Double Identity
By Margaret Peterson Haddix Thorndike Press - Large Print Edition (2007)
ISBN 10: 0-7862-9702-6
ISBN 13: 978-0-7862-9702-3
Genre: Science Fiction Thriller - Young Adult
Reviewed by Angela Evans - August 31, 2007
Double Identity is the newest book Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of the Shadow Children series. In this stand-alone book, we meet Bethany Cole, a twelve-year-old, nearly thirteen-year-old girl. For months now, Bethany's mom has been crying non-stop. Than suddenly, her dad packs them all in the car, drives for hours, and than puts her out, leaving her with an aunt she has never met, and did not even know exists. Alone and confused, Bethany soon discovers that her family has a dark secret, and it concerns her. Worse, someone is hunting her, and her family has abandoned her in an attempt to protect her - and her identity.
Written for middle school readers, this book will enthrall both young and old readers. Bethany's plight is palpable, as is her fright. You really empathize with Bethany as she struggles to deal with her loneliness and confusion about her new situation, and as she tries to uncover the family's secret and what it means for her. A secret that has to do with Elizabeth, her older sister who died twenty-years ago, and with whom Bethany shares an uncanny similarity.
Double Identity is made of equal parts thriller and science fiction. On the thriller side, the plot involves a great deal of mystery and danger for Bethany. On the science fiction side, this is a story about bio-engineering and topics dealing with the ethics of new science and the question - just because we can do something, do we have the right to do it?
Haddix's writing is riveting, and the story line compelling, making Double Identity is a great, all-around, story that will enthrall both mystery and science fiction fans of all ages.
Related Reviews:
Among the Impostors, by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
Luke Garner is an illegal third child who has assumed a fake identity in order to go to school. After spending twelve years in hiding, Luke is understandably scared to find himself going out into the world. Worse, as a third child, Luke knows that if he is caught by the Population Police that he will face the ultimate punishment - death. (Large Print)
A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray.
Raised in India, Gemma is shipped home to England, after her mother's death, and sent to a proper Victorian Boarding School to learn how to be a proper Victorian wife. Plagued with prophetic visions and a growing awareness that she has the power to cross over into a supernatural realm, Gemma sets out to discover the truth surrounding her mother's death. (Large Print)
