Queso, Just in Time

Cisneros, Ernesto. Queso, Just in Time

March 10, 2026 by Quill Tree Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Quetzalcóatl Castillo, known as Queso, lives with his mother in Orange County, California. He's having a hard time after his father's death, especially now that his grandmother has moved back to Mexico. He really likes his school, especially his teacher Mr. Gleason and the energetic librarian, Ms. Maldonado, and has two best friends, Martín, and Marisol, who has recently changed pronouns to they/them with the support of their grandparents. Still, even though he's been in therapy, he constantly wishes he had more time with his father before he was shot by an intruder in their back yard. One night, he can't sleep and goes out to the treehouse that his father built. He finds a rabbit, and falls asleep cuddling "Horchata". When he wakes up, things are off. The house looks newer, and when he sees some delivering a newspaper he finds out that it is March 1, 1985! He literally runs into his father, Pancho, who is also 12. Queso introduces himself as Tajín (a commercial spice blend that was not readily available in the 1980s), and Pancho takes him back so that his mother, Queso's beloved grandmother, can bandage his leg. Queso also gets to meet his namesake, his grandfather who died when he was very young. There are questions about why Queso doesn't call home, and the Castillo's end up not only letting him stay with them but also enroll him in Pancho's school as his cousin from Mexico, saying that many students lack documentation. He meets Lucy, a girl who is at the library looking for books with gay representation, only to find that those books are filed under "Abnormal Psychology", and tries to broaden understanding in his school. Mainly, he enjoys spending time with his father in a completely different time period. Eventually, he realizes that he has to return to his mother, and finds the strength to do so after talking to his grandfather.

Strengths: I'm really surprised that there aren't more middle grade novels involving meeting parents as children because it's such an interesting idea! Queso is able to see how things were different in the past, especially when it came to treatment of people who identify on LGBTQIA+ spectrum and for people of color, and there's lots of good information about books, libraries, and librarians. There's an especially delightful twist at the end, and I would bet money that Ms. Maldonado is named after author Torrey Maldonado! It's a lot of fun that Pancho lived in the same house that Queso currently lives in, and there are so many feel good moments about the interactions that Queso has with his family. His visit to the past also has some positive effects on the present, since he encouraged Pancho and provided some coping skills for studying, although he is not able to prevent his father's death. Fans of this author's Falling Short and Efrén Divided will be glad to see this new title, which has a fabulous cover.

Weaknesses: I wish we had seen a little bit more about Queso's life in the present day, perhaps with more of his grandmother. In 1985, I wish there had been a few more details about daily life, although there are a decent number. Today's children really can't grasp how different the world was then. I would have enjoyed this more if the Queso had been fighting with his father, but came to a new understanding about him while in 1985 that improved their relationship, because the dead parent trope is just never my favorite. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Page's Rewind or Welford's Time Traveling with a Hamster. There's another book, Sue Corbett's 2002 Twelve Again (author right around Connor, published before 2005) where a boy's mother is twelve at the same time that he is! Just weeded that, but look how much cover art styles have changed in 20 years!