Moonleapers is a great introduction to the fantasy genre for younger readers and an introduction the wonderful books by Margaret Peterson Hadix.
The characters are likable, relatable and keep you engaged. The story line has fantasy, relatable content and the missions (the riddles) which our main protagonist, Maisie, is trying to solve. I don't want to say too much as not to spoil anything because it really was that enjoyable. .

This is for younger readers (think middle grade or advanced readers in younger grades) but still enjoyable by young adults and young at heart adults. I have a feeling the kiddos who read this will once again find a cast of characters who they want to read more about!!! I know it did!.
I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and have left my honest review voluntarily.

Moonleapers, Book 1: Moonleapers introduces a modern mystery series that I enjoyed. The suspense level was appropriate for middle grade readers and the was the story resolved left me interested in reading future books of the series.

Maisie takes the good news first, she gets a new phone. The bad news? The reason she gets a new phone is because she is being forced to move for the summer and will be in charge or babysitting her younger brother and sister while Mom cares for an unknown elderly great-aunt.
Thus begins a mysterious story that combines a nursery rhyme, some magic, and flirtation with time warping. Maisie, it turns out, is a Moonleaper. You will have to journey with her to untangle the clues and discover what that means.

This book had a slow start to me. The fantasy/sci-fi genre is not typically my jam, and as such, some of the unrealistic elements were too slow to be explained for me. Ultimately, the story picked up and it turned out ok. It is certainly a unique take on the topics mentioned above, and I know there are many readers, who, unlike me, appreciate this genre more and will fall in love with it.

What a fun read! I haven’t read a book that would have appealed to my younger self in a really long time! This will be a definite gift for my favorite young readers this year! Taking the concept of today’s technology (who doesn’t have a phone??!) and linking it to time travel is a fabulously fun idea! And the history lesson that accompanies the story is great! I enjoyed the characters and family ties that were built into the thread and overall would recommend this book for all readers both young and old! It’s truly enjoyable and will make you nostalgic for those fantastical, dreamy books that made you fall in love with reading in the first place!

A captivating middle grade read. Twelve year old Maisie is so excited when her mom hands her her very own phone, but she's less excited by the accompanying bad news: that they are going to spend the summer with her ailing great aunt Hazel and Maisie will have to watch over her two younger siblings during the trip. Then she starts receiving cryptic texts on her new phone. She's never met aunt Hazel before, yet somehow they're connected. Can she solve the mystery that is moonleaping?

What a fun little scifi mystery. I enjoyed Margaret Peterson Haddix's other books when I was younger, so I was excited to pick up this one. The mystery kept me engaged well enough, and I loved Maisie (and the pets of course). It's a lovely story that handles themes of grief with great compassion. Maisie thinks and feels things realistically. I can't wait to see where her story goes next.

Maisie has always been considered weird at school, she’s even the only kid who doesn’t own a cellphone. Until her mom surprises her with one. But it comes with a catch. It used to be her Great Aunt Hazel’s phone, who is very sick. Because of this, Maisie’s parents have decided to move to Maryland for the summer to help take care of her, and Maisie will help babysit her younger siblings.

While Maisie and the kids don’t want to do this, Maisie gets an odd text and a guide book from her Great Aunt that is for something called Moonleapers. And now Maisie wants to know everything and who her Great Aunt really is.

This was a cute book. Definitely geared towards a younger crowd. However, I truly enjoyed it. I thought the kids were hilarious with their antics and banter. They definitely acted like siblings, with Maisie trying to be the “adult” since she’s the eldest. Maisie grew a lot in this book learning that she’s the oldest and needs to help take care of her siblings, while also learning it’s okay to be different.

The mystery and time travel part of this book was interesting. I had a super hard time grasping and understanding it, but I do love time travel and this definitely had a unique take on it that I liked because it was different. And then tying it together with Maisie learning to be a 12 year old and learning about family, it definitely had a uniqueness and an emotional take to the story that I enjoyed.

