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  • The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill by Megan Frazer Blakemore
  • Jeannette Hulick
Blakemore, Megan Frazer The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill. Bloomsbury, 2014 305p ISBN 978-1-61963-348-3 $16.99     R Gr. 4-6

McCarthyism is an easy sell to conspiracy-minded fifth-grader Hazel Kaplansky, so when word gets out that the Eisenhower government is investigating the workers at the missile factory in her small Vermont town, Hazel springs into action to identify and observe the spies she is certain are working locally. First on her list of suspects is Mr. Jones, the hired hand who works at the cemetery owned by her parents and whom Hazel sees engaging in some odd behavior. When fellow fifth-grade intellectual Samuel moves to town, Hazel quickly enlists him as an assistant, although he is skeptical about her suspicions. As wannabe-sleuth Hazel doggedly pursues her (faulty) suppositions, she uncovers a variety of sensitive secrets and backstories about the folks in her town; the results of her snooping, particularly the effect her discoveries have on other people, eventually lead her to some self-reflection about her actions and, consequently, some newfound maturity. Hazel is an engaging, if not always likable, girl, and her kid’s-eye-view of life offers an accessible entryway to the McCarthy/Cold War era. Blakemore’s characters are refreshingly three-dimensional, as there is more than meets the eye to not only the kids (including one of the snotty girls who bully Hazel) but also the adults. Hazel’s single-minded (if misguided) enthusiasm for detective work will also appeal to the mystery lovers of the middle grade crowd, even as they acknowledge that Hazel sometimes goes too far. An author’s note about the historical time period is included.

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