Archives: Books

The Stolen Key

Colin has spent all summer solving mysteries with his friend Nevaeh. But they’ve only ever dealt with other people’s mysteries—ones that are safe for Colin to think about. He’s still stuck on the mystery surrounding his own father, who his mother refuses to talk about, and he can’t remember meeting.

Then one morning, Colin finds a shoebox on his porch with a note on top: “Your father wanted you to have this.” Inside the box is a key. This new clue makes Colin even more determined to find out the truth about his dad and why his parents split up when he was a baby. Colin and Nevaeh begin investigating Colin’s father in a quest that takes them from eerie storage units to lock-lined bridges to, strangely, secrets in Nevaeh’s family.

But the closer they get to connecting the clues, the more trouble awaits them. A serious accident leaves Nevaeh’s family reeling—and Nevaeh racked with guilt. And digging into Colin’s father’s past may lead him and his mom into even more danger. Colin and Nevaeh are faced with their most difficult mystery yet in this thrilling and moving final installment of the Mysteries of Trash and Treasure series.

The Ghostly Photos

Colin and Nevaeh are great at finding things. After all, they found each other and became best friends—even though their parents are business rivals. They also found hidden boxes of secret letters, which led them to unravel mysteries about kids from the 1970s.

But when they started Mystery Solvers Inc., they didn’t expect to be asked to find a ghost.

Ree recruits them to investigate a series of old, spooky photos left behind in her family’s new house. The photos show a boy who looks totally see-through. And in some, he’s in a coffin.

That’s not so odd for Ree, who lives above a funeral home. But when Colin and Nevaeh start investigating, they discover other sightings of the boy—and other secrets Ree is hiding.

The more clues they find, the more they realize this mystery goes back to a time called the Great Depression. Will history, once again, help them solve the case?

Falling Out of Time

Twelve-year-old Zola thinks she has the perfect life. She thinks everyone does, now that it’s 2193, and humanity has solved all its problems. Insta-Closets deliver new clothes every morning, Insta-Ovens deliver gourmet meals on demand, and virtual reality goggles let her have any adventure she wants, with friends from all over the world.

Then one day Zola finds a handwritten note in her Insta-Closet:

“If you want to see things as they really are, come find me.” 

What if Zola’s wrong about everything—even the year? As she struggles to figure out who wrote the note, she discovers a printed book in her Insta-Closet called The Jessie Keyser Story: How One Girl Escaped from Clifton Village. Zola wonders: Who is Jessie Keyser, and why does she look like her . . . and what else do they have in common?

In this sequel to the classic novel Running Out of Time, Margaret Peterson Haddix has crafted a riveting page-turner that captures the terrors of a world where nothing seems real—but finding out who really loves you still matters.

“Haddix has created an exhilarating follow-up to her popular Running Out of Time…. Longtime fans of the first book and newcomers alike will enjoy the thrills and twists here.”–Booklist

The Secret Letters

When Colin finds a shoebox full of letters hidden in a stranger’s attic, he knows he’s supposed to throw them away. That’s his summer job, getting rid of junk. But Colin wants to rescue the letters–and find out what really happened to best friends Rosemary and Toby way back in the 1970s.

Meanwhile, across town, Nevaeh also finds a mysterious letter. But this one reads like a confession to a crime. And Nevaeh knows her father, the “Junk King,” expects her to join the rest of the family in blaming a single suspect: his business rival, Colin’s mom.

But that’s not what Nevaeh wants, either.

Even as one set of letters bring Colin and Nevaeh together, the one Nevaeh found threatens to tear them apart. Is their new friendship as doomed as Rosemary and Toby’s?

“An engrossing ­historical fiction and mystery tale… Master storyteller Haddix is in top form, weaving a complex tapestry of different genres, time lines, and generations of characters in a can’t-put-it-down novel.–School Library Journal, starred review

(T)his accomplished series starter… build(s) momentum through a gently feminist undercurrent while conferring character depth via the tweens’ affection for the letter writers and their own opposing views on objects from the past.–Publishers Weekly, starred review  

 

The School for Whatnots

No matter what anyone tells you, I’m real.

That’s what the note says that Max finds under his keyboard.

He knows that his best friend, Josie, wrote it. He’d know her handwriting anywhere. But why she wrote it—and what it means—remains a mystery.

Ever since they met in kindergarten, Max and Josie have been inseparable. Until the summer after fifth grade, when Josie disappears, leaving only a note, and whispering something about “Whatnot rules.”

But why would Max ever think that Josie wasn’t real? And what are whatnots?

As Max sets to uncover what happened to Josie—and what she is or isn’t—little does he know that she’s fighting to find him again, too. But there are forces trying to keep Max and Josie from every seeing each other again. Because Josie wasn’t supposed to be real.

Master of suspense and middle grade thrillers Margaret Peterson Haddix delivers another page-turning standalone adventure that delves into the power of privilege, the question of humanity, and the importance of true friendship.

