Something is wrong. The Greystone kids get home from school one day and learn that kids in another state have been kidnapped. The weird thing is, the kids have the same names as the Greystone siblings and they look the same too. The news makes Mom act strange, and she keeps acting stranger.
Hi there. I’m back! Maybe?
Over the past several months, I’ve been writing for the Equipping Godly Women blog, and it reminded me how much I enjoy blogging. Every time I write a post over there, I tell myself I should write one here. Unfortunately, procrastination is real, and it’s hard to break out of a year and a half rut of not posting.
Joining the blog tour for Jaye’s new book release forced me come up with a post for Leah’s Bookshelf, and then it seemed natural to share this book I just read.
The Strangers was a total impulse grab at the library. I was in the kids section looking for easy Spanish books to practice with and saw this book on one of the displays.
Margaret Peterson Haddix is an old favorite of mine. I adored her Shadow Children series. In fact, the Shadow Children may have been the first dystopian I ever read, so Haddix deserves some of the credit for me eventually writing a dystopian story.
The Strangers was my first foray into middle-grade in quite a while. It took a little bit of adjustment to get back into the simpler writing style and less complex plot lines, but once I did, the story was quite good.
The Greystone kids are pretty ordinary (except for Emma who is a math genius). Their biggest strength is their relationship with each other. By working together, they are able to figure out clues they weren’t intended to decipher for years.
It turns out, their mom left them with someone they barely know and has been sending odd text messages because she went to an alternate universe to try to keep them safe and rescue their kidnapped doppelgangers!
The Greystone kids don’t hesitate to decide on a course of action. They won’t sit still and stay safe when it might mean they’ll never see their mom again. She needs help, and they’re going to provide it. But can they navigate a strange alternate universe when they only just discovered that such a thing exists?
While I can’t say I love this as much as The Shadow Children, The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix definitely held my interest enough that I’m eager to read book two when it releases in April.
I’d give this a PG for content rating.
Violence: Mild. People are handcuffed and accused of murder, a woman is a private detective who works for women getting divorced).
Language: None that I can recall
Sexual Content: None. Chess seems to have a slight crush but mostly he’s intimidated because the girl is a grade above him.
Religious Content: None.
What kind of content are you guys looking for? Do you want straight up book reviews? What genres and age bracket (middle grade, YA, or adult)? Would you be interested in mixing in posts about Bible study and Christian living?
I hope you’ll say hi and let me know what you’re looking for from Leah’s Bookshelf if I get back to posting. 🙂
Leah E. Good 