Double Identity

I loved this book. Bethany is just a normal girl, no idea who she really is. She is really a clone of Elizabeth, her sister she never knew who died in a car crash at age thirteen. The mystery and suspense of the story will keep readers at the edge of their seat.

Turnabout is the story of two girls in the distant future who are aging backwards.

The two friends were taken into a home at a very old age Melly and Anny Beth were over 100 at the time. At this home, they were given a special serum that would reverse the aging process and take them back to a younger time in their life. Unfortunately, the "miracle serum" doesn't wear off without a deadly injection. The two girls are in their teen years again and rather than stressing about dying of old age like they typically would be, they are left alone after all of their close relatives have already died, and worried about how they will take care of themselves when they are toddlers, or infants. What then? Will they merely turn into an embryo and then stop to exist altogether, or will the aging process begin again so they will be forced to live yet another life-time? Is it possible to stop the de-aging process?

I believe that this novel was written especially for youth like me, though it is certainly a reading level below what I usually read, anyone else who encounters this book will agree that it is intriguing no matter what your age.

Often times I say that I wish I was back in elementary school when things were easier. The truth is, things aren't easier when we are young. Along with the Melly and Anny Beth's years falling away, so goes their understanding of the world as well. An elementary kids life seems simplistic because they have yet to be able to understand all of the things that are truly going on around them. Gaining wisdom and knowledge is something we naturally do and we don't even realize that it is happening, but losing it is something that would be extremely noticeable, and scary.

Turnabout is a book with a strangely frightening concept. Wouldn't you rather live to an old age once rather than becoming old, and then losing everything you spent your entire life learning. We learn every day, lessons of life, things we perceive, our memories. Losing those would be the most horrible thing that could ever happen to a person. Melly and Anny Beth lament over their lost understanding of the world, their memories fading of all the wonderful years that they had experienced, with almost certain death facing them.

Personally, I believe that when we die, the only thing we can take with us into heaven is the knowledge we gained while we were alive. It would be the most terrifying thing in the world to know that everything I had ever done would be taken away from me by a process I cannot stop.

I know that I am not the only person who wishes for my life to turn back to a simpler time, but what would I be trading in return? Nothing was ever accomplished by going backwards, and though the "miracle serum" was invented to give the girls a second chance at experiencing life and living longer, the effects of it are far more devastating than originally perceived.

Margaret Peterson Haddix has been one of my favorite authors ever since I was young, and it wasn't until I re-read this novel on a whim that I understood the implications of it. What we gain through life, good memories and bad, are precious. We trade those precious things for the years we spend, and the toll of carrying that knowledge around wears on our bodies, but as the people in Turnabout understand fully, it is entirely worth it.

There is nothing more treasured than our memories and the lessons learned from life. Turnabout fully expresses this in the day to day struggle of Melly and Anny Beth as they try to find someone who can take care of them throughout the rest of their Turnabout, however long that may be. The two know that they could be facing their mortality within a few years, but if they continue to de-age the way that they have, they may even lose their understanding of that. Our knowledge and memories are precious, and Haddix understood that, and now so will the readers.

Pepper D.

Bethany's mother has been crying nonstop since her dad hustled them into the car and they set out on a journey with no obvious destination. After traveling for miles and miles though country that Bethany does not recognize, she is glad just to stop. She doesn't even know which state they are in, though it must be further south than their home in Philadelphia since the trees still have their autumn colors.

Her dad is greeted warmly while Bethany and her mother, still sobbing, wait in the car. She is amazed to find she is being left with a woman introduced as her aunt. She didn't know she had an aunt. She thought her family of three was all there was. A broken man leaves Bethany with her aunt, but he does leave despite her protests. He promises to call, but won't say when they'll be back, leaving her to feel abandoned and wondering what she did so wrong that her overly protective parents would leave her with no explanation or plan to return.