It was a bit of a slow start, but it had great build up to the point of learning about Moonleapers, etc that made it all worth it. I would give it a read if you enjoy MG books and time travel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

<b>4.5⭐ rounded up</b>

Margaret Peterson Haddix pens a delightful middle grade sci-fi adventure with a clever twist on time travel.

I was enchanted from the very beginning. Wonderfully quirk Maisie and her family had me laughing out loud several times. The book strikes just the right tone: lightly humorous, heartfelt, and imaginative, with an excellent mystery that keeps you hooked.

I especially appreciated how Maisie’s character was portrayed. She’s twelve, so, of course, she’s snarky, but not in an overly grating way. She’s likable, smart, and easy to root for. You kind of want to give her a hug because she’s awkward and weird and doesn’t have friends, but also, that’s the twelve-year-old experience for a lot of people.

The sci-fi elements were age-appropriate but also <i>wildly clever</i>—especially the use of a cellphone in the time travel mechanics. That was a really smart narrative move.

One very minor gripe: after the climax, the story runs just a tiny bit long. But to the author’s credit, it still wraps up the main story beautifully while setting up the sequel with a <i>great</i> little hook that genuinely has me excited to read more.

And yes, I did end up crying at one point. Despite being a fun read, there’s real emotional depth here.

There’s also an author’s note at the end of the book. Definitely don’t skip it! The historical connections revealed at the end are fascinating and add real depth to the story. It was such a rewarding way to close out the book.

<b>🎧 AUDIO-SPECIFIC:</b>
Eva Kaminsky delivers a <i>fantastic narration</i>. She makes every character distinct—Maisie (the MC), her younger siblings, and the adults in her life, all sound unique and believable. Her pacing was perfect; I never felt the need to speed it up. I imagine middle grade readers would find her voice incredibly engaging, and as an adult listener, I definitely did.

<b>TL;DR</b> — This is a standout middle grade sci-fi with heart. Will hold the attention of younger readers as well as adults.

I enjoyed this book very much. It's a story about "what ifs," riddles, secrets, family relationships, and finding answers to questions that are difficult to answer. I thought the mystery and time-travel elements were done very well. I loved all the characters, especially Cat and Dog. There were some parts of the book that were on the sad side, but those parts were handled with care and were well balanced with the happier moments. While the ending was open-ended, I didn't mind it because it perfectly set up the next book, which I can't wait to read.

In Moonleapers, the first book of a captivating duology by Margaret Peterson Haddix, 12-year-old Maisie McGraw receives her first cell phone—a hand-me-down from her Great-Aunt Hazel. Excited about the possibilities, her enthusiasm is quickly dampened when she learns her family will be spending the summer caring for her great-aunt, a stranger to her. However, everything changes when Maisie starts receiving mysterious text messages filled with riddles that lead her to uncover the secretive world of Moonleapers—a group of time travelers. As she navigates this unfamiliar world, she learns she shares more in common with her great-aunt than she ever expected. The narrative explores themes of friendship, family, and the impact of our choices, all while weaving in elements of time travel. With its engaging plot and relatable characters, Moonleapers promises to capture the imagination of middle-grade readers.

School librarians can effectively use Moonleapers in various library lessons and programming. This book can serve as a springboard for discussions about time travel, encouraging students to explore historical events and their implications. Librarians might organize a "Time Travel Day," where students research different eras and create presentations on the impact of key historical figures or events, paralleling the time travel elements in the story. Additionally, the book’s themes of family and friendship can inspire collaborative projects, such as a "Family History" initiative where students create family trees and share stories about their ancestors. This not only fosters a sense of community but also ties back to the importance of relationships in the narrative. I am a big fan of Margaret Peterson Haddix and I think a lot of middle grade readers are too. Great addition to any school or public library.

2.5 rounded up to 3.

