Puzzleheart

Gr 4-7–Twelve-year-old Perigee has a plot to restore their dad’s enthusiasm for life, which includes reuniting him with his mother after many years of estrangement. Their grandparents’ mansion was meant to be an Escape Room–themed bed and breakfast, but it was never completed after their 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 duo become embroiled in puzzles tucked into the mansion designed by Perigee’s late grandfather. Meanwhile, their 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 tweens come dangerously close to being swallowed up by the House until Perigee unearths a clue that is pivotal to freeing their family from its clutches. Perigee’s friendship with Lily will ring true to young readers, as will their desire to make their 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.