Tassie and the Black Baron

Gr 4—7—Huffington Castle may never recover from the attack—oops—visit of the Ripley family. They are loud, obnoxious, oblivious, self-centered, and childish—and that's just the parents. The Twins, Sam and Lil, are even worse. Eleven-year-old Tassie seems to be the most functional member of the group, which may be why Gramma, the time-traveling secret agent/elderly neighbor they've brought with them, sends her back to the early days of the castle, hopefully to stop 15-year-old Prince Billy from being destroyed by his cousin Brutus the Black Baron. Tassie comes up with a plan involving hay fever, overeating, and the odd song and dance number, and enlists the help of Billy's fiancée, along with the servants and local peasants. Unfortunately, Tassie's family has also traveled through time, wreaking havoc on both sides of the battle. Ultimately the Twins' form of evil genius is put to good use. This is super-silly slapstick of a particularly British nature, which may be confusing to American readers. Think Roald Dahl meets Captain Underpants and recommend accordingly.—Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library