The aptly named Puzzleheart is perfect for middle grade readers who will be delighted by the mystery and warmth of this story. As someone who loves and reads middle grade fiction to my first grader and pre-schooler, I can attest to the fact that this is an exciting story for emerging readers, as well. (They really enjoyed the illustrations!)

Perigree is determined to rekindle the relationship between their Dad and his estranged mother even if it means showing up at Grandma’s weird house unannounced and in the middle of a snow storm. But hearts aren’t so easily healed and this house is no ordinary house. Eklund’s Puzzle House is a place where people can “not only solve puzzles, but live them.” When Grandma reveals her plan to sell the house, tensions between her and Dad boil over and the mechanisms of the puzzle seemingly begin to malfunction. Perigree knows the only way to put their family back together again is to follow the clues and solve both puzzles before it’s too late.

The relationship between Perigree and their Dad was a great catalyst for age-appropriate conversations about topics like grief, managing big emotions and mental health, and relationship dynamics between parents and kids.

Chock full of moments that are silly, spooky, heartfelt, and hopeful, Puzzleheart is a refreshing portrayal of someone navigating adolescence and tricky family relationships, factors that can stump even the most expert puzzler.

This reminds me of the Mr. Lemoncello series with how the puzzles are shown in the story for the readers to solve along with the characters. The puzzles tying back to the interpersonal relationship for the characters and the House being its own character makes the story stand out.

I was so entranced by the idea of a house with a soul that I just had to request this book.

Perigee, in an effort to fix everything for their father, arranges for the two of them to get invited back to the Puzzle House built by their grandparents. But nothing is what it seems, & the house has ideas of its own.

I ended up reading this whole story to my nephew over just a week. And both of us were thoroughly charmed. The relationship between Perigee and their father was so sweet and full of love. And this had such a thoughtful representation of depression. And I truly loved the friendship that developed between Perigee and Lily. Both outcasts and a little weird, they were able to find common ground and become friends. And they acted realistically like children.

The puzzles were so interesting, and every description of a room immediately sucked me in, allowing me to fully imagine this gorgeous house. Honestly, this movie would make for such a great animated movie. The descriptions are so lush and whimsical.

My thanks to both NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing for this arc.

Perigee navigates family, friendship and secret passages in this fun middle grade read. And escape houses are much more complicated than escape rooms. They might even have souls?

Great intro book for kids when it comes to mental health. Found the messaging to be great and not preachy. Fun time and fast paced.

A wonderful, heartfelt read. Twelve-year old Perigee comes up with a plan to raise their dad's spirits by reuniting him with his estranged mother. But after arriving at the "Eklunds' Puzzle House," deadly puzzles pop up and the only way to save themselves is if Perigee and their new friend Lily can solve a long-lost riddle. Touching on mental health topics including anxiety and depression, this is an engaging, fast read, especially for kids who love escape rooms or puzzles.

“Fixing was for houses. Solving was for puzzles. Maybe neither of those words applied to people.”

Twelve-year-old Perigee has been hearing stories about their dad’s childhood in the Eklund Puzzle House since they were old enough to understand. Perigee’s grandparents built and designed the house to be an escape room-themed bed and breakfast with unique challenges for patrons to solve during their stay. In a last-ditch effort to “solve” their dad, who seems unhappy, Perigee orchestrates a trip to the Puzzle House, which involves meeting their estranged grandmother for the first time. However, everything is different than Perigee planned when they arrive—from a cold and distant grandma to a house that is literally tearing itself apart. With the help of Lily, the daughter of their grandma’s friend, Perigee must solve the house’s remaining puzzles despite their grandma’s protests. With their work already cut out for them, can Perigee figure out how to cure their dad—and possibly even themself—along the way?

Puzzleheart offers readers a little bit of everything: mystery, family drama, adventure, and magic. I really like how immersive the puzzles Perigee and Lily solve throughout the book are. The included drawings and detailed narration allow readers to actively participate and be a part of the action. Similarly, author Jenn Reese doesn’t shy away from the more intense aspects of dangerous situations, including panic and injury. Some of the safety protocols and the emphasis on staying calm and vigilant during stressful situations could be useful to readers. I appreciated the perseverance displayed throughout, as well as seeing a parent empower their child to succeed. However, the true star of the show was Perigee’s grandmother, Savannah Ekland. Since the death of her beloved husband, the Puzzle House has been in disarray, and Savannah lost who she was and won’t let herself enjoy the things she used to. Her journey is captivating, and I think we can all take something away from the sentiment that when someone we love dies, it doesn’t mean everything we love is lost with them. The exploration of whether it is the parent or the child (or both) who care for one another’s mental well-being was also touching. Meanwhile, personifying the Puzzle House by including chapters written from its perspective successfully added a touch of magic to keep the narrative lighthearted. Puzzleheart is the perfect read for those who love solving puzzles and watching the pieces click together to mend damaged souls.

