The Time Warp Trio facts for kids

The Time Warp Trio is a fun children's book series. It was written by Jon Scieszka. The pictures were drawn by Lane Smith and later by Adam McCauley. The books are about three boys: Joe, Sam, and Fred. They go on amazing adventures through time and space. They use a special, mysterious object called "The Book." The very first book, Knights of the Kitchen Table, came out in 1991.

The Time Warp Trio books were also made into an animated television series.

The Story of the Time Warp Trio

The adventures begin when Joe gets a mysterious blue book. He receives it for his seventh birthday. The book is a gift from his uncle, "Joe the Magnificent." This special book is simply called "The Book."

The Book can send Joe and his friends, Fred and Sam, to different times and places. Sometimes it happens by accident! They might end up in the time of knights and dragons in Camelot. Or they could travel far into the future, to the year 2095. There, they even meet their own great-granddaughters!

To get back home to Brooklyn, New York, they must find The Book again. It's always hidden somewhere in the time period they landed in. Joe's sister, Anna, also wants The Book. She often tries to get her hands on it, which can be annoying for Joe.

As they travel, the boys learn more about The Book. They discover that Joe's great-granddaughter, Jodie, will inherit it in the future. Jodie travels through time with her friends, Samantha and Freddi. These girls are Sam and Fred's great-granddaughters. Sometimes, they even help the boys out of trouble!

Meet the Characters

The Time Warp Trio series has many interesting characters. Here are the main ones:

The Time Warp Trio Boys

• Joseph "Joe" Arthur – Joe is the main character and owns The Book. He's learning to be a magician. Joe often keeps The Book with him, which leads to many of their time-traveling adventures. His magic tricks often help them escape tricky situations.
• Samuel "Sam" – Sam is one of Joe's best friends. He is very smart and knows a lot about history. Sam wears thick glasses and worries about being called a "nerd." He is also lactose intolerant, meaning he can't digest dairy easily. Sam is often nervous about time travel. He thinks something bad will happen every time they open The Book.
• Frederick "Fred" – Fred is Joe and Sam's other friend. He loves sports and can be a bit stubborn. Fred is always looking for ways to use The Book to get rich. He dreams of finding treasure or making money from future inventions. He has an older brother named Mike who sometimes bullies him.

Other Important Characters

• Joe the Magnificent – This is Joe's uncle. He's a magician who isn't very good at live shows. He gave The Book to Joe because he couldn't make it work. He travels through time using a special enchanted pocket watch.
• Mrs. Arthur – Joe's mom can sometimes be a bit short-tempered. She knows how to use The Book. She was the one who first gave it to her brother (Joe's uncle). She also showed Joe how to pick a specific time to visit.
• Anna Arthur – Anna is Joe's younger sister. She can be annoying, but she actually understands The Book better than Joe does!
• Jodie – Jodie is Joe's great-granddaughter from the year 2095. She often meets the trio during their travels. Jodie and her friends, Samantha and Freddi, are experts with The Book. Jodie cares about how she looks and being comfortable. She also looks out for her friends. She and Fred often argue because they both have strong personalities.
• Samantha – Samantha is Sam's great-granddaughter from 2095. Unlike her great-grandfather, she is not easily scared when time traveling. She owns a time-traveling pocket watch that used to belong to Sam.
• Freida "Freddi" – Freddi is Fred's great-granddaughter from 2095. She wears a baseball hat, just like her great-grandfather. But unlike Fred, she is afraid of heights and bugs.
• Micheal "Mike" – Mike is Fred's mean older brother. He appears in the book "Viking It and Liking It."

Books in the Series

Here is a list of all the books in The Time Warp Trio series:

• Knights of the Kitchen Table (King Arthur) (1991)
• The Not-So-Jolly Roger (Blackbeard) (1991)
• The Good, the Bad, and the Goofy (The Wild West) (1992)
• Your Mother Was a Neanderthal (Prehistory) (1993)
• 2095 (The Future) (1995)
• Tut Tut (Ancient Egypt) (1996)
• Summer Reading Is Killing Me (Dimension) (1998)
• It's All Greek to Me (Ancient Greece) (1999)
• See You Later, Gladiator (Ancient Rome) (2000)
• Sam Samurai (17th century Japan) (2001)
• Hey Kid, Want to Buy a Bridge? (New York City, 1877) (2002)
• Viking It and Liking It (The Vikings) (2002)
• Me Oh Maya (Maya civilization) (2003)
• Da Wild, Da Crazy, Da Vinci (Leonardo da Vinci) (2004)
• Oh Say, I Can't See (George Washington) (2005)
• Marco? Polo! (Marco Polo) (2006)

Television Series

The Time Warp Trio also became a TV show! It first aired on July 9, 2005. The show was made by Soup 2 Nuts and WGBH Boston. It was shown on Discovery Kids and CBBC.