­Moonleapers

Gr 3-7–Haddix’s latest book blends mystery and time travel alongside an exploration of loss. Sixth grader Maisie’s summer is upended when her family learns that they need to care for Great Aunt Hazel, whose health is failing. Along with this news are two gifts for Maisie: Hazel’s old cell phone, and a seemingly blank book entitled Guide for Moonleapers. But when Maisie begins receiving riddles and cryptic texts from an unknown sender, she learns that she has inherited the status of Moonleaper from Hazel, and must use her sleuthing and research skills to solve a problem in Hazel’s past. The phone also has a special ability: it allows Maisie limited communication with people in both the past and the future, offering a potential to change history itself. This provides real stakes for the story, and ultimately reshapes the lived experiences of the book’s characters. Haddix uses humor, historical asides, and liberal references to the nursery rhyme “Hey, Diddle Diddle” to keep readers engaged. But there are somber notes too: Haddix’s story, inspired by an episode connected to her mother’s dementia, reads as deeply personal. The exploration of grief tempers the fantastical elements of the book, muting the thrill of Masie unlocking her Moonleaper abilities. The book sets up a proposed duology. Great Aunt Hazel is from Great Britain; main characters are cued white.