"Get ready to solve the mystery at the heart of this captivating new middle grade adventure about family - and a house with a mind of its own - from the award-winning author of Game of Fox and Squirrels and Every Bird a Prince, Jenn Reese.

Twelve-year-old Perigee has never met a problem they couldn't solve. So when their Dad's spirits need raising, Perigee formulates the Plan: a road trip to Dad's childhood home to reunite him with his estranged mother.

There's something in it for Perigee, too, as they will finally get to visit "Eklunds' Puzzle House," the mysterious bed and breakfast their grandparents built but never opened.

They arrive ahead of a massive storm and the House immediately puts Perigee's logical, science-loving mind to the test. Corridors shift. Strange paintings lurk in the shadows. Encoded messages abound. Despite Perigee's best efforts, neither the House nor Grandma will give up their secrets. And worse, prickly Grandma has outlawed games and riddles of any kind.

Even the greatest of plans can crumble, and as new arguments fill the air, the House becomes truly dangerous. Deadly puzzles pop up at every turn, knives spin in the hallways, and staircases disappear. The answer lies at the heart of the House, but in order to find it, Perigee and their new friend Lily will need to solve a long-lost, decades-old riddle... if the House itself doesn't stop them first."

I mean, come on! Stuck in a house during a storm and then the house tries to kill you? My dream read!

Puzzleheart was so much more than I was expecting. I expected a cute, fun adventure through a house full of puzzles. What I got was that, plus a deep, emotional story about dealing with the tough times in life. Every character in this book showed beautiful depth and compassion, while also struggling with their own problems. I think Lily was my favorite character, as she was so emotionally intelligent. I loved watching her be the catalyst for Perigee's better understanding of their own mental health. I also loved how the story showed that everyone struggles with mental health in different ways, Even sentient houses.
Puzzleheart is a great read, and one that I believe will resonate with parents as much as children.

A whimsical book about a puzzle house and the family who built it, Puzzleheart could be a good fit for early readers making their way into middle reader for the first time.
I enjoyed this book but found the conflict and characters on the simplistic and one note side. Some kids will find the wonder of the Eklund’s Puzzle House and its fantastical rooms captivating, but others may wish for more substance from their magical realms. As with many books, the magic of Puzzleheart will come from being in the right reader’s hands.

A broken family, a snow storm, mind puzzles, and a sentient house who has serious codependency issues - this book definitely had some charming moments and characters! I really enjoyed the nonbinary and mental health representation that was depicted in an accessible and approachable way for younger readers. Students who are super into escape rooms or interested in nonbinary characters will be attracted to this book from the start; however, that’s a pretty specific subset, and I think other readers might have a hard time connecting to this book.

Ultimately, however, this book ended up falling pretty flat for me. Even as the characters and relationships evolved through the story, I just didn’t feel emotionally connected to any of them. I think this story could have perhaps benefited from more backstory - but some of the current timeline would then need to be cut in order for it to still appeal to middle grade readers.

Personally, I think it would have been fun to have this set up as a horror story - like the house has gone evil during its years of neglect, and the two kids have to save the family. The chapters that served as the house’s narration really were a little creepy! Overall, I will probably purchase this book for our library because of the much-needed representation, but I was underwhelmed by the book as a whole.

The title and cover immediately sucked me in and the story did not disappoint. I love that the Puzzle House is given representation throughout the book. Every other chapter the reader gets to hear from the unique point of view of the house and it is so intriguing! There is constant excitement as the characters try to solve the puzzles and mysteries contained within the walls of the ever-changing Puzzle House. Each character in Puzzleheart is working through their own emotional struggles, and I love the way the dialogue between them is what does the most in communicating how people can grow through feeling and discussing emotions. Perigee is the main character in the story and so you hear most of their thoughts and reasoning, but you also get plenty from the supporting roles of their dad, grandma, and new friend Lily. One of the wonderful things about middle grade books is that you often find a great takeaway (here mine was about handling emotion and family relationships), but that it is woven into the threads of a compelling story. I never like it when you feel the message being conveyed is shoved in your face on top of the story. Reese does a beautiful job of creating an engaging story while also delivering beautiful words we can all grow from.

This review of Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese is courtest of NetGalley. #Puzzleheart #NetGalley

Rating: 5/5
Upcoming publication date: May 14 2024

Growing up reading books, I thought the idea of secret passages in a house would be cool. The closest I've gotten was in modern day escape rooms. Had this book been available when I was young, I'd have gobbled it up. As an adult, I loved it. Puzzles and a practically magical house.

It's a very welcoming book. The main character is nonbinary with a unique name which allows for anyone to identify with aspects of the main character.
It starts off with some very lovely, almost poetic descriptions of the surroundings which I enjoyed.

