Mast Way third and fourth grade students welcomed celebrated children's author Victor Piñeiro on Wednesday, September 24, to discuss his newest book, "The Island of Forgotten Gods."

Piñeiro shared his inspiring journey to becoming an author, explaining that his dream began in third grade at his birthday party when he received "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" as a gift. However, his writing aspirations took a backseat as he pursued careers in teaching, filmmaking, and working with companies like YouTube, TikTok, and HBO Max. It wasn't until the birth of his first child that he decided to carve out time to pursue his childhood dream—and the time he found was quite unconventional.

Victor Piñeiro explaining ideas from his book "The Island of Fogotten Gods"

The author revealed his secret: he wrote his first two books during his 30-minute daily train commute to work. "Anything is achievable," he encouraged the students.

His latest book draws from his Puerto Rican heritage, featuring monsters, gods, and cultural history. During the presentation, Piñeiro engaged students by asking about their favorite monsters (his is the giant squid) and taught them about cryptids like the chupacabra. He explained that "chupa" means "sucker" and "cabra" means "goat," noting that the creature was first spotted in Puerto Rico in 1995.

Victor Piñeiro asking the students about their favorite monster

Piñeiro reassured students that while his book includes monsters, "it's not too scary, and monsters don't really exist." The visit left students excited to read about the mysterious creatures and rich Puerto Rican culture featured in his work.

Victor Piñeiro reading an excerpt from his new book, "The Island of Forgotten Gods"

*This special visit was brought to us through the generosity of Water Street Bookstore in Exeter.