The School for Whatnots

Content levels

Trigger warnings

Positive tags

Hero archetypes

Heroine archetypes

Protagonist archetypes

Tropes

Themes

Synopsis

From master of suspense author Margaret Peterson Haddix comes another page-turning stand-alone adventure perfect for fans of Cog and Bad Magic. No matter what anyone tells you, I'm real. That's what the note says that Max finds under his keyboard. He knows that his best friend, Josie, wrote it. He'd know her handwriting anywhere. But why she wrote it--and what it means--remains a mystery. Ever since they met in kindergarten, Max and Josie has been inseparable. Until the summer after fifth grade, when Josie disappears, leaving only a note, and whispering something about "whatnot rules." But why would Max ever think that Josie wasn't real? And what are whatnots? As Max sets to uncover what happened to Josie--and what she is or isn't--little does he know that she's fighting to find him again, too. But there are forces trying to keep Max and Josie from every seeing each other again. Because Josie wasn't supposed to be real. This middle grade thriller from Margaret Peterson Haddix delves into the power of privilege, the importance of true friendship, and the question of humanity and identity. Because when anyone could be a whatnot, what makes a person a real friend--or real at all?

Tags

Is The School for Whatnots appropriate for my child?

Suitable for most readers 10 and up.

A thoughtful middle grade mystery exploring what makes someone 'real' when Max's best friend Josie disappears, leaving cryptic notes about 'whatnots.' Themes of identity, privilege, and the nature of humanity with mild suspense but no graphic content.