“The incredibly intriguing premise is happily matched by compelling text, treating readers to some truly terrific twists and a touch of fairy tale…. A thought-provoking and thrilling exploration of what it means to be human.” —Booklist, starred review

“The omniscient narrator and strong pacing will keep readers engaged and racing to the end. Meanwhile, the well-rounded characters will elicit empathy and inspire discussions of systemic socio-economic inequalities.”–Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Strong interpersonal relationships and twisty plotting will draw readers into this quick-moving buddy novel that focuses on connection and generations’ opportunities to unlearn their programming.”–Publishers Weekly

The Messengers

As book three of the Greystone Secrets series opens, the Greystone kids have their mother back from the evil alternate world, and so does their friend Natalie. But no one believes the danger is past.

Then mysterious coins begin falling from unexpected places. They are inscribed with codes that look just like what the Greystones’ father was working on before he died. And with the right touch, those symbols transform into words: PLEASE LISTEN. And FIND US, SEE US, HELP US. . . .

The coins are messengers, telling the Greystones and their allies that their friends in the alternate world are under attack—and that the cruel, mind-controlling forces are now invading the better world, too.

After another spinning, sliding journey across worlds, the Greystone kids must solve mysteries that have haunted them since the beginning: what happened when the Gustanos were kidnapped, what created the alternate world, and how a group of mismatched kids can triumph once and for all against an evil force that seems to have total control.

The Deceivers

Until their mother vanished, the Greystone kids–Chess, Emma, and Finn–knew nothing about the other world.

But they quickly learned: Everything is different there. It’s a mirror image, except things are wrong. Evil. Their mother tried to fix it, but she and an ally got trapped there along with Ms. Morales, their friend Natalie’s mom.

Now the four kids–brave Chess, smart Emma, kind Finn, and savvy Natalie–are determined to rescue everyone. To do so, they have to go back into the other world. How can they survive in a place where even telling the truth can be illegal?

Readers are ensured a rich mystery-adventure that will activate their brains and sense of empathy.–Booklist

This sequel never slows in pace, thrusting the characters into new, treacherous mysteries…. . A perilous, high-action plot—with a cliffhanger. —Kirkus Reviews

 

Remarkables

One minute they’re there: laughing and having fun at the house next door. The next minute, the teens are gone. Like magic. Marin can’t believe her eyes. Who are they? Can anyone else see them? What makes them so happy?

Marin is lonely in this new town of hers and eager to figure out more. Then she meets Charley, who reveals that he knows about these teenagers, too.

He calls them the “Remarkables.” Charley warns her to stay away from the Remarkables—and him. Charley and Marin both have painful secrets they’re holding on to, but could solving the mystery of the Remarkables help them both?

“Gripping, heartfelt, thoughtful and fun, Remarkables will delight readers of both tween realism and time-travel fantasy.”—School Library Journal, starred review

“This well-paced blend of mystery and fantasy will have young fans flipping pages all the way to the epilogue in search of answers. This stand-alone will intrigue (Haddix’s) new generation of fans.”—Booklist

“Blending issues that matter to young adolescents with intrigue and a surprise ending, Haddix proves why she’s a master of middle-grade fiction.”—Kirkus Reviews

The Strangers

What makes you you?

The Greystone kids thought they knew. Chess has always been the protector over his younger siblings, Emma loves math, and Finn does what Finn does best—acting silly and being adored. They’ve been a happy family, just the three of them and their mom.

But everything changes when reports of three kidnapped children reach the Greystone kids, and they’re shocked by the startling similarities between themselves and these complete strangers. The other kids share their same first and middle names. They’re the same ages. They even have identical birthdays. Who, exactly, are these strangers?

Before Chess, Emma, and Finn can question their mom about it, she takes off on a sudden work trip and leaves them in the care of Ms. Morales and her daughter, Natalie. But puzzling clues left behind lead to complex codes, hidden rooms, and a dangerous secret that will turn their world upside down.

“A secret-stacked, thrilling series opener about perception, personal memories, and the idiosyncrasies that form individual identities.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Maintain(s) suspense from the beginning to the cliffhanger ending…. A high-stakes adventure full of teamwork with a multifaceted mystery and complex themes.”– Kirkus Reviews

The Summer of Broken Things

Fourteen-year-old Avery Armisted is athletic, rich, and pretty. Sixteen-year-old Kayla Butts is known as “butt-girl” at school. The two girls were friends as little kids, but that’s ancient history now. So it’s a huge surprise when Avery’s father offers to bring Kayla along on a summer trip to Spain. Avery is horrified that her father thinks he can choose her friends—and make her miss soccer camp. Kayla struggles just to imagine leaving the confines of her small town.

But in Spain, the two uncover a secret their families had hidden from both of them their entire lives. Maybe the girls can put aside their differences and work through it together. Or maybe the lies and betrayal will only push them—and their families—farther apart.

Margaret Peterson Haddix weaves together two completely separate lives in this engaging novel that explores what it really means to be a family—and what to do when it’s all falling apart.

“The trip to Spain you wouldn’t wish on anyone, except in the form of this terrific book.”–Kirkus Reviews