For the past twelve years, adults called “Freds” have raised Rosi, her younger brother Bobo, and the other children of their town, saying it is too dangerous for them to stay with their parent. But now they are all being sent back. Since Rosi is the oldest, all the younger kids are looking to her with questions she doesn’t have the answers to. She’d always trusted the Freds completely, but now she’s not so sure.
And their home is nothing like she’d expected, like nothing the Freds had prepared them for. Will Rosi and the other kids be able to adjust to their new reality?
“Haddix brilliantly sets up her story, giving readers just enough information to keep them grounded while elevating tension through Rosi’s uncertainty. Fast-paced action, plot twists, and cliff-hanger chapter endings will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Haddix’s tone and language and the absence of graphic violence make this an ideal selection for younger readers eager for a dystopian novel.“—School Library Journal
“This conversation-starting first in a series is a penetrating science-fiction thriller that adroitly explores the issue of prejudice.”–Kirkus Reviews
“With her trademark clarity, sympathetic and dimensional characters, and effective chapter hooks, Haddix’s latest series starter once again raises questions with real content and impact.”–Booklist
It’s been barely a day since Edwy left Fredtown to be with his parents and, already, he is being sent away. He’s smuggled off to boarding school in Refuge City, where he will be with relatives he never knew he had–and they don’t seem to care about him at all. The boarding school is nothing like the school that he knew, there’s no one around looking up to him now, and he’s still not allowed to ask questions!
Alone and confused, Edwy seeks out other children brought back from Fredtown and soon discovers that Rosi and the other friends Edwy left behind in Cursed Town might be in danger. Can Edwy find his way back to his friends before it’s too late?
This is a topical thriller that brings heart and thought to the sci-fi genre.–Kirkus Reviews
The plot twists are multiple, exciting, and completely logical… An excellent dystopian adventure for tweens.–Booklist
Since the Enforcers raided Refuge City, Rosi, Edwy, and the others are captured and forced to work as slave labor on an alien planet, digging up strange pearls. Weak and hungry, none of them are certain they will make it out of this alive.
But Edwy’s tech-savvy sister, Kiandra, has always been the one with all the answers, and so they turn to her. But Kiandra realizes that she can’t find her way out of this one on her own, and they all might need to rely on young Cana and her alien friend if they are going to survive.
Nick and Eryn’s mom is getting remarried, and the twelve-year-old twins are skeptical when she tells them their lives won’t change much. Well, yes, they will have to move. And they will have a new stepfather, stepbrother, and stepsister. But Mom tells them not to worry. They won’t ever have to meet their stepsiblings.
This news puzzles Nick and Eryn, so the twins set out on a mission to find out who these kids are—and why they’re being kept hidden.
The answers Nick and Eryn find could have reverberations far beyond one family’s happiness… to the fate of all humanity.
“A crisp, intriguing, and thought-provoking tale that hits the bull’s-eye for its middle-grade audience.”–Booklist, starred review
Katherine and Jonah have just saved the Grand Duchesses Anastasia and Maria, as well as their brother the tsarevitch Alexei Romanov. Although the Romanovs are devastated that they lost the rest of their family, they are happy that they still have each other and are safe. But they weren’t the only ones saved: Leonid, Alexei’s faithful servant and friend, was also whisked away to the time hollow. Will he be able to accept his fate?
Thirteen-year-old Daniella McCarthy begins receiving a series of unusual phone calls right before her family moves from Michigan to Ohio. How is it that total strangers seem to know more about her background than she does? And could it be possible that these strangers also know something about her future?
Janie Who? It’s hard enough being the new kid in school. It’s even tougher when all of your new classmates live in big houses and wear expensive clothes, while your parents have little and are risking everything just to give you a chance at a better life.
Now Janie’s about to do something that will make her stand out even more among the rich kids at Satterthwaite School. Something that will have everyone wondering just who Janie Sams really is. And something that will mean totally unexpected changes for Janie and her family.
“A warmhearted tale of a self-possessed girl who is determined to make life better for her parents.”
—School Library Journal
Sukie is worried–her parents are acting strange. When she runs in the house, her dad asks, “If all your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump off a bridge too?” When she eats peas with her fingers, Mom yells, “You’ll put an eye out with that thing!”
What is going on? Have her parents been replaced by aliens? Are they robots with broken circuits? She and her older brothers decide to investigate. And what they discover leads to a kids-against-parents war!
“Lighthearted and humorous, this easy chapter book is made all the more appealing by Bernardin’s comical black-and-white illustrations.”
—Booklist
“I’m the new kid. I am tuf. This morning I beat up a kid.”
It’s only the first day of school for Dexter, but he’s already mad at the principal, and the secretary, and the janitor, and the kids who laugh at him. When his teacher tells the class to write a story, Dexter writes about how tough he is–and how he’s already gotten into a fight. Is any of Dexter’s story true? Why was the other boy crying before Dexter hit him? And why would the other boy still want to be Dexter’s friend?
Even Dexter doesn’t know the answers to some of those questions. But as he deals with family problems, a persistent teacher, and a boy who’s strangely interested in floor wax, he discovers many surprises hidden in his own tale.
“Haddix does an excellent job of capturing the voice of a fourth-grade boy. Dexter is a multifaceted character who thinks about his actions and emotions like a smart, confused kid, never like an adult.”
—School Library Journal
Ten-year-old girls don’t wear wigs. So why is Anya wearing one? That’s what Keely’s friend Stef wants to know. She even wants Keely to tug on it, just to see if it’s real. Keely wants to know too–but when Anya’s wig falls off in front of the whole class, Keely discovers that what she really wants is to help Anya feel better. As for Anya, she just wants her hair to grow back, but no one, not even the doctors, knows whether it ever will. How can she come to terms with her disease when she can’t even look in the mirror?
“A chilling and intelligent novel. . . The author’s sympathetic but not simplistic insight will engage readers.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A poignant story of discovery.”
—School Library Journal
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