In Moonleapers, Maisie receives an unusual gift of an old phone and a blank book from her Great Aunt Hazel. Maisie and her family move for the summer to help get Great Aunt Hazel’s affairs in order while in hospice. Maisie starts receiving unusual text messages with riddles leading to her learning what a Moonleaper is and how she can help change the world.

Growing up, I loved Margaret Peterson Haddix’s books. I think the Moonleaper series has great potential, but the pacing felt slow for 2/3 of the book and then too fast for the last 1/3. The story took a lot to build up to, but knowing that there doesn’t have to be as much of a set up for the second book, I’m looking forward to seeing where the series goes.

This book presents an engaging and imaginative time travel narrative that resonates particularly well with middle school audiences. The protagonist, a 12-year-old who struggles to find her place among her peers at school, experiences an even greater sense of displacement when her family decides to spend the entire summer caring for a great-aunt whom she has never encountered before. The adventure truly begins when she unexpectedly comes into possession of her great-aunt's cell phone and starts receiving mysterious and intriguing text messages that launch her into an unforeseen journey. I particularly appreciated the authentic portrayal of that awkward transitional period between childhood and adolescence, capturing the unique challenges and emotions that characterize this developmental stage. The time travel elements of the plot are refreshingly original and offer a unique perspective compared to other works in the genre. Based on the strong foundation established in this first installment, this series shows considerable promise for future development, and I would heartily recommend it to middle grade readers looking for a blend of relatable characters and fantastical adventures.

I am very grateful to Netgalley and [**HarperCollins Children's Books |](https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/publisher/83519) Quill Tree Books**for the advanced copy. **All thoughts here are my own.**

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Quill Tree Books for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately I decided to DNF this book around the 70% mark.

Maisie's life is about to change forever; she just got her first phone. While other kids' phones are full of cute cat videos, her's is suddenly filled with cryptic riddles from an unknown source. Just when things couldn't get any weirder, her parents whisk her and her two younger siblings away to see a great aunt that she had no idea even existed. From there the mysteries only continue as the lines between the past, present, and future blur and Maisie is called upon to rewrite history.

I remember reading Haddix's Among the Hidden series ages ago, so I was going in expecting maybe a bit of suspense, definitely mystery, but I found myself a little disappointed by the slow pace and just how long Maisie is kept in the dark. Things just happen around her and she doesn't really drive the story much. I know I tapped out of the story before everything could be resolved and explored, but given that I only had around 80 pages left, I didn't think I would be satisfied since there was so much to wrap up in a small amount of time.

I think a time travel story that includes current technology is interesting, but think I found it hard to visualize what moonleaping really is. I think I would recommend this book to my library middle schoolers that are looking for a bit of mystery that will keep them guessing and hopefully it will grab their attention more than mine.

<i>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for this honest review.</i>

2.4 rated down.

Another disclaimer, is that this is a MG book and so I'm not the target audience, not a teacher/librarian/guardian of children. But I like to read interesting stories, and been wanting to check out more MG/YA books that aren't from my childhood.

I enjoy a good time-travel book, and books that use modern technology in sci-fi like ways. So when I read the premise of a young girl receiving a phone that connected her to the past and future with a secret society kind of element? I was very intrigued!

Unfortunately, the book while delivers that plot, does so in a very mind-numbingly slow way, with just a lot of telling us things. We have a precocious 12 year old who has two younger and extremely annoying siblings who seem to be smarter than her at times. They're always coming up with answers to every problem and non-problem and are both self-aware and yet painfully oblivious.

Our protagonist, Maisie, is friendless and the eldest of the kids. Her mother is in cybersecurity, works at home but is mostly absentee. Her father also works but all across the world and is only home on the weekends. She mostly has to take care of her younger siblings. She and her siblings have been cradled and protected all their young life: no cell phones, no ipads, no unnecessary TV, no going out without an adult. Her and her siblings were also given tons of extra school work from learning latin to morse code to the violin on what seemed like random whims.

