3.5 stars rounded to 4.

I’m always looking for fun reads for my middle grade book club kids, and this one definitely fits the bill with their interests. Magic, adventure, spy hijinks and annoying siblings! It’s very relatable while also broadening.

Maisie McGraw is the last kid in 6th grade to get a phone, and when she does, it’s a hand-me-down from her Great Aunt Hazel, a relative she doesn’t even remember. Hazel is nearing the end of life and Maisie, her mom and siblings pack up and move from Ohio to Maryland for the summer to care for Hazel.

Hazel lives in a gated community in a bland house in a neighborhood of bland homes. Phones and car radios don’t work. The most interesting thing about the house is the cat who gets in and out at will. That is, until Maisie starts receiving mysterious text message riddles. This is when the magic starts happening!

Maisie’s adventures take her through time to WWII where she races to help a 12-year old Hazel change history. With the support of Cat the Great and George aka Little Dog - and absolutely no help at all from her siblings - she does everything she can to help a relative she can’t remember change her life along with the fate of the world.

The reveals of what a Moonleaper IS happen so slowly. We still have more questions at the end, but the promise of more in the series will bring me back. History lessons are sprinkled in so adeptly that readers may not even realize how much they’re learning. I also loved how were shown both timelines through Maisie and Hazel’s POVs. The writing was strong, simple and fast-paced.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for sharing this advanced copy to read. I had high hopes for this book as I have read others by this author and enjoyed them. The book has potential but not the way it was written. The author took forever to go nowhere. It was extremely confusing at times. I had so many questions and finished it in hopes those questions would be answered. Sadly , most were not.

Fascinating and clever time travel book that encompasses two of my favorite things…family and great pets! I appreciated the slow development of the story that kept me turning pages even though I had no idea where we were going. The WWII aspect was brilliant and will surely draw many of my middle school readers to this book.

I love this book. I just finished it, and all I want to do is pick it back up and start again from the beginning. I am several decades beyond the intended audience, and I have read several timeline-change type books written for adults, and none of them did the concept justice like Moonleapers. You'll love it as much as I did if you....

*Enjoy puzzle mysteries like The Westing Game, Artemis Fowl, etc.
*Like a main character who is focused on the core plot point instead of interpersonal relationships
*Can handle an imperfect family dynamic without drama
*Appreciate little pieces of actual history scattered intelligently through your fiction
*Are looking for a series starter that wraps up the immediate plot while still leaving breadcrumbs of things to come

I hope this one finds its audience so it can continue for many installments to come!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you for letting me read this book! This was a great read that pulled me in SO FAST. Great world building and good dialogue between characters. #CampNetGallery

Haddix's first book, "Running Out of Time", may have been published 30 years ago but she still knows what teens/tweens like. Readers will immediately be pulled in by protagonist Maisie's yearning for a cel phone and the phone's heavy presence in her life once she gets Great-Aunt Hazel's. Readers will also identify with the social exclusion Maisie feels, especially at school. Haddix does a masterful job of blending fantasy, history, realism and humor in a fast-paced narrative. Passages depicting multiple timelines may need to be re-read to fully grasp their impact but the best authors, like Haddix, don't write down to their young audience. Maisie's journey toward self-confidence caps off perfectly when she (spoiler) challenges the unnamed phone authority who has been directing her actions throughout the book. Haddix also takes time to remind readers that despite the exciting time-travel aspect of moonleaping, what truly connects us is people. Mom tells Maisie what Hazel confided in her about moonleaping: "...sometimes, to connect with another person, you have to jump past obstacles that may seem as big as the moon. But it's worth the effort." Author's note adds fascinating backmatter and context for plot points. Will definitely order and expect kids to clamor for next entry.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC. Moonleapers is another amazing read from Margaret Peterson Haddix. From the first page you are pulled in with the fast paced plot and layered connections between characters, memories, events and choices. This story had heart, suspense, time travel and a bit of dystopia at times, while unfolding the powerful message that everything is connected. This book was well worth the read and I can't wait for book 2!

Margaret Peterson Haddix is fantastic at writing middle grade awkwardness and angst. My younger self completely relates to Maisie – always messy, believes the whole school is laughing at her. One morning Maisie is handed her great-aunt Hazel’s phone. Surely things will change! They do, of course, but instead of popularity it’s a trip to care her dying great-aunt, babysit her younger siblings and find out what the mysterious riddle texts on her phone mean.
Solving the mystery of Moonleapers was fun and engaging and I can’t wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for this DRC.
#Moonleapers #NetGalley

When Maisie gets a phone, she is the happiest girl in the world, until her mom says it is because they will be moving to Maryland for the summer to take care of great aunt Hazel. Because Maisie will be responsible for the distructo duo, her siblings over the summer. She also gets a blank book from her great aunt, the phone used to belong to Hazel as well, her mom said Hazel wanted her to have these things and when the first text puzzle come in she is not sure what to do but follow the directions. What Maisie finds is unbelievable.
If you ever wanted to see how the butterfly effect works or one little change to help a girl from the past this is the book for you. Filled with action and tons of suspense this book is good for any reader even reluctant ones. This book also touches on death and grief in a very appropriate way. But the big question is will Maisie finally learn what a moonleaper is after all she goes through?

Such.a fun children’s time traveling mystery. Love the family connections. Great story. Great start to a series.