Bethany is left to discover that she had an older sister, Elizabeth, who would now be in her twenties if she had lived. People in the small town of Sanderfield are quick to notice that Bethany looks exactly like Elizabeth. Why didn't her parents tell her they had a daughter before her? Why did they leave her and is she in danger or are they? Her aunt Myrlie knows no more than she does, but did know Elizabeth well. From knowing Elizabeth, Myrlie seems to know a great deal about Bethany whom she met for the first time when her niece was dropped on her doorstep. Bethany quickly tires of being compared to Elizabeth.

Bethany is a precocious child who pieces her life with her parents together with events in their past life before she was born. Haddox writes excellent, believable clues to allow Bethany to come up with her own answers for why so many things were left unexplained in her life. A good read, Double Identity is a fast moving mystery/thriller that keeps you in suspense from beginning to end.

I loved Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Shadow Children series, so I was excited to read another book by her. Double Identity did not disappoint! I was drawn to the cover because it looked mysterious and interesting. Not only was there suspense and action, but my heart also went out to Bethany as she tried to figure out who she was and what was going on. I couldn’t help but feel bad for her after she was abandoned by her parents, and she didn’t have anyone she could turn to for help. It would be so lonely without friends and family (or familiar family)! The mystery kept me guessing, and I couldn’t wait to find out why everyone was reacting to Bethany like she was someone else. What a strange feeling that would be! I have had people think I looked like someone else before, but no one acted spooked (thank goodness). I think this book is great for anyone who likes reads that have an edge of danger and lots of suspense. Kids in fourth grade and up will read this one as fast as they can to solve the case! I look forward to reading more books by this fascinating author.

I've been intending to read Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series for a while now, so I was intrigued when a friend put Turnabout into my hands last week. Turnabout falls into the category of speculative fiction, bordering on science fiction. It's the story of two elderly women in the year 2000 who are given an experimental drug that causes them to age backwards. Alternating chapters of the story take place in 2085, as the two are re-entering adolescence, fearful of what will happen as they become children, unable to care for themselves.

This is the second book I've read this year that features reverse-aging, after Gabrielle Zevin's Elsewhere. The two books are quite different in their approaches. Turnabout is relatively scientific, with discussion of telomeres and their impact on aging. Because much of the book takes place in the 2085, Haddix speculates about privacy laws, auto-guided cars, and other futuristic issues. Elsewhere, by contrast, is about reverse aging after death, in a place separate from Earth, and reflects a less scientific approach.

Turnabout addresses fascinating philosophical questions. What if when I neared the end of my life I could take some drug that would enable me to age backwards? Would I want to? What if as I aged backwards, I lost my memories of the corresponding years from my original forward life? Would I still want to do it? Would I be willing to give up memories of things that I had experienced? Would I be the same person if I didn't have my memories?

Then there are the pragmatic issues. The two women/girls vow to keep their reverse-aging a secret from the general public. This entails frequent relocation, not being able to contact their relatives, and particular challenges as they hit adolescence (again), such as no longer being old enough to drive. How can you marry someone if you're aging backwards and the other person is aging forwards? How could you possibly have children? What happens when you reach the date of your original birth?

Turnabout is in large part an examination of these issues. However, it also tells the compelling story of Melly and Anny Beth as they race against their own changing bodies to find someone who will care for them as they get younger. The two are reasonably well-drawn characters, with a closer relationship to one another than either has had with anyone else, best friends and de facto sisters. Each has her own unique reasons for wanting to live her second life to the fullest, and her own ghosts from the past to escape.

This is a fun read that will make the reader think a bit about science and aging, and what the future might be like. I look forward to reading Margaret Peterson Haddix's other books.

This book review was originally published on my blog, Jen Robinson's Book Page, on October 15, 2006.

Bethany, aged twelve, is in a car with her sobbing mother and burdened father. Neither parent will tell her where they're going or why her mother has been crying for months. They arrive at a small town in the middle of the night, where she is informed that she will stay with someone her parents call "Aunt Myrlie." Bethany's mother is beside herself with grief, and has a very difficult time parting with her daughter. Then, astoundingly, her overly protective parents drive off and leave her with the stranger.