The set up to that reminded me of one of the protagonists from Expiration Date where the young boy was basically educated by his parents via movies/tv because they believed him to be "the one". I thought that's where we were going with this.

One day, Maisie learns she has a 100 year old great-aunt that's not doing so well and that her mother feels guilty about never really connecting with her. So she decides to have the family go live with her great-aunt in another state to take care of her ailing family member. But, at least now Maisie has a hand me down cell-phone because she now has even more responsibility: full-time taking care of her younger siblings.

None of them want to be uprooted even for just a summer and not for some family member none of them ever met (or in Maisie's case, remember). But Maisie now has a phone and gets a mysterious children's riddle text.

This sets off the rest of the book with an unhelpful texter and convenient only when plot relevant society of 'moon leapers' aka people who can connect through time and possibly change the past/present/future. Kind of like in Umbrella Academy but much more frustrating and convoluted and relying on activating kids to become agents.

Maisie is constantly in her head, asking questions and imagining the answers from everyone else. When two pets come into the equation, they're highly intelligent and she interprets their every movement as full sentence speech, even though again, she's just imagining it.

Without actually spoiling the entire book, there's a WWII plot that she's trying to discover, and she's trying to connect to a younger version of her great-aunt, all the while navigating handling two "loveable" siblings and trying to prove to herself that she's a competent girl and ready to be a time traveling agent/moonleaper.

The last quarter of the book is having everything falling into place and then the consequences of having changed history/the timelines. And then we're told through so much exposition her feelings and memories, and we're expected to suddenly feel a relationship between Maisie and her great-aunt and another moonleaper. She's just so extremely passive throughout the whole book and simply receives all this information and memory and suddenly she gets it, suddenly she has emotional connections to people who are only on the page for one paragraph. The pacing overall of the story was uneven, spending most of the first half of the book just getting Maise to getting the phone and starting the mission. And then suddenly she'll be rushed through when it was slow going at first.

There is also on-page death, funeral, and grief, which I hadn't quite expected coming into this. Usually such things affect me pretty hard, but I really didn't have a connection to anyone. Felt sad, yes, but it all happened too quickly and was just a list of events that happened. The book ends well enough, not a cliff hanger but more, a hook for the second half of this duology. The main storyline is completed here but obviously Maise isn't done being a moonleaper.

I did like Maise, and felt her frustrations with the <s>plot contrivances</s> society being so mysterious and her parents not understanding what she was going through. But everyone else was pretty forgettable or frustrating themselves.

Not for me, and not a book I'd rec to my friends for their kids.

Now, I do enjoy the cover of this book and the font of the title. It gave me very graphic novel type of vibes and again, really pulled me into wanting to check this book out. There's hints of the story on it but it's not really major in the course of everything. I love the colored pencil/painterly style and the mix of technology. It gives a great sense of wonder and adventure.

I received this book through NetGalley. I was excited to see a new series from Haddix. I loved reading her other books. Maisie is finishing sixth grade. Summer is finally here and her mother has surprised her with a phone. However, her mother tells her the phone is her Great Aunt Hazel’s phone and is giving it to Maisie since she is going to be responsible for taking care of her brother and sister while her mother can be with their sick Aunt Hazel. When they arrive to her Great Aunt Hazel’s home, her mother gives Maisie a book called Guide for Moonleapers but it’s full of blank pages. Maisie starts to receive strange texts with riddles and the person on the other end of the texts tells Maisie she’s a Moonleaper. Slowly Maisie begins to learn more about Great Aunt Hazel but she has more questions than answers. What is a Moonleaper, who really is Great Aunt Hazel and who keeps sending Maisie texts?

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a super fun read! I grew up seeing Haddix's books everywhere but never picked one up until now. That's definitely changing. Moonleapers weaves together a mystery with compelling sci-fi elements, nursery rhymes, and the importance of family. This is such a great read for all ages, not just middle grade readers.

