Puzzleheart" by Reese is a delightful dive into the world of Eklund Puzzle House, blending whimsical adventure with heartfelt themes of family, self-discovery, and acceptance. At its core, the story revolves around Perigee, a compassionate non-binary protagonist grappling with familial tensions and personal responsibilities.

The narrative unfolds as Perigee embarks on a mission to reunite their father and estranged grandmother at the enigmatic Eklund Puzzle House, a place filled with mysteries, traps, and challenges that come alive through Reese's vivid descriptions and quirky illustrations. As a reader, you'll find yourself engrossed in solving puzzles alongside Perigee, navigating each twist and turn of the house's sentient nature.

Reese skillfully balances the whimsy of the Puzzle House's magical elements with the emotional depth of Perigee's journey. The house itself becomes a character, challenging its inhabitants and revealing its own secrets in a way that parallels the characters' inner struggles and growth. The author's narrative style, akin to a storyteller weaving a bedtime tale, lends a cozy familiarity to the storytelling, making it accessible and engaging for younger middle-grade readers.

Throughout the adventure, themes of family reconciliation, friendship, and personal growth resonate strongly. Perigee's determination to mend broken bonds while grappling with their own identity and responsibilities is portrayed with sensitivity and authenticity. The evolving dynamics between Perigee and their new friend Lily add layers of complexity and provide opportunities for both conflict and resolution, enriching the story's emotional texture.

While the puzzles and challenges within the Puzzle House could have been more intricately detailed to encourage reader engagement, Reese succeeds in crafting a narrative that balances adventure with introspection. The book's overarching message about acceptance and understanding is subtly woven into the fabric of the story, making it not only a fun read but also a meaningful exploration of life's complexities.

In conclusion, "Puzzleheart" is a charming addition to the puzzle-house subgenre, offering young readers an enchanting journey filled with mystery, magic, and heartfelt lessons. Reese's storytelling prowess and imaginative world-building ensure that this book will captivate and inspire its audience, leaving a lasting impression of wonder and warmth.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was cute and lots of fun! I loved the puzzles and having the house have it's own POV was such a fun and unique take! Really fun book!

PUZZLEHEART has an absolutely irresistible premise: in an effort to save their dad from a serious case of the blahs, Perigree concocts a plan to travel to Dad's childhood home to reunite with his estranged mother. That home happens to be the mysterious Eklund's Puzzle House, a curious bed-and-breakfast built by puzzle lovers but never opened to the public. Peri soon realizes that their plan might not be so straightforward--Dad's 'blahs' are more serious than one 12-year-old can handle, their grandmother isn't as keen on a warm and fuzzy reunion as they'd hoped, and it seems that the house has a mind of its own and wants Peri to solve its riddles...even if it means putting them in danger. I was so charmed by this book and by Peri, a science-loving sweetheart who so desperately wants to Solve Everything and must learn that while they're a very capable kid, they're not meant to take on the responsibility of fixing every problem they come across. The puzzle adventure plot is exciting and engaging, but the emotional core of the book really shines, especially as we watch the relationships between Peri and their family & their new friend Lily develop. Also, mischievous kittens! This is an excellent read for any pre-teen in your life (or for you, if you just want a delightful book!)

I am not the target audience for this book. That said - as an adult reading a middle grade book, this brought a lot of elements that I love together but somehow the final product was just missing that spark and I just felt bored. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

Really sweet and tender novel. I loved the characters, and the vivid, unique setting. It made for a really fun, warm, and touching story.

Puzzleheart is a captivating and enchanting novel that adds to the middle grades puzzle mystery genre. It's not just that, though -- it's also full of heart and real family dynamics, whether it's dealing with anxiety or friendship or acceptance. If your students have been interested in Mr Lemoncello or The Westing Game, they'll fall for this one too! .

"Puzzleheart' is a fiercely imaginative escape room novel with a non-binary protagonist reunited with their bitter grandmother and a house infused with puzzles that seem created in fundamentally magical ways. This story was fun, adventurous and the perfect novel for younger fans of puzzles and mysteries. The world was so imaginative, the puzzles more so and having a POV from the house itself was so fun. Getting attached to a magical house was not on my to-do list whilst reading this but what can you do!

