Hazel Kaplansky is a firm believer in the pursuit of knowledge and truth--and she also happens to love a good mystery. When suspicions swirl that a Russian spy has infiltrated her small town of Maple Hill, Vermont, amidst the fervor of Cold War era McCarthyism, Hazel knows it's up to her to find a suspect… starting with Mr. Jones, the quietly suspicious grave digger. Plus she's found a perfect sleuthing partner in Samuel Butler, the new boy in school with a few secrets of his own. But as Hazel and Samuel piece together clues from the past and present, the truth is suddenly not what they expected, and what they find reveals more about themselves and the people of their cozy little town than they could ever have imagined.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
This is a great story about the power of gossip and rumors, the fear of Communism, bullies, friendship and growing up.
By KidsReads
Hazel Kaplantsky is a fifth-grader at Adelaide Switzer Elementary School in Maple Hill, Vermont in 1954 --- the time of the Red Scare, perpetuated by Senator McCarthy. Hazel has always been the smartest kid in her class --- until a new kid, Samuel Butler, arrives. At first there is animosity between them, but the two overcome the obstacles and become best friends.Hazel wants to be a detective; she is anxious for a mystery to appear so she can solve it. So, when a mysterious man named Paul Jones comes to town, she is sure something is going on. She convinces Samuel to work with her to unravel the mystery.Mr. Jones starts meeting with Mr. Short, the foreman at the Switzer Switch and Safe Factory. The factory is under investigation as a possible hotbed for Communist spies, just like the General Electric Plant in Schenectady, New York. Hazel puts two and two together and thinks she has come up with four, but her desire to be a spy and to catch someone doing something wrong overshadows the facts.This is a fictional tale, but author Megan Frazer Blakemore throws in some facts to set it in the era of the Red Scare. Of course she embellishes the story, but much of what she talks about really did happen. As Megan explains in her Author’s Note, the plant in Schenectady, NY really was under investigation for spy activity during this time period, but she made up the part about the Switzer Switch and Safe Factory. Also, since Hazel is great fan of mysteries, facts about the Nancy Drew mysteries are sprinkled throughout the text.This is a great story about the power of gossip and rumors, the fear of Communism, bullies, friendship and growing up.Reviewed by Christine Irvin
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
More historical fiction than mystery
By Dolores, a teacher
Hazel is a totally believable character, as a tween with a mission. Her vitality/vulnerability (almost) make it easy to overlook the fact that she is a little Joe McCarthy clone. And Samuel is the perfect sleuthing partner.All the characters in this story are so "real". You will root for this community to pull together when it seems they are being torn apart by fear.I will definitely be recommending this to some of my more avid readers in the 3rd grade. I wish that Hazel's antics hadn't been so juvenile (at times) because the historical parts of this story are worth sharing with those in high school, as well.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.Good book
By Daniel L. Kaplan
This book was interesting, because it talked about McCarthyism and communist spies. It was a good combination of history and fiction. It is about a mystery-loving girl named Hazel who lives at a cemetery in Maple Hill. There is a new kid at her school, and Hazel can't seem to figure him out. The whole town talks about him and how "fragile" he is. Everyone seems to know his story except Hazel. But she has another mystery on her hands. Hazel believes that a grave-digger working at her parents' cemetery is a Russian spy. I liked the excitement of Hazel trying to find proof that the grave-digger is a spy. The story also talks about her frustration at being underestimated by adults in town. Those parts occasionally dragged on. Overall, though, I liked the book. - Louisa (age 10)
