4+ stars
This is the third installment of the Harry Moon series I’ve read and the best to date. This one rates higher for me because the story is more complex and combines a mystery into the mix.
Harry has a new science teacher, Professor Einstone, who insists that magic does not exist. That all can be explained by science and that he is the ultimate decision maker on what is real and rational. As the story unfolds, Professor Einstone quickly replaces the school principal and more teachers get replaced.
The replacement teachers have odd traits to them and Harry notices cars from “We Drive by Night” roaming around the town. There is something not quite right and Harry suspects that Mayor Kilgore is looking to gain more control of the town through the school. If nothing else, it appears there is plot afoot to profit from changes taking place at the school… for example, Professor Einstone book being the required curriculum.
Harry and his friends decide to investigate Einstone’s background and finally dig up what is going on at the school.
Great story for kids on many levels. A lot of good life lessons as well as a good tale with lots of unusual characters and spooky stuff.
Thank you NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors and Rabbit Publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Characters in this adventure are fantastic and the story is wonderful to match. It is a great mystery for younger readers to enjoy. It is time for a fun aventure and a mystery through the pages of this book. Well written and just the right amount of chapters, pictures and words for the ages reading this book.

Strange times at Sleepy Hollow Middle School

There’s a new science teacher at Harry Moon’s school, Professor Einstone. And with Professor Einstone come a slew of changes: new teachers, new books, and lots of advertising for Professor Einstone’s memoir. Professor Einstone proclaims the superiority of science, that magic doesn’t exist, and that he is the ultimate authority on rationality, reality, and reason. He closes down the school play, bans Tolkien, and takes over as principle. But Harry knows that much of what Professor Einstone says is the opposite of what he’s been taught by his teachers, his parents, and his trusted mentor.

The teachers that the kids know and love are disappearing, sometimes leaving in the middle of class. Cars with dark windows from We Drive by Night cruise through town. Have vampires taken over the school? Why is the nurse recommending unhealthy eating? Is this another diabolical plan by Mayor Kilgore? Will garlic be enough? Luckily there’s always the Good Mischief Team. Can they solve the mystery and stop the evil plot before it affects all of Sleepy Hollow forever?

Kids will identify with Harry and his friends, standing up for what’s right, and dealing with conflicting directives from various adults. Some, unhappily, will identify with the commercialization of their schools and the decimation of artistic scholastic endeavors. Harry Moon: Professor Einstone has a spooky mystery, quirky characters, and a lot of spunk cloaking a lesson in critical thinking.

Overall, a very fun, enjoyable story with a cool adventure/mystery for middle-schoolers and lots of conversation openers and teachable moments for teachers and parents. Highly recommended.