Bethany tries calling her parents' cell phones to beg them to come back, but all she gets are "this number is out of service" messages. The next morning, her father calls to tell her, puzzlingly, that she's safer where she is than with them. She overhears Myrlie tell her father that Bethany must learn about Elizabeth, which is not the name of anyone Bethany knows. There are more mysteries, too, such as the way Myrlie is shocked that Bethany loves to swim and the fact that Myrlie (who actually turns out to be Bethany's aunt) always introduces her as a visitor instead of her niece.

The questions keep coming quickly and furiously: Whose memorial makes Myrlie so uncomfortable? Why do people act like they've seen a ghost when they meet Bethany?

But Bethany realizes that she's accustomed to unanswered questions, having lived with them all her life: Why does her family move constantly? Why are her parents so old? Why have they never had contact with relatives?

When the truth is finally revealed, it's astonishing --- and devastating. Even in her confusion and distress, Bethany realizes that the revelation doesn't explain everything about her odd life, or why some strange man appears to be stalking her.

This is yet another triumph for the amazing Margaret Peterson Haddix (if you haven't yet read RUNNING OUT OF TIME or AMONG THE HIDDEN, they should be the next books on your reading list!) Haddix is a master at combining a dazzlingly original concept with suspenseful writing --- and she delivers both in DOUBLE IDENTITY.

That said, I felt that the ending was just a bit on the anticlimactic side with a rather too-tidy resolution. However, I still wholeheartedly recommend this book for its thought-provoking twist on the theme "be yourself" and for the noteworthy suspense, which builds throughout the story.

[...]

Bethany Cole is an intelligent 12 year old girl. Although, her parents are not your average family; her mother cries endlessly, while her father attempts to support her and make her feel better. One day was definitely not average for Bethany. Her and her family took off driving. She tried to remember each and every state that they ventured through, but lost track once they reached some of the "I" states. The entire road trip her mother was in dreadful tears and her father was driving silently. Bethany had no idea where they were going, or who they were meeting. She was dumbfounded as they reached an old white house. Her father left the car to meet a woman at the door. They talked for a couple minutes and then asked Bethany to head inside. She said goodbye to her bawling mother, grabbed her bags, and went into the stranger's house without being followed by her parents.
Later in the novel, Bethany comes to find that the stranger is her Aunt Myrlie, who had a visiting daughter named Joss. She and her family search for the clues as to why her parents left her. They soon learn the facts as others turn up. Bethany's parents had left her because one of their old friend's had just gotten released from jail. This mattered to them because her dad promised this man that he would clone him. Walter, her father, never cloned his friend, but instead, using his own knowledge, cloned his daughter, Elizabeth. What Bethany did not know, was that her parents had had a child before her, twenty years ago, but she was killed in a car wreck. Walter had been saving some of Elizabeth's cells and froze them. Bethany was not a normal child; she is a clone of Elizabeth. This is a great book and has many intense scenes along with mysteries throughout the entire novel. I recommend this book for any mystery lover.
I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. To reach 5 stars, this novel could have added a little more interaction between each character.

Wow! Normally the thought of science fiction makes me want to fall asleep, but Turnabout had me hanging on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down! I absolutely had to know what would happen. I don't really know excactly why; maybe it was the fact that it was by one of my favorite authors, or maybe because it was kind of like realistic fiction in the future, but whatever the reason is, I still loved this book.

Turnabout wasn't too hard or too easy to read, which was really nice. What I really liked about the authors style of writing was how she went back and forth between 2001 and 2085. Also, it was such an original idea. I mean, I actually felt like I was reading a realistic fiction book. That's how good it was!

