* This post contains spoilers *
Double Identity
Margaret Peterson-Haddix
YA - Science Fiction
234 Pages
This book is honestly my all time favorite book. I first read it in fourth grade for the Bluebonnet reading thing they do every year here in Texas. You read as many books off the list of books nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award, and then vote on your favorite. (Read more about the TBA here.) I love science fiction, in case you all haven't noticed, and was very intrigued by the summary of this book....
"So my only protection is a kindergarten teacher and a ninety-eight-pound female minister....And they don't even believe I'm in danger.
As Bethany approaches her thirteenth birthday, her parents act more oddly than usual. Her mother cries constantly, and her father barely lets Bethany out of his sight. Then one morning he hustles the entire family into the car, drives across several state lines -- and leaves Bethany with an aunt she never knew existed. Bethany has no idea what's going on. She's worried her mom and dad are running from some kind of trouble, but she can't find out because they won't tell her where they are going.
Bethany's only clue is a few words she overheard her father tell her aunt: "She doesn't know anything about Elizabeth." But Aunt Myrlie won't tell Bethany who Elizabeth is, and she won't explain why people in her small town react to Bethany as if they've seen a ghost. The mystery intensifies when Bethany gets a package from her father containing four different birth certificates from four different states, with four different last names -- and thousands of dollars in cash. And when a strange man shows up asking questions, Bethany realizes the's not the only one who's desperate to unravel the secrets of her past"
(Double Identity, Margaret Peterson-Haddix, 2007)
I can't tell you why this is my favorite book, as I can't even figure it out myself. It's about a girl named Bethany who was cloned from her older sister, Elizabeth, who died at thirteen in a car accident. I guess what intrigues me, as someone with an interest in psychology, is why the parents would do this. In a way, I feel like I should be revolted. I mean, the parents didn't want to accept that their daughter was dead so much that they took her cells and cloned her. I understand not wanting to lose someone you love, especially a child, but cloning them so that they're technically not dead? That's taking it a little too far.
As Bethany's thirteenth birthday approaches, her dad packs her up and dumps her at her (never before spoken of) Aunt Myrlie. He promises that he will be back, that he is just going to get her hysterical, guilt ridden mother, some help. Being only twelve years old, Bethany is obviously scared. I think even as teenagers, if our parents suddenly decided to dump us on an unknown, very distant relative's doorstep and drive off into the night, we'd probably freak out too... Just a little bit, because you know, nothing bothers teenagers. She eventually realizes that her parents aren't coming back anytime soon, and her assumption is proven correct when her dad sends an envelope full of money and identification to Aunt Myrlie.
Bethany keeps hearing Aunt Myrlie and other people around town talk about someone named Elizabeth. Sometimes they even call her Elizabeth. The teachers at her new school, Aunt Myrlie's friends, and sometimes, Aunt Myrlie's daughter Jocelyn slips up and calls her Elizabeth. If I were her, I'd be demanding answers. But of course, this is fiction, and she's going to play the "I'm going to act like no one would answer my questions anyway so why should I ask?" card.
Okay, so I'm being a little melodramatic on her not asking any questions. Her dad told her straight up when they left that she wasn't to try to contact him, and she wasn't to bug anyone about her situation. He had a good reason. As it turns out, her parents are being "hunted down." Not in the "you're going to die" way, but the man who went halfsies with her dad during the cloning experiment is looking for them. Her dad thought that he could lead the man away from Bethany so that she's not in danger, but the guy eventually figures it out and breaks into Aunt Myrlie's house. It turns out that the guy and Bethany's dad were both cloning children, but the man's half of the experiment was not successful which caused Bethany's dad to go into hiding because the guy was jealous and probably wanted revenge in a way.
In the end, after Bethany is told everything about Elizabeth (even watches some home videos with her in them), she is reunited with her mom and dad and everyone gets to move on with their life. The main reason that Bethany was dropped at Myrlie's house a week before her thirteenth birthday was because her parents were so worried that since she was cloned, she was only destined to live to her thirteenth birthday.
Like I said, I don't know why this is my favorite book, but I"ve read it four times already and I'm reading it a fifth. I've even purchased it in paperback and am enjoying writing and making notes on things that make me think on the pages. (Does anyone else do this, or is it just me?)
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