On March 20, Park View Middle School students in 7th grade and their team teachers were treated to a virtual visit with Victor Pineiro, author of Time Villains, a favorite book of many of the school’s readers.

According to Park View Middle School’s librarian, Stephanie Mills, the virtual visit was sponsored by the RI Latino Book Committee, and was spearheaded by Cranston Public Library’s children’s librarian, Elena Rios.

Rios is a former Park View Middle School student.

“Elena wanted to bring an author back to a school that was special to her,” said Mills. “Elena reached out to the authors on the RI Latino book nominee list inquiring about a virtual visit and Mr. Pineiro enthusiastically responded that he would love to ‘meet’ our students. Therefore, Pineiro was chosen and we couldn’t have been happier to have him. His book, which is a mix of adventure, history and fantasy, has been well received by our students.”

During the virtual event, Rios introduced Mr. Pineiro as well as members of the RI Latino Book Committee who were on hand to listen in on the author visit. Pineiro talked about his path to becoming an author, as well as his career in other industries that have given him the tools to be creative. He has won awards for his Netflix documentary work, is a former teacher and also has ties to Rhode Island as he was a board game developer at Hasbro for three years. His other jobs have included working for YouTube and creating social media campaigns for companies such as Skittles. According to Mills, Pineiro’s presentation gave students tips on being creative, not rushing the process and also the importance of trying to work at your goal daily, even when you do not feel totally inspired.

“The students thoroughly enjoyed his presentation and had plenty of questions for him,” Mills said. “They enthusiastically asked about the writing and publishing process, wanting to know if he designed the cover himself and how many drafts it took to get to the finished product. After his hour-long presentation, Victor ended with a smile, reminding the kids “to be yourself…and keep being creative!”