The book is about two old people, Amelia and Annie Beth, living in a nursing home, along with for forty eight other old people, just waiting to die, until they were given what would seem the chance of a lifetime. Two scientists are telling them that they could actually unage. As in, every year go back a year instead of going forward a year, and that when they were ready, they could choose to be a certain age for the rest of their life. The project's called "Project Turnabout", and they are going to be the fifty participants who get to try it out. There were some problems though, because it wasn't exactly legal, since it had only been tested on rats and monkeys, so they weren't sure it was safe for humans. After six years, Amelia and Annie Beth are fed up with the agency, so they leave. They never tell anyone about "Project Turnabout", but just live their life. When Annie Beth's 18 and Amelia's 16, in year 2085, they realize that somebody si trying to get a hold of them, and she's a reporter. They're also starting to realize that it'll only be a couple of years before they won't be able to take care of themselves on thier own. But who can take care of them? Who can they trust? Doesn't that sound really good?

For a young adult book, the plot of "Double Identity" is fairly non-plausible and perhaps a little high brow. Yet Margaret Peterson Haddix continues to write creative adult fiction that can easily captivate an adult audience.

When Bethany is left by her parents at the house of an adult relative, it raises a lot questions about the dealings of her parents. Clues are reveal as readers learn that Bethany's parents may have been involved with a criminal involved in cloning. It leaving Bethany to wonder who she really is.

I enjoy the fact that Haddix sprinkles biblical references into her work and leaves clues about the ultimate resolution. I have yet to find a Haddix book that I did not like.

Bethany had always been sheltered by her overprotective parents. She never spent one night away from them until one day they drive across many states and leave her with a woman she's never met before. - Myrlie. It seems like all the puzzle pieces of her world are falling apart.

As Bethany works to put the pieces back together, she finds that it isn't quite the same puzzle she thought it was. Bethany's parents had sheltered her from many things in an effort to protect her from the reality of her birth. But Bethany begins to learn about her family from Myrlie and Myrlie's daughter, Joss. It turns out that Myrlie is her aunt and Joss is her cousin. And Bethany learns that she is a clone of Elizabeth, her parents' first daughter (a sister she hadn't known existed) . Elizabeth had been killed 20 years earlier in a car accident. It's going to take Bethany quite a while to figure out how she fits back into this new puzzle.

I really enjoyed this story. The subject matter of cloning is a very touchy subject. Even though it is at the fringe of our current reality, the author presented it in a very realistic and reasonable manner. I especially appreciated Bethany's reaction to the realization that she was a clone. It seemed very honest and real. As for the writing - Haddix is a master of suspense. She peels away the layers of the story giving hints all along without giving the big mysteries away. The story grabbed me and pulled me right through to the end. I finished it in one night.

This book would be good for a classroom setting or book group. There is certainly a lot to talk about.

For almost thirteen-year-old Bethany, life has suddenly and unexplicably taken a strange turn. For a girl who has never spent a night away from her parents, she's suddenly hustled into the car by her sad-looking father, subjected to listening to her sobbing mother, and unceremoniously dropped off in the middle of the night in a town she's never heard of, at the home of a woman claiming to be her Aunt Myrlie. Her parents are a lot older than her friend's parents, and Bethany is sure that her parent's siblings are all dead. So who is this woman claiming to be her Aunt, and why has she never heard of her before? Why won't her mother stop crying? Why does her dad seem so eager to get away from the house in Sanderfield? And who the heck is Elizabeth, the name she overheard her father and Myrlie discussing?

All these questions and more are only the tip of the iceberg in Margaret Peterson Haddix's newest novel, a wonderful young adult thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. The twists and turns are unpredictable and unexpected--the conclusion one I never saw coming.

Overall, a great suspenseful read for teens and adults alike!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

Double Identity was a unique book. The book was written in a way that I could understand. The book kept me on my toes predicting what would happen next. Bethany was a brave character. She wanted to find something out and she did. Myrle was my favorite character, while Bethany was brave Myrle was calm. Myrle tried to make Bethany comfortable and create a relationship with her. At the beginning of the book I felt bad for