Publishers Weekly
07/22/2019
Marin, 11, is looking forward to a fresh start when she moves from Ohio to Pennsylvania with her parents and infant brother—and away from the friends with whom she’s abruptly fallen out. While exploring the woods behind the family’s new home, she becomes entranced by a group of nine teenagers in a nearby yard who seem to vanish as she watches. Marin doesn’t know what to think until she meets Charley, a neighbor being raised by his grandmother. Charley can also see the enigmatic group, which he calls “the Remarkables,” and theorizes that they are figments of the past from 20 years ago, just before the occurrence of a tragedy with personal ramifications for Charley’s family. As the mystery of the Remarkables deepens, Marin and Charley learn about the detrimental and far-reaching consequences of guilt and, slowly, with pain and joy, find a way to move forward. As ever, Haddix plots her satisfying mystery with careful touch points and reveals. But it is her smart exploration of the past’s legacy and sensitively painted family dynamics—from Marin’s exhausted but joyful parents to Charley’s difficult family story—that makes this story remarkable. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"Haddix realistically portrays Charlie’s distress at his parents’ addiction and shows how Charlie’s identification with his father leaves him nearly incapable of imagining happiness for himself. Ultimately, Marin discovers that her and Charlie’s role might not be in changing the past but rerouting the future. VERDICT Gripping, heartfelt, thoughtful and fun, Remarkables will delight readers of both tween realism and time-travel fantasy." — School Library Journal (starred review)
“Blending issues that matter to young adolescents with intrigue and a surprise ending, Haddix proves why she’s a master of middle-grade fiction.” — Kirkus Reviews
“This well-paced blend of mystery and fantasy will have young fans flipping pages all the way to the epilogue in search of answers. This stand-alone will intrigue her new generation of fans.” — Booklist
“The power of family bonds is a strong theme in this novel, and while there’s serious introspection on the causes of addiction, the story ends on a reassuring note. The Remarkables may just be a hopeful vision from the future rather than the past, and ‘isn’t it better to think about working toward a good future than trying to change the past?’” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
The power of family bonds is a strong theme in this novel, and while there’s serious introspection on the causes of addiction, the story ends on a reassuring note. The Remarkables may just be a hopeful vision from the future rather than the past, and ‘isn’t it better to think about working toward a good future than trying to change the past?’
Booklist
This well-paced blend of mystery and fantasy will have young fans flipping pages all the way to the epilogue in search of answers. This stand-alone will intrigue her new generation of fans.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
The power of family bonds is a strong theme in this novel, and while there’s serious introspection on the causes of addiction, the story ends on a reassuring note. The Remarkables may just be a hopeful vision from the future rather than the past, and ‘isn’t it better to think about working toward a good future than trying to change the past?’
Booklist
This well-paced blend of mystery and fantasy will have young fans flipping pages all the way to the epilogue in search of answers. This stand-alone will intrigue her new generation of fans.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
The power of family bonds is a strong theme in this novel, and while there’s serious introspection on the causes of addiction, the story ends on a reassuring note. The Remarkables may just be a hopeful vision from the future rather than the past, and ‘isn’t it better to think about working toward a good future than trying to change the past?’
School Library Journal
09/20/2019
Gr 3–6-When 11-year-old Marin moves to Pennsylvania, she doesn't expect to find magic. Then she sees a group of teenagers vanish into thin air. The only other person to witness this event is lonely, angry Charlie. But Charlie insists the Remarkables are linked to a tragedy 20 years ago. Can Marin and Charlie stop the disaster—and should they? Marin's fascination with the Remarkables stems from her struggles with toxic friendship; by contrast, Charlie blames the Remarkables for setting in motion events that tear his family apart. Family proves crucial to the way both Marin and Charlie understand friendship and how they make meaning out of pain. Marin's relationship with her parents and baby brother is hilarious and endearing. Perceiving the complexity of her parents' bond helps Marin reassess her past with mean girls and the Remarkables' seeming doom. To help Marin's mother take a promotion, her father becomes a stay-at-home dad, but he still struggles with the loss of his career as a gym teacher. Marin's new emotional maturity also allows her to offer Charlie compassion. Haddix realistically portrays Charlie's distress at his parents' addiction and shows how Charlie's identification with his father leaves him nearly incapable of imagining happiness for himself. Ultimately, Marin discovers that her and Charlie's role might not be in changing the past but rerouting the future. VERDICT Gripping, heartfelt, thoughtful and fun, Remarkables will delight readers of both tween realism and time-travel fantasy.-Katherine Magyarody, Texas A&M University, College Station
Kirkus Reviews
2019-05-08
Eleven-year-old Marin discovers her "new" neighbors are from 20 years ago.
Light science fiction and plenty of mystery abound when her mother's job takes Marin and her family from Illinois to small-town Pennsylvania. The preteen worries about losing old friends and making new ones, but not for predictable reasons. An unexpected opportunity allows Marin—and readers—to learn how fear, bullying, and secrets poisoned her former friendships. The second and larger mystery, which also drives the plot, occurs when Marin, scouting out her new neighborhood, notices several teenagers appear and suddenly vanish. Charley, who's lived next door with his grandmother since his parents' substance use made it hard to care for him and his brothers, has seen them, too. Dubbing these mysteriously vanishing teens the Remarkables, Charley believes that they are time travelers from the past and include his father and the girlfriend his father may have accidentally killed. In this tightly woven, stand-alone story, Marin and Charley set out to identify the Remarkables, stop the accident that claimed one of them, and hopefully keep Charley's father from succumbing to addiction. In the process, the author seamlessly combines elements of both mysteries while also raising ethical dilemmas about changing the past. Most characters, including Marin and Charley, are default white, but some of the Remarkables are kids of color.
Blending issues that matter to young adolescents with intrigue and a surprise ending, Haddix proves why she's a master of middle-grade fiction. (Suspense. 8-12)
