"Haddix’s premise and plotline are strong on raw appeal, so fans of the original story who are primed to cheer for Zola will be. . . pleased." — Kirkus Reviews
PRAISE FOR BOOK 1, RUNNING OUT OF TIME: “The action moves swiftly, with plenty of suspense, and readers will be eager to discover how Jessie overcomes the obstacles that stand in her way… This book will appeal to fans of time-travel or historical novels as well as those who prefer realistic contemporary fiction, all of whom will look forward to more stories from this intriguing new author.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
PRAISE FOR REMARKABLES: "Haddix realistically portrays Charlie’s distress at his parents’ addiction and shows how Charlie’s identification with his father leaves him nearly incapable of imagining happiness for himself. Ultimately, Marin discovers that her and Charlie’s role might not be in changing the past but rerouting the future. VERDICT Gripping, heartfelt, thoughtful and fun, Remarkables will delight readers of both tween realism and time-travel fantasy." — School Library Journal (starred review)
“As ever, Haddix plots her satisfying mystery with careful touch points and reveals. But it is her smart exploration of the past’s legacy and sensitively painted family dynamics—from Marin’s exhausted but joyful parents to Charley’s difficult family story—that make this story remarkable.” — Publishers Weekly
“Blending issues that matter to young adolescents with intrigue and a surprise ending, Haddix proves why she’s a master of middle-grade fiction.” — Kirkus Reviews
PRAISE FOR GREYSTONE SECRETS #1: THE STRANGERS: “A satisfying third-person narrative that portrays the complex anxieties and internal lives of close, caring family members grappling with a single set of extraordinary circumstances—separately and together. A secret-stacked, thrilling series opener about perception, personal memories, and the idiosyncrasies that form individual identities.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Maintains suspense from the beginning to the cliffhanger ending. A high-stakes adventure full of teamwork with a multifaceted mystery and complex themes.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Haddix returns with another mystery/adventure/science-fiction hybrid filled with twists, turns, and political undertones in the nefarious intentions of the alternate world. This first installment ends expectedly with a cliffhanger that is sure to leave readers wanting more.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
2023-03-14
The daughter of a character from Running Out of Time (1995) discovers that she’s a victim in a similar swindle.
Setting her sequel a generation later but returning to the same family, villain, and even Midwestern locale, Haddix sends 12-year-old Zola Keyser—who thinks she’s living with her mother, Hannah, in a utopian 2193 in which all social and environmental problems have been solved and a benign AI named Sirilexagoogle answers every need and question—on a shocking journey of discovery. She gets a handwritten (!) note on actual paper (!) pleading for help. As it turns out, Zola is not only wrong about the date by 170 years, but learns that she’s an involuntary tester of experimental technology whose every (public) moment is being watched by crowds of invisible spectators. Worse yet, the Futureville attraction in which she lives is being kept up by the trapped, half-starved residents of a counterpart settlement, a nightmarish place supposedly devastated by unchecked war and climate change. Haddix’s premise and plotline are strong on raw appeal, so fans of the original story who are primed to cheer for Zola will be more pleased than those dissatisfied by the author’s hand-wavy approach to plausibility or fussy details. The main cast reads White; names and physical descriptions cue some diversity in the supporting cast.
Entertaining fan service, mostly—with a lightly tweaked premise, cast, and course. (Fiction. 9-13)
