About the Author:
Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm near Washington Court House, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University (of Ohio) with degrees in English/journalism, English/creative writing and history. Before her first book was published, she worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois.
She has since written more than 40 books for kids and teens, including Running Out of Time; Double Identity; Uprising; The Always War; the Shadow Children series; the Missing series; the Children of Exile series; the Under Their Skin duology; and The Palace Chronicles. She also wrote Into the Gauntlet, the tenth book in the 39 Clues series. Her books have been honored with New York Times bestseller status, the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award; American Library Association Best Book and Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers notations; and numerous state reader’s choice awards. They have also been translated into more than twenty different languages.
Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio. They are the parents of two grown kids.
My Story:
I distinctly remember the first book I ever read by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I was a wallflower student in a middle school in western Tennessee and an avid reader even then. Perusing the shelves one day, I stumbled across Double Identity. The cover looked cool and the synopsis was interesting enough to merit adding the book to my stack.
Let me tell you, that was one humdinger of a story! I’d never read anything that suspenseful before. Double Identity was the first true page-turner I remember reading. It was a thrill! But, when I turned it back in, the ride was over. Now, I don’t know if I was just not smart enough to look for other books by the author at that age, or if I was just preoccupied with a different book, series, or author at the time, but I didn’t pick up another book by Haddix for at least several months.
My school used to have this TN State shelf. I don’t remember exactly what was on the shelf, the awards or recommendations, etc. But I remember going to that shelf often and finding great books like Lois Lowry’s Messenger. It was a small shelf, but it was typically stocked with books worth my time.
One day, I found The House on the Gulf. The orange colors on the cover are what drew my attention initially. Again, the synopsis kind of made me tilt my head to the side. Just as I moved to slip the book back into its spot on the shelf, the name across the top gave me pause. Haddix.
Hadn’t I seen that name somewhere before? My eyes rounded in excitement the moment I realized I’d found another book by the author who’d written Double Identity. As you can imagine, I took that book home that day, practically swallowed it whole, and returned to my library eager for more. Unfortunately, those were the only two books by Haddix they had. I kind of shrugged it off and went about my merry middle school way. 
A year or two later, I moved across the state to a new middle school in middle Tennessee. I hated it there. It was a small town. I had no friends. At least in the old school, I’d had a few quirky oddballs to hang out with. And, to make matters worse, the new school had the same colors as my old one. Like, how’d that happen?! Needless to say, I dug even deeper into my books, desperate for escape.
The time came for this new school to host a book fair. Now, that’s my kind of social event! I treasured every precious moment of those book fairs and I poured over the booklets they sent home. Guess what I found in the catalog? Yup. Haddix.
This time, I knew I had to get the book. I knew her name and I knew I’d love it. So, I think I begged my parents for the money or did some extra chores or something. Either way, I ordered Among the Free. And with that third book, Haddix sealed her fate.
Too late, I learned that Among the Free was the conclusion to Haddix’s seven book Shadow Children Series. Looking back, I didn’t really mind. I found the other books in the series, scoured book stores for anything with Haddix’s name, and faithfully kept up with each new release from her.
That first summer after I moved, my grandpa and I started what would turn into a tradition: our Barns & Noble’s dates. (This year will be our 11th year!) I scrimped and saved all year for this one afternoon. Grandpa took me out to a fancy dinner at the Macaroni Grill in a town in North Carolina. After dinner–or sometimes before–we walked next door to the bookstore and I spent my loot!
It was in that bookstore, along with many second hand and used book stores, that I built my Haddix collection. Today, I have read and own nearly every one of her books. There are very few I don’t own, and even fewer I haven’t read.
My Favorites: 
Haddix writes a lot of page-turning, science fiction stories. She comes up with crazy plots that feed the wild imaginations of young kids and teens. To this day, I still buy and read her books. Haddix has an incredible talent and I’ve never been disappointed with her work. (Takeoffs and Landings wasn’t written in her typical vein, so it did take me by surprise. It wasn’t by any means inappropriate, but I may have been too young to properly appreciate it when I first read it.) Some of my 
happiest memories are the moments I got my hands on her newest book. She’s got some thought-provoking reads, suspenseful stories, and mind-spinning plots!
Double Identity, Just Ella, and Turnabout are three of my favorites. I also very highly recommend her Shadow Children Series (which starts with Among the Hidden) and her Missing Series (which starts with Found). Truth be told, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend anything by Haddix. Her books have won numerous awards, which you can see here.
Links and More:
Find a full list of Haddix’s works here.
Find Haddix on Goodreads.
Find Haddix’s books on Amazon, on her website, or in any bookstore near you.
I’ve rated many of Haddix’s books on Goodreads, but few have reviews because I read them before Goodreads was a thing. I am a re-reader, so as I reread any of her books, I will be sure to post detailed reviews on them.
Fun fact: If you ever see MPH on anything I’ve written, I’m not talking about “miles per hour.” 😉 I’m talking about Haddix.
Disclaimer: The pictures are all from Goodreads and the author’s biography is from her website.