Queso, Just in Time

Gr 4-6–Ever since Back to the Future first hit theaters in the 1980s, children’s media has frequently examined what would happen if someone time traveled to meet their parents as young people. What new perspectives about their parents are gained? Most importantly, does this meeting alter the child’s future? In this novel, Quetzalcóatl Castillo Anguiano, known as Queso, struggles in the wake of his father’s traumatic passing, often losing himself in his memories of Dad. After falling asleep in his treehouse one rainy night, Queso wakes up in 1985 and comes face-to-face with Dad as a 12-year-old: energetic, charmingly naughty, and unmoored by mental illness. While Queso yearns to return to the present day, he also wonders how he can change the path Dad is set to take. Cisneros has created another heartfelt middle grade tale centered around a devoted Mexican family, sprinkling the story with humor, empathy, LGBTQIA+ allyship, and Nahua folklore. He demonstrates to young readers how, even with the most supportive and understanding parents, life can be difficult and even tragic. Yet this book shows how loved ones can provide the strength to grow, heal, and carry on in their memory.