I love a good time travel book and I thought Haddix's approach was quite well done. It was creative and added a much needed depth to the plot. The way the twists and turns unraveled with the historical elements? *chef's kiss* They were so good. It will open up a conversation about those real life moments with younger readers. I also really loved the way cell phones were used to make it more modern. If it kept me engaged as a reader, I just know kids reading it are going to have a great time.

I am definitely looking forward to more in this series and will be recommending it to the young readers in my life (my niece and nephew).

When 12 year old Maisie McGraw receives her first cell phone, she’s beyond excited; she can now download all the cool apps she hears the popular kids talking about! However, theres one catch: this cell phone is a hand-me-down from her Great-Aunt Hazel, a relative she knows nothing about…a relative she will soon realize she shares more in common with than she knows. The first message Maisie receives on her new phone is a silly riddle, a silly riddle that will take her on the journey of discovering she’s a Moonleaper.

Margaret Peterson Haddix weaves a beautiful tale of friendship, love, and trust in an unlikely pair. Through the magic of Moonleaping, time travel, Maisie and Great-Aunt Hazel forge a relationship, not only with one another, but those around them. Rebuilding relationships that had been lacking and severely fractured.

Moonleapers is the perfect fast-paced YA novel to lose yourself in! I enjoyed the aspects of time travel; the historical references and facts were intriguing and added another layer to the novel.
I couldn’t help but fall in love with Cat the Great and Little Dog, they made for the sweetest sidekicks. I’m always a sucker for the animals! The mini cliffhangers at the close of each chapter kept me engaged, curious, and eager to continue reading. I may not be a fan of cliffhangers at the end of a book, but Margaret Peterson Haddix left off with the perfect lead-in for book two!

••••••••••
Thank you Margaret Peterson Haddix, HarperCollins Children’s Books, Quill Tree Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Moonleapers.
••••••••••

Moonleapers is a new middle grade series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Maisie unexpectedly gets a phone (which she has desperately been wanting) from her parents. The caveat is that the phone is a hand me down from her Great Aunt Hazel and is given to Maisie because she will be responsible for watching her two younger siblings while the family stays in Great Aunt Hazel’s house for the summer. Maisie is ready to give it back upon hearing those things, but then she gets a mysterious text on her phone and the gift in an unusual book that is mostly blank.

Margaret Peterson Haddix books are always a go to in my library and I know students who like Mysterious Benedict Society or City Spies will also enjoy this. Definitely will purchase!

First off, a big thank you to NetGalley for the early copy of Moonleapers! My daughter and I have always loved Margaret Peterson Haddix’s work, so we were especially excited to dive into this one—and it did not disappoint.

I read Moonleapers with my kids (ages 8, 11, and 14), and it was such a fun and memorable experience. This story weaves together a compelling mystery with intriguing sci-fi elements, nostalgic nods to classic nursery rhymes, and a strong focus on the importance of family. It truly has something for everyone.

My personal favorite element was the unique approach to time travel—it was fresh, creative, and added so much depth to the plot. My oldest son loved the slow unraveling of twists and the historical references sprinkled throughout. My daughter adored the roles the cat and dog characters played (they were key in such a delightful way), and my youngest son was all about the spies!

This is a perfect pick for middle grade readers, but honestly, adults will have just as much fun reading it. If you’re new to Haddix’s work or just looking for more after finishing this one, I highly recommend her Greystone Secrets series—it’s just as imaginative and engaging.

A family read we won’t forget!

Moonleapers is a heartfelt and imaginative sci-fi adventure. My 8 year old enjoyed reading it with me.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of Moonleapers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought this was a pretty cute middle grade adventure novel. In it we follow Maisie who, after receiving her great-aunt’s phone, starts getting texts in the form of riddles that lead her on an exciting adventure.

Overall, I thought it was well written and had enough action to keep a middle grade reader engaged. I had a fun time reading it, even without being the target demographic.