skewered.

I'm throwing this RIGHT in the burn barrel.
This only encourages bad behaviors in children.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A birthday present from Magician Uncle Joe's sends Fred and his two friends back in time to see knights.

Why I started this book: Family Book Club selection and it was time for me to read it.

Why I finished it: Luckily it was short, and I finished it just in time for our weekly Zoom... and then we didn't talk about it at all. This was a weak copy of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court for a younger audience. Fun, but also the original was better. On the other hand, I have another book to recommend to younger readers at the library.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joe, Sam and Fred magically end up in Camelot and must use their wits to save Camelot from a giant, a dragon and a doubtful Merlin. Can they do it?
Good intro read for Mark Twain's 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'
Jon Scieszka, author of the famed 'Stinky Cheese man and other fairly stupid stories' and 'The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs', has written a great introductory series for emerging readers and reluctant readers. Due to the 'Old timey' English used by the Camelot characters, this may be a bit daunting for some other readers, but the book itself is only about 50 or so pages long, so it is a quick read. It is also another good read to introduce for a series.

[Jerrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blast from the Past. I remember enjoying these books in grade school, and while the law of diminishing returns was in effect, not to the extent I feared. Joe the Magnificent sends his nephew (also named Joe) a magic book that takes them to the past. To get back home they have to find the book back in the time of King Arthur's time. To do that they'll face the Black Knight, a giant, a dragon, and they'll have to contend with Merlin. Fun stuff.