The middle portion of the book gets emotionally hard as mistakes are made and characters get hurt but there's learning and growth to make for a good ending.

Unfortunately, I did not finish Puzzleheart by Jenn Reese. I think this book will be great for kids between the ages of 10-18. I would definitely recommend to middle and high school students. Jenn Reese writing is easy to read and imaginative. I did like the diversity she included by having a non-binary character. I also like that the main character was close to their father and the father was supportive and understanding. Personally, I couldn't quite connect to the main character which could be because I'm not the target age group for this book. Again, I feel this book will do well with older children and young adults.

4.5 Stars

This was an absolutely delightful book. This story has a lot of pieces just like a puzzle. Puzzleheart centers on Perigee, a non-binary child, and their father taking a trip back to his childhood home. Except that the house is special - magical - alive. Perigee, with their new "friend" Lily need to figure out the clues to solve the puzzle the house has presented before it's too late. Touching on themes of loneliness, belonging, depression and grief in an age appropriate manner.

This story reminded me a little bit of Mr. Lemoncello's Library, with a dash of Pee-Wee's Playhouse thrown in, while still being it's own unique story. I believe this will be book children enjoy quite a bit. I think it would also do well as a graphic novel. I know I'd love to "see" the house in all its glory.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for giving me access to a digital copy of the book for my honest review.

I have always loved books about puzzle houses or even just about houses with hidden passages, so this book was a no-brainer to read. The story follows a non-binary main character named Perigee as they and their father are reunited with an estranged grandmother who has banned all puzzles from the house. In theory, this lends to an interesting dynamic: we have a family in crisis who are being forced to play games with a sentient house. However, in execution, this house is less about the puzzles and more about the emotional/mental health issues of a family that suffers from depression, abandonment, guilt, etc.

When I receive an ARC for a children's book, I often try to read it with my child to get their point of view. Unfortunately, I finished this book on my own because my 9-year-old could not get into it.

I received a free digital copy of Puzzleheart through NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

As an adult reading a book for a middle-school aged audience, I did not expect to find Puzzleheart so endearing or engaging. Our protagonist Perigee is delightful to follow and explore in the halls of the House. It was fun to experience the smart puzzles and interesting with our young main characters. As a bonus, it was refreshing to have a nonbinary child protagonist just be a child and not making a huge deal about gender. This story had heart with dashes of real problems families go through, and seeing the side of how it affects children. Puzzleheart is an all-around fun read that I believe the younger audience and their parents would enjoy reading together.

“Puzzleheart" offers a unique narrative enriched by its innovative use of perspectives, notably incorporating the viewpoint of a house. This unconventional approach of hearing the story from Perigees perspective and then hearing how the house sees it and its motives is a unique vantage point that was fun to explore.

However, the introduction of "they/them" pronouns, while commendable for its inclusivity, occasionally muddled the storyline for myself. Admittedly I have a hard time getting this adult brain to visualize or comprehend they/them can be one person, when there is frequently two characters. This was the first book I have encountered featuring the use of these pronouns. I anticipate that familiarity with this narrative style will enhance readability with subsequent readings.

Overall, "Puzzleheart" is a quick read that’ provides a thought-provoking journey with puzzle solving included. It also offers readers a fresh perspective on mental health and grief from multiple character portrayals and narrative structures.

Give a Houses POV and I’m there!

A visit to Eklund’s Puzzle House… a mysterious bed and breakfast that never opened. Built by the main characters, Perigee’s grandparents… Perigree is excited to see the marvel of the house as well as their grandmother, though their father is more on the reluctant side. Arriving alongside a blizzard. Perigee and all inside find themselves involved in a curious game the house has started.

I enjoyed this story and think it’s a great addition to the puzzle/unique house sub genre I’m assuming younger middle grade readers will enjoy the adventure. I recently just read a very similar book that had me wishing that the puzzles/riddles in Puzzleheart leapt more off the page…for me I never felt pulled into them.

The cover is absolutely stunning and having the houses conscious as a POV was thrilling! This was my first book by Reese and I will definitely be on the look out for more!

Thank you Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. Henry Holt and Co (BYR)
Releases 5/14

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This is a well-plotted middle-grade mystery for puzzle fiends and oddball misfits who don’t quite fit in, featuring a sentient house (which is bigger on the inside), rambunctious kittens, a morbid loner intrigued by death, and a science-loving misfit struggling with anxiety. I didn’t love the interstitial chapters from “The House," and felt its emotions and motivation were better explained by Lily and Perigee as they came to understand it through the natural arc of the novel. While there were moments of real danger and quite heavy grief, I think tweens and teens will love figuring out Puzzleheart’s clues along with Perigee, and ultimately grow fond of The House as much as I did.