Puzzleheart

April 1, 2024
A science-loving kid from Seattle tries to solve the puzzle of their family dynamics. Twelve-year-old Perigee Clarke, who uses they/them pronouns, has a plan: They're going to help their dad find his passion again by visiting Eklunds' Puzzle House, the bed-and-breakfast in the mountains that their grandparents built but never opened due to Grandpa's sudden death. When they arrive, however, Dad and Grandma immediately clash, and Grandma won't allow Perigee and Lily Ishioka, a girl who's staying with Grandma while her mom is on a search and rescue mission, to complete any puzzles. But the house starts acting up, throwing open windows and creating holes in the walls that let in the snow. Perigee and Lily conclude that the only way to stop this behavior is by solving the riddle left in the pocket of Grandpa's coat. Short sections offer the House's third-person perspective; it's a surprisingly charming character. Perigee is an energetic and believable protagonist, and both their joy in solving puzzles and their despair at the rift in their family are palpable. The story balances the fun and adventure of navigating the anthropomorphic house with the seriousness of navigating fractured family relationships. Perigee makes plenty of mistakes along the way but learns from them, and their personal growth makes finishing the book as rewarding as solving the trickiest puzzle. Main characters read as white; Lily's last name cues Japanese heritage. Fans of escape rooms and family stories will find much to love in this heartfelt tale. (Adventure. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 29, 2024
Intergenerational grief permeates this enigmatic mystery by Reese (Every Bird a Prince) which centers a family’s attempt to repair fractured relationships. Following the death of their paternal grandfather, nonbinary 12-year-old Perigee Eklund hopes to fix the acrimonious relationship between their father and paternal grandmother by orchestrating a trip to visit her at the Eklunds’ Puzzle House, built by their grandparents. Despite simmering tensions and a powerful snowstorm, the logic-minded tween thrills in exploring the house’s myriad puzzles with fellow houseguest Lily Ishioka, an adventurous youth whose mother is working to rescue lost hikers. The house itself—which narrates in alternating chapters—is already reeling from the death of its cocreator, and becomes more desperate when Grandma Eklund announces the imminent sale of the property. After finding a forgotten riddle left by their grandfather, Perigee decides to delve deeper into the house’s mysteries, solving puzzles and using clues to get at the meaning behind the riddle’s cryptic message. Intrepid Perigee is a capable protagonist whose welcoming aura immediately endears them to the reader and Lily both. The anthropomorphic antics of the Puzzle House itself—Perigee often incurs the house’s rage, which manifests as physically violent tantrums—add tension and humor to this emotionally cathartic and puzzle-laden story of trauma and healing. The Eklunds read as white. Ages 9–12.

May 1, 2024
Grades 5-8 A quick trip to Grandma's house unfurls a heart-stopping adventure for tween Perigee and their father when they go to visit the recluse and her Puzzle House. Perigee's father has not been the same recently, and they hope that visiting the house he grew up in will reignite his spark. What Peri can't anticipate is the way the Puzzle House itself will react to the lost son coming home and what lengths it will go to to protect itself when another puzzle is laid before the players. Part Westing Game, part Winchester Mystery House, Reese's twisting adventure tale invites readers into a locked-room mystery that's going to require a lot of quick thinking, and some bravery, to get out of. Perilous, intriguing, full of great conversations about kids who shoulder the emotions of their parents, and a bit tear-jerky, too, this is an unfolding tale that invites readers out of the cold winter night and into the burning peril of a house that will do anything to keep its memories alive.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2024

Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-old Perigee has a plot to restore her dad's enthusiasm for life, which includes reuniting him with his mother after many years of estrangement. Her grandparents' mansion was meant to be an Escape Room-themed bed and breakfast, but it was never completed after her grandfather's fatal car accident. Perigee meets Lily Ishioka, the daughter of a volunteer mountain rescuer and survivalist. Lily's resilience and pragmatism are a good match for Perigee's optimism and sense of adventure. The girls become embroiled in puzzles tucked into the mansion designed by Perigee's late grandfather. Meanwhile, her dad sets about correcting the House's structural damage but is waylaid by arguments with his mother. In alternating chapters, Perigee and the House narrate. Things spiral out of control as the House revolts, determined not to reveal its secrets. Windows open and shut, hallways shift, and people are injured. The girls come dangerously close to being swallowed up by the House until Perigee unearths a clue that is pivotal to freeing her family from its clutches. Perigee's friendship with Lily will ring true to young readers, as will her desire to make her dad happy again. The complicated nature of families in comparison to the House is a captivating way to move this smooth-flowing mystery along. Hand to fans of Ellen Raskins's The Westing Game or Chris Grabenstein's Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. VERDICT A wily 12-year-old, painful family secrets, and an eerie possessed house-this twisty mystery is great for genre fans.-Julie Shatterly

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2024
Perigee arrives for a visit at their grandmother's house with their father in the middle of a snowstorm. The visit has a serious purpose. Only-child Perigee feels responsible for their dad (we surmise from his behavior that he is depressed) and hopes that a reconciliation between father and grandmother will solve the problem. From this solemn, realistic opening, the tone of the story and its action quickly morph into a rambunctious fun fair as the house, the "Eklunds' Puzzle House," built by Perigee's grandmother and her late husband as a themed bed and breakfast, takes over as the antagonist. This house, which has consciousness, agency, and its own first-person voice in the text, orchestrates a wide variety of puzzles, games, and mischief, including rhyming riddles, pinball machines, combination locks, anagrams, Morse code, sliding tile puzzles, dominoes, and labyrinths. (In a detail of homage Reese references Ellen Raskin's iconic The Westing Game.) Perigee and their pal Lily use creativity, gumption, logic, and smarts to outwit the house, soften their grandmother's heart, and broker peace between the generations. This romp suggests a warm welcome to readers who like their mysteries cerebral but who also appreciate a collapsing staircase or two. Sarah Ellis

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
Perigee arrives for a visit at their grandmother's house with their father in the middle of a snowstorm. The visit has a serious purpose. Only-child Perigee feels responsible for their dad (we surmise from his behavior that he is depressed) and hopes that a reconciliation between father and grandmother will solve the problem. From this solemn, realistic opening, the tone of the story and its action quickly morph into a rambunctious fun fair as the house, the "Eklunds' Puzzle House," built by Perigee's grandmother and her late husband as a themed bed and breakfast, takes over as the antagonist. This house, which has consciousness, agency, and its own first-person voice in the text, orchestrates a wide variety of puzzles, games, and mischief, including rhyming riddles, pinball machines, combination locks, anagrams, Morse code, sliding tile puzzles, dominoes, and labyrinths. (In a detail of homage Reese references Ellen Raskin's iconic The Westing Game.) Perigee and their pal Lily use creativity, gumption, logic, and smarts to outwit the house, soften their grandmother's heart, and broker peace between the generations. This romp suggests a warm welcome to readers who like their mysteries cerebral but who also appreciate a collapsing staircase or two.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)