The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill

Gr 4–6—Hazel may not be the best musician in her class, but she is a grade A detective. When rumors of Russian spies infiltrating her hometown of Maple Hill, Vermont begin swirling through the neighborhood, Hazel stops building her bomb shelter and starts tailing the most likely suspect—the mysterious Mr. Jones. With the help of Samuel, the new boy in town fascinated by the stories contained in her family's graveyard, the protagonist begins collecting clues and soon finds that most stories are more than they initially appear to the untrained eye. Hazel is a wonderfully memorable character, larger-than-life, and so certain of her well-intentioned, but often misguided, ways. Blakemore perfectly captures that fine line between childhood and early adolescence, when tall tales from large imaginations are quickly formed, friendships with boys are still easy, and a young girl sees her place in the world as an unstoppable force. The storytelling is vivid and descriptive, but it's the characters that will draw readers in, including quiet, unassuming Samuel and Hazel's mother, who serves as a more soft-spoken proponent of change than her incredibly vocal daughter. The book does a wonderful job of displaying the way in which the fear inherent in the McCarthy era turned neighbor against neighbor. While the heart of the story lies within the issues of trust and truth, the writing is never preachy, using Hazel's innate humor to deflect moments that veer close to saccarine or preachy. A strong work of historical fiction for mystery fans.—Nicole Signoretta Sutton, Kingston Elementary School, Cherry Hill, NJ