Double Identity By: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Double Identity

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

Rating:* * * *

Reviewed: 2/5/2010

Hardcover: 218 pages

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.; First edition (January 1, 2006)

ISBN-13: 978-0439827874

• "As Bethany approaches her thirteenth birthday, her parents begin acting 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 serveral state lines-and leaves Bethany with an aunt she never knew existed. Bethany has no idea what's going on. She's worried that 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 Myrlie, "She doesn't know anything about Elizabeth." But Aunt Myrlie won't tell Bethany who Elizabeth is, and 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 states with four different last name-and thousands of dollars in cash. And when a strange man shows up asking questions, Bethany realizes she is not the only one who's desperate to unravel the secrets of her past."

This YA thriller kept me up reading one night till 3 AM. Haddix kept me flipping pages for hours totally unable to go to bed and forget the story. I couldn't decide for a long time if I was more horrified that Bethany's parents would basically dump her at an unknown relative's home with no explanation or if the why of the whole story was more terrifying. For that reason, I waited a few days to write a review. While this story may be a bit intense for younger teens, Haddix completely nailed the reaction of the nearly 13 year old  protagonist. She alternates from being a scared little girl to being totally determined to find out what has changed her life as she knows it. In a matter of days, she discovers that  what she knew  about her parents or for that matter about herself may not be quite as black and white as the horrifying truth is reveled.