Knights of the Kitchen Table

The confrontation with Bleob the giant both shows off the boys’ problem-solving skills and pokes fun at Arthurian legend. The knights fall victim to Bleob’s stink and belch, which is humorous because they are supposed to be great warriors. The clothespins the boys use to plug their noses exemplify their ingenuity and quick thinking. They bring modern-day knowledge to the situation, as clothespins had not been invented yet.

Through Sam, the narrative shows How Our Differences Make Us Strong. The book implies that intellect can be just as—if not more—important than physical brawn. Sam immediately recognizes that while Bleob is big, he is not very smart. Sam knows he has no chance of besting the giant in physical combat; instead of even trying, he plays to his own strengths. Sam’s riddle is a simple one with no strictly right or wrong answer. He makes up the rules of the challenge and can manipulate the outcome. However, the end of Chapter 6 shows that Bleob isn’t quite as unintelligent as he seems; this suggests that people should not judge others by their appearance or from a single encounter.

Sam’s plan also illustrates his confidence. When he offers the challenge to Bleob, he tells the giant he can eat as many damsels as he wants if he wins, implying that Sam doesn’t think he can lose. Sam is so confident in his plan and skills that he thinks nothing of such high stakes. He also pivots as the situation requires. When the riddle and a logic-based challenge fail, Sam changes tactics, threatening the giant’s sense of pride in his strength. By telling Bleob that Smog said unflattering things about him, Sam redirects the threat away from the castle and toward the dragon. Like Joe, Sam understands how people think and uses it to his advantage. The battle between Bleob and Smog is due to Sam’s cunning, winning over Arthur and the knights. Merlin, in remaining skeptical about the boys, appears threatened by how they can solve problems that he has not been able to fix.

The narrative suggests that even a king is not all-powerful. Arthur is unable to grant the boys’ request after they defeat Bleob and Smog. He promises the boys anything in his power, but, like the wizard in The Wizard of Oz, sending them home is beyond him. Instead, Arthur offers to make the boys knights of the Round Table. Since the boys have no other option, they accept, illustrating their ability to make the best of a situation. They continue to do this when attempting to teach the stable boys how to play baseball. Joe, Sam, and Fred fashion a baseball out of a piece of leather and use a stick of wood as a bat, again evidencing their problem-solving skills. Though creating these things does not save anyone or get them home, it showcases how the boys use their knowledge to cope with living in medieval times. They do not have access to standard balls or bats, so they use the tools and materials available to them. Trying to teach baseball to the stable boys is yet another way of bringing the boys’ normalcy. However, this is ultimately unsuccessful; no matter what the boys do, Arthur’s time will never be their own.

Merlin’s shout when Fred breaks his window suggests that the enchanter has a dark side, as his first reaction is to call for combat and boast about his power. It is unclear how The Book ends up in Merlin’s possession; the narrative suggests that The Book’s magic is triggered by the boys’ actions. They have done what they needed to do in King Arthur’s time, so The Book reappears and sends them home. This type of quest-fulfillment magic is common in time-travel fantasy and other subgenres in which characters are sent away from their home by a magical force. By using this device, Scieszka transports the boys home while keeping them from realizing that The Book is the key to time travel until the very end of the story.

The events of Chapter 10 wrap up the narrative and set up the subsequent books in the series. Joe’s mom’s response to the green mist and The Book reveals that The Book’s magic is built to shield itself from anyone who isn’t its intended user. Joe’s mom’s irritation that The Book is a smoke machine—at least, in her view— echoes her annoyance with Uncle Joe’s presents in earlier chapters. She never realizes the truth of what happened to the boys—thus, the boys can use The Book again without fear of discovery.

The appearance of the queen’s chosen card is a sign that the adventure was real. It is unclear how the card got into Joe’s pocket, leaving the mystery open to potentially be solved later in the series. This also suggests that magic is not fully comprehensible. Either The Book or Merlin could have sent the card forward in time, but regardless, the outcome is the same: The boys have evidence of their trip, which may be useful in the future.

In the story’s final lines, Sam and Fred ask Joe not to wish for anything else. However, in Chapter 2, Fred was the one who made the wish that landed them in medieval times. It is unclear if this is a slip-up on Scieszka’s part or if Joe is blamed because it is his birthday and The Book was given to him. Joe’s final line of dialogue tells the reader he intends to figure out how The Book works and use it again. It also suggests that Joe wants to educate himself before traveling through time again; this way, the boys can be better armed with the knowledge they will need to face challenges and get home.