The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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😬 The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

⭐️ 1 out of 5 stars | Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy | Tagline: Alternate universes and questionable logic

💀 Let’s just say it… this book was not the vibe.

I usually try to be gentle with my reviews. I really do. If a book isn't for me, I chalk it up to taste and move on. But this book tested my patience—and my will to finish reading it. I mean, I rarely hand out a 1-star rating, but The Strangers earned it, gold star and all.

This is the first book in the Greystone Secrets series, which is apparently for middle-grade readers. And yes, I understand it's for kids—but kids deserve better than whatever this logic-defying mess was.

🧒 Meet the Greystone Kids

Our story kicks off when three siblings—Chess (the brooding one), Emma (the math-loving codebreaker), and Finn (the baby who's afraid of everything)—hear a news report about three kidnapped kids.

Here’s the kicker: the missing kids have the same first and middle names, AND birthdays, as our Greystone trio. The only difference? Their last name is Gustano, not Greystone.

Weird, right?

Their mom, Kate, hears the news and immediately panics like she's just been told she is on the missing list. She makes a suspicious phone call to a guy named Joe, then suddenly announces she’s going on a mysterious “business trip.”

Ma’am. Read the room.

🕵️‍♀️ This “Mystery” Needs a GPS

Kate disappears, the kids are dumped with the world’s most conveniently mysterious babysitter, Mrs. Morales, and her conveniently suspicious daughter, Natalie. The plot thickens... mostly into a kind of lumpy oatmeal.

Then things spiral from strange to “am I being punked?” territory:

  • A classmate says they saw Kate running out of a bank with a suspicious bag (cool cool totally normal mom behavior).

  • The kids discover a pre-scheduled goodbye text from their mom, in which she basically says, “Hey kids, I might never come back. Have fun storming the castle!”

  • They find coded letters and rainbow-colored business logos that somehow become maps when aligned just so.
    (I swear, this book was like National Treasure meets Scooby-Doo on four energy drinks.)

🚪 Surprise! There’s a Portal in the Basement

After solving a series of puzzles that would give the Escape Room industry a run for its money, the kids find a hidden door in their house. Naturally, they do what all rational children would do: they pull the mystery lever and fall into a smelly basement in a parallel universe.

Over in this alternate world, the sky is gray, the vibe is sinister, and everything looks like it was decorated by “post-apocalyptic depression” on Pinterest. They bump into a more villainous version of Mrs. Morales and realize—their mom is here... and she’s on trial.

Why?

Apparently she was plotting against the government. Yes. The soccer mom who used to make pancakes is now a political prisoner. 🤷‍♀️

🔥 The Grand Finale (if you can call it that)

The kids meet a man named Joe (remember him?), sneak backstage at the trial, and try to bust Mom out of dystopian jail using smoke bombs like they’re suddenly in Mission: Impossible: Kindergarten Edition.

It doesn’t work.

So they rescue the alternate-universe Gustano versions of themselves instead, and run back through the portal. Chess yanks out the lever, sealing the entrance.

Kate? Still trapped.

Joe? Also trapped.

Alternate-universe Morales? Still evil and somehow running the court system.

And me? Trapped in this book, wondering why I didn’t DNF it when I had the chance.

🧠 Final Thoughts

This book made me feel like I was losing brain cells. And again, I’m not the intended audience—but even if I were 10 years old and hopped up on Fruit Roll-Ups, I’d still want a story that makes some sense. Instead, it feels like Margaret Peterson Haddix spun a Wheel of Plot Devices every five pages:

➡️ “Coded letter!”
➡️ “Alternate universe!”
➡️ “Bank robbery subplot!”
➡️ “Math puzzle!”
➡️ “Mom is a fugitive!”
➡️ “Let’s throw in some emotional trauma and government trials too, why not?”

Kids are smart. They know when a story is phoning it in. And this one is absolutely dialing long distance.

🙅‍♀️ Would I recommend this?

Not unless you’re punishing your child or running low on firewood. But if you like to hate-read occasionally (and I totally do), you might find some twisted joy in the nonsense.

🛒 Buy it (if you dare):

📚 Prefer something better for middle grade readers?

Try these instead:

  • The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart – smart, twisty, and actually makes sense

  • When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead – has a portal-ish vibe but with heart, logic, and great writing

  • City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab – creepy fun with clear stakes and satisfying storytelling

Let me know if you read this and had a different reaction—did I miss the magic? Or were you yelling “WHYYYY” into the void like I was?

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