The School for Whatnots

By: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Narrated by: Lillie Ricciardi

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 have 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 ever 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?

the mystery

I love how this story played out, it's just a wonderful book that I 100% recommend! :)

Very good book

Very enjoyable and somewhat mysterious. Was thinking about the story the whole time. Interesting and suspenseful, a great story.

Wonderful book

All I can say is I loved this book it was such a good story. The performance was so good the person reading the book did an amazing job. I recommend this book to the young and old because I thank it cud be enjoyed by all ages.

Started out interesting, but got sappy and preachy

I liked this story at first, but it got sappy at the end. I think the author lost direction with what she was trying to say, at least that's how it felt.

Rich kid sent to a school to be educated side by side with a bunch of androids. He gets very attached to one in particular, and goes looking for her when she disappears. Halfway through author introduces new characters that have these important parts that came out of nowhere. It made me groan. Story also went sideways as well. It's a meh.

Might be, 4 if it was not for the narration

The story was OK. Pretty good. In fact. Some questions. The narrator aside was a little bit juvenile. Maybe this is written for 12-year-olds. I’m not sure. But it was like those annoying mystery TV shows where they show you the scene again & again to make sure you get it. To make sure you’re connecting all the dots. Also the characters were 10 and 12 yet voices were like they were five or six year olds. The dialogue seemed juvenile and not age appropriate for the character. A little bit heavy-handed as well. Again, a cute story that had a few annoying aspects that brought the score down for me.