I really enjoyed this, it was very sweet and is going to be loved. by so many.

It's books like this that make me sad I'm moving to third grade. I love mysteries. This book reminds me of so many of my favorites. I enjoy the fact that the mystery isn't over simplified for kids. I love solving small puzzles inside the larger mystery like Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. The intrigue kept me wanting to read more and more. I would recommend this for any middle grade classroom.

Puzzleheart is a quirky read, with a quirky house and lots of mysteries to solve.

At the center of the story is Perigee, a nonbinary character whose good intentions go slightly awry. Perigree is a loving kid who is well-realized. As are the other characters — including the house itself. Emotional intelligence plays a lovely role here, too. This is a good one for mental health.

Puzzleheart is a fast-moving read with engaging characters and a dynamic plot, making it a good choice heading into summer.

*The nonbinary element of Puzzleheart feels natural within the setting. Perigree is who Perigree is. However, for kids who have not been exposed to or have not learned about gender identity, the use of they/them instead of he or she may be confusing. This book is a good catalyst for discussion.

If a family drama escape room adventure was a book, it could very much be this one. This book has great moments between characters, family secrets, new friendships, and so many puzzles.

Putting puzzles (which often have really specific visual or spatial components to them) into a book without bogging it down with too many details has to be a big challenge. It’s so well done here. I felt like I could visualize the extraordinary rooms and intricate puzzles, but I never lost sight of the action and drama unfolding in the midst of trying to solve them.

The story also balances the emotional elements with fun and mystery elements. Lily has a cat and her litter of kittens in tow, and they never stop getting into trouble. The scenes alternate between scenes from Perigee’s point of view and the House’s perspective, which really emphasizes its sentience– another great element.

I think readers who enjoyed Six Feet Below Zero by Ena Jones (one of my favorites) or Deephaven by Ethan Aldridge should definitely check out Puzzleheart.

I loved Puzzleheart. My daughter and I read it together for the month of May and it was so cute and fun. We build a little theory board when we read mysteries together and this one had her guessing. It was a ton of fun.

I love this cover so much, it’s just so fun and bubbly and it matches this vibrant story all too well and that’s saying a lot for someone who likes there bloody dark fantasy. It’s a middle grade following Perigree and their father who take a trip back to his childhood home. Except that the house is weird and magical and I’m full of puzzles. I’d honesty one big escape room. It was a fun read. I thought it was going to be way too young for me but I always gotta throw a curve ball in my reading and I liked it!

*Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for letting me read an ARC of this book through NetGalley!*

Puzzleheart
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ .5 (4.5/5) or 8.71/10 overall

Characters - 9
I really enjoyed the interactions between characters in this book and how they all grew and changed as the story progressed. I thought it was especially cool to see the House's point of view at the end of each chapter as well.

Atmosphere - 8
The atmosphere of the snowed-in landscape while the House wasn't safe either was quite an interesting dichotomy that I enjoyed, since typically when you picture a snowy cabin you see the house as being warm and cozy. The little details of the animals carved into the banisters and such also gave the House an extra intricacy that helped to develop the sense that this house wasn't normal.

Writing - 9
The writing in this book really helped to set the scene and show character development well. The third-person point of view, while still following Perigee, helped to give more of a mysterious air to the book that I found enlightening.

Plot - 9
The plot of this book was vividly unique and utterly entertaining. The concept of a house full of puzzles that "went rogue" to protect itself was explored in an interesting way while still being mostly a character-driven story.

Intrigue - 9
I was intrigued the whole way through. Each part of the story captured my attention and drew me in. I also thought the additional pictures really added an extra touch to the book that helped to pull the elements together well.

Logic - 8
This book was quite logical and nothing stood out to me as incredibly confusing or illogical. As far as I can remember, every plotline reached a satifisying conclusion as well.

Enjoyment - 9
I really enjoyed this book. I liked that it had so many unique elements to draw on and I found the House pov an especially entertaining touch.

Perigree is determined to help their dad feel better, so they concoct a plan to go meet their grandmother they've never met, at her mysterious puzzle house. Once there, they realize that there are actual puzzles to solve. With their new friend Lily, Perigree explores the house built by their grandparents. However, it soon becomes clear that the house has a mind of its own and is working against them.

I loved this one!! The puzzles were fun and they had a good thread throughout. I also liked that the stakes were lower than books like the Westing Game, but were still personal for the main character. Perigree was also a great main character. I love the representation of a nonbinary main character, and how that was not a defining characteristic of them (aka the book did not spend a bunch of time explaining this - it was just a fact of their life). There were also fun illustrations to accompany parts of the book! I would definitely stay at a b&b that had puzzles like this! I could see some people maybe not liking the short chapters from the House's POV, but I think it worked with the overall narrative arc. It also helped explain why some of these things were happening instead of the reader being unaware.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Perigee, a 12-year-old nonbinary child, has never met their grandmother. When they return with their father to his childhood home, they encounter much more than an estranged relative at The Puzzle House. The House is full of puzzles, traps, and tricks; wonderous rooms of marvels, which make for great reading, brought to vivid life by great descriptive writing. This definitely felt like a story for younger middle grade readers though, with Rees writing in a sort of Dora the Explorer way - it's very narrator driven, but that sort of device lends to children's fiction because it feels like you're being told a bedtime story. I also found the cover art stunning and having the house's consciousness as a POV was thrilling and unique.

The aptly named Puzzleheart is perfect for middle grade readers who will be delighted by the mystery and warmth of this story. As someone who loves and reads middle grade fiction to my first grader and pre-schooler, I can attest to the fact that this is an exciting story for emerging readers, as well. (They really enjoyed the illustrations!)

Perigree is determined to rekindle the relationship between their Dad and his estranged mother even if it means showing up at Grandma’s weird house unannounced and in the middle of a snow storm. But hearts aren’t so easily healed and this house is no ordinary house. Eklund’s Puzzle House is a place where people can “not only solve puzzles, but live them.” When Grandma reveals her plan to sell the house, tensions between her and Dad boil over and the mechanisms of the puzzle seemingly begin to malfunction. Perigree knows the only way to put their family back together again is to follow the clues and solve both puzzles before it’s too late.

The relationship between Perigree and their Dad was a great catalyst for age-appropriate conversations about topics like grief, managing big emotions and mental health, and relationship dynamics between parents and kids.

Chock full of moments that are silly, spooky, heartfelt, and hopeful, Puzzleheart is a refreshing portrayal of someone navigating adolescence and tricky family relationships, factors that can stump even the most expert puzzler.

This reminds me of the Mr. Lemoncello series with how the puzzles are shown in the story for the readers to solve along with the characters. The puzzles tying back to the interpersonal relationship for the characters and the House being its own character makes the story stand out.

I was so entranced by the idea of a house with a soul that I just had to request this book.

Perigee, in an effort to fix everything for their father, arranges for the two of them to get invited back to the Puzzle House built by their grandparents. But nothing is what it seems, & the house has ideas of its own.

I ended up reading this whole story to my nephew over just a week. And both of us were thoroughly charmed. The relationship between Perigee and their father was so sweet and full of love. And this had such a thoughtful representation of depression. And I truly loved the friendship that developed between Perigee and Lily. Both outcasts and a little weird, they were able to find common ground and become friends. And they acted realistically like children.

The puzzles were so interesting, and every description of a room immediately sucked me in, allowing me to fully imagine this gorgeous house. Honestly, this movie would make for such a great animated movie. The descriptions are so lush and whimsical.

My thanks to both NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing for this arc.

Perigee navigates family, friendship and secret passages in this fun middle grade read. And escape houses are much more complicated than escape rooms. They might even have souls?

Great intro book for kids when it comes to mental health. Found the messaging to be great and not preachy. Fun time and fast paced.