October 28, 2025 by Christy Ottaviano Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Johan lives in Minneapolis with his parents, but when his father wins a cruise, he is sent to spend time with his 82 year old grandfather, Siggy. He loves being with Siggy, because they always have a lot of fun, eating junk food and not following any rules. When his grandfather trips in the kitchen and falls, however, he is shaken and finally shares a long kept secret with Johan-- there is a dragon in the basement. Before Siggy left Iceland as a young man, he had found a large egg in a cave, and brought it with him to the US. He settled on a farm near Minneota, Minnesota, married Nora, and raised Johan's mother. It wasn't until the day that Johan was born that the egg hatched. Nora knew a bit about the dragon before her death, and Siggy knows that it is imperative that he gets the dragon, whom he has named Dreki, back to Iceland. Johan and Siggy leave a note for Johan's parents and take off for Iceland, with Dreki in a front pack. There's a tiny bit of magic involved with dragons, of course, so no one really notices on the plane. The three stay in a guest house near Blönduós, Siggy's hometown, and plan on releasing Dreki to the wild when the time is right. Once they hit Icelandic soil, Dreki starts to grow a bit, and when Johan takes him to the river. The owner of the guest house has a young daughter, Elva, who shows Johan around the area. When Siggy becomes I'll with pneumonia and ends up in the hospital, Johan knows that he will have to find a way to release Dreki. He calls his parents, and his mother flies out, but a storm kicks up right as he sets out to release the dragon. Will he be able to return Dreki to his grandfather's land?
Strengths: I was apprehensive about this title, but I ended up loving it because of the grandfather. It reminded me a little of Gebhart's There Will Be Bears. Dragon books have a huge and consistent fan base in my library over the last twenty years, and the addition of a fun grandfather AND a trip to Iceland make this a great title. The pace is quick, there's just enough action, and Dreki's presence is very matter of fact, even with the hints of magic. Elva and her mother are very helpful when Siggy becomes sick. The best part might be all of the Icelandic lore, which the author gathered while she was studying textiles in Iceland. How awesome is that? Definitely purchasing, and this will not stay long when I display it with other dragons books.
Strengths: I was apprehensive about this title, but I ended up loving it because of the grandfather. It reminded me a little of Gebhart's There Will Be Bears. Dragon books have a huge and consistent fan base in my library over the last twenty years, and the addition of a fun grandfather AND a trip to Iceland make this a great title. The pace is quick, there's just enough action, and Dreki's presence is very matter of fact, even with the hints of magic. Elva and her mother are very helpful when Siggy becomes sick. The best part might be all of the Icelandic lore, which the author gathered while she was studying textiles in Iceland. How awesome is that? Definitely purchasing, and this will not stay long when I display it with other dragons books.
Weaknesses: *Spoiler* (Highlight to read.) Siggy succumbs to pneumonia and dies, but I did love that he was in pretty good shape up to the end. Sadly, grandparents don't last for ever, and 82 is a good run.
What I really think: Buy this book along with Reardon's Dad Rock Dragon Quest, Reintgen's The Last Dragon on Mars, and Kagawa's Lightningborn if you need to refresh your dragon titles or add some new ones.
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Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Moonleapers (Book #1)
September 16, 2025 by Quill Tree Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Maisie McGraw loves the hours of the day when she gets home,her siblings Rufus and Dora are in extended after school care, and her mother is working in her home office. She appreciates the unstructured time, even though her parents try to fill it with somewhat unconventional pursuits like code breaking or studying Latin and ancient Greek. She's not particularly happy when she finds out that instead of hanging out at home for the summer, she'll have to watch Rufus and Dora while her mother takes the three of them to Maryland to take care of Great Aunt Hazel Tadwick. Hazel is in her 90s, and her health has taken a turn for the worse and is unresponsive. This is a bit confusing, because Maisie has just had a telephone call from her aunt on the phone that her aunt wanted to pass along to Maisie. Maisie has also gotten some odd texts that she thinks might be from friends of her aunt. There's also a book, the Guide for Moonleapers, which seems to have blank pages, and another book entitled Moonbows and Musk Ox that her mother found at Hazel's request. As the family settles into Hazel's very nondescript house and take care of her cat and dog, even stranger things keep happening. Maisie is now getting riddles texted to her, and it seems like whoever is sending them can see exactly what Maisie is doing. Hazel manages to communicate a little bit, and becomes apparent that Hazel has some hidden abilities that she wants to pass on to Maisie. There are also calls from a girl in the future, Ainsley, that shed some light on the situation. Maisie is a little unsure how or why she should become a Moonleaper, but a glimpse into Hazel's past makes this clear. Like many of Haddix's books, not a lot more can be said without ruining some of the clever twists and turns of the story. Suffice it to say that all of Maisie's extra studies in circuitry, Morse code, and other esoteric topics will come in handy when Maisie is sent on a mission in the second book.
What I really think: Buy this book along with Reardon's Dad Rock Dragon Quest, Reintgen's The Last Dragon on Mars, and Kagawa's Lightningborn if you need to refresh your dragon titles or add some new ones.
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Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Moonleapers (Book #1)September 16, 2025 by Quill Tree Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Maisie McGraw loves the hours of the day when she gets home,her siblings Rufus and Dora are in extended after school care, and her mother is working in her home office. She appreciates the unstructured time, even though her parents try to fill it with somewhat unconventional pursuits like code breaking or studying Latin and ancient Greek. She's not particularly happy when she finds out that instead of hanging out at home for the summer, she'll have to watch Rufus and Dora while her mother takes the three of them to Maryland to take care of Great Aunt Hazel Tadwick. Hazel is in her 90s, and her health has taken a turn for the worse and is unresponsive. This is a bit confusing, because Maisie has just had a telephone call from her aunt on the phone that her aunt wanted to pass along to Maisie. Maisie has also gotten some odd texts that she thinks might be from friends of her aunt. There's also a book, the Guide for Moonleapers, which seems to have blank pages, and another book entitled Moonbows and Musk Ox that her mother found at Hazel's request. As the family settles into Hazel's very nondescript house and take care of her cat and dog, even stranger things keep happening. Maisie is now getting riddles texted to her, and it seems like whoever is sending them can see exactly what Maisie is doing. Hazel manages to communicate a little bit, and becomes apparent that Hazel has some hidden abilities that she wants to pass on to Maisie. There are also calls from a girl in the future, Ainsley, that shed some light on the situation. Maisie is a little unsure how or why she should become a Moonleaper, but a glimpse into Hazel's past makes this clear. Like many of Haddix's books, not a lot more can be said without ruining some of the clever twists and turns of the story. Suffice it to say that all of Maisie's extra studies in circuitry, Morse code, and other esoteric topics will come in handy when Maisie is sent on a mission in the second book.
Strengths: My daughter Picky Reader was an enormous fan of Haddix's work when she was in middle school. She felt that every title had something different that she just wasn't expecting, and that kept her turning the pages. Considering that she started ten books for every one she finished, this says a lot. Maisie's experience involvement with the Moonleapers was similar; it's not clear what is going on, and the reader has to follow along to find out what's going on. Hazel's past is quite interesting, and also neatly elucidates the importance of Maisie taking over for her great aunt. Without telling you exactly HOW it happens, I will say that Moonleapers manage to change the past. Many times travel stories like Voyagers!, have people who go to the past to change things, but the big difference in this book is that we get to see the changes that have been made. It's fascinating that Moonleapers remember all the permutations of history that they've experienced.
Weaknesses: I'm always interested in people's houses, so when Hazel's community of small dwellings for older people was described, I was intrigued, especially since it had a bit of a feel of the houses in A Wrinkle in Time where the children all come out and bounce balls at the same time. There wasn't really a good explanation, and when history changed, the house did as well. Why were the houses in the first scenario so bland? I doubt younger readers will care, but I wanted to know more.
What I Really Think: Haddix has a huge body of work, and many of the stories, like Falling Out of Time, The School for Whatnots, Children of Exile, and The Remarkables have a very believable science fiction basis to them. I would have loved these books in middle school, because a small part of me would have believed that I, too, could somehow become a Moonleaper right along with Maisie. Definitely adding this to my school library, especially since Maisie lives in Ohio, just like Ms. Haddix!
Weaknesses: I'm always interested in people's houses, so when Hazel's community of small dwellings for older people was described, I was intrigued, especially since it had a bit of a feel of the houses in A Wrinkle in Time where the children all come out and bounce balls at the same time. There wasn't really a good explanation, and when history changed, the house did as well. Why were the houses in the first scenario so bland? I doubt younger readers will care, but I wanted to know more.
What I Really Think: Haddix has a huge body of work, and many of the stories, like Falling Out of Time, The School for Whatnots, Children of Exile, and The Remarkables have a very believable science fiction basis to them. I would have loved these books in middle school, because a small part of me would have believed that I, too, could somehow become a Moonleaper right along with Maisie. Definitely adding this to my school library, especially since Maisie lives in Ohio, just like Ms. Haddix!
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