Margaret Peterson Haddix

Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm in a small town in Ohio, in a family of farmers and bookworms, and she read widely: classic fiction, but also the newspaper and Time magazine. She also found time to participate in activities that she later drew on as material for her books: school plays; playing flute and piccolo in the marching, pep and symphonic bands; singing in the school choir; working on the school newspaper; running track; and volunteering with her 4-H club. At Miami University (Ohio), she worked on the school paper and double majored in Creative Writing and Journalism.

After college, Haddix worked for a while as a newspaper reporter, but longed to write stories from her imagination. She eventually took the leap to writing fiction and experienced her share of rejection, before having a book accepted. With young children, Haddix had to write those earlier stories around the children's nap times.

Her kids are now teenagers, so Haddix has more time to write, including the Shadow Children series, the Missing series, Dexter the Tough, and an installment of the wildly successful The 39 Clues series.

Margaret Peterson Haddix and her family live in Columbus, Ohio.

Books by This Author

Among the Hidden

By: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Age Level: Middle Grade
In the first book of the Shadow Children series about a futuristic dystopia where only two children per family are allowed, readers meet Luke, a third child forbidden by the Population Police.

Dexter the Tough

By: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Age Level: Middle Grade
It's the first day of school for Dexter and he's already mad at everyone in the building. When his teacher tells the class to write a story, Dexter writes about how tough he is — and how he's already gotten into a fight. Is any of Dexter's story true?

Found

By: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Age Level: Middle Grade
In the first book of The Missing series, 13-year-olds friends Jonah and Chip land in the middle of mystery involving the FBI, smugglers, and people who vanish at will. Opposing forces are struggling over Jonah and Chip's lives and they may not have any choice in the matter.

Just Ella

By: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Age Level: Young Adult
In this companion book to Palace of Mirrors, 15-year-old Ella finds that accepting Prince Charming's proposal ensnares her in a suffocating tangle of palace rules and royal etiquette, so she plots to escape.

Running Out of Time

By: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Age Level: Middle Grade
When a diphtheria epidemic hits her 1840 village, 13-year-old Jessie discovers it is actually a 1995 tourist site under unseen observation by heartless scientists, and it's up to Jessie to escape the village and save the lives of the dying children.

Say What?

By: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Age Level: 6-9
Six-year-old Sukie is worried about her parents. They are saying typical parent things, but at all the wrong times. Once she and her siblings find out why, they hatch their own plan to keep the nonsensical talk going, making for some very funny exchanges in this lighthearted, easy-to-read chapter book.