Time Lions and the Chrono-Loop (Time Lions #1)

Married collaborators Seneviratne and Sutherland (The Invocations) make their middle grade debut in this immersive sci-fi fantasy series launch. Upon time-traveling from contemporary London to ancient Egypt, genius Sri Lankan 12-year-old twins Pearl and Patrick accidentally kill the mosquito destined to infect King Tutankhamen with malaria, thus derailing history. Luckily, the Interdimensional Misconduct Enquiry—a secret organization tasked with maintaining the timeline—corrects the blunder and recruits the siblings as agents- in-training. After failing to meet expectations, however, the duo is permanently banned from time-traveling. But the youths are later approached by Jack, the young CEO of a shadowy tech startup, who enlists them to “fix history” and create a utopia to Jack’s specifications. Though the twins are excited by the prospect, they soon learn that one person’s idea of utopia can be another’s nightmare. Via alternating POVs, Seneviratne and Sutherland reference real historical figures and events to ground intricate, fantastical worldbuilding, and deploy strong characterization chops to develop fully fleshed-out protagonists. The siblings are complex and undeniably charming tweens, whose journeys toward accepting accountability for their mistakes and impulsive decisions, and learning about their responsibilities as world citizens makes for a vivacious time-hopping extravaganza. Ages 10–up. Agent: (for Sutherland) Catherine Drayton, InkWell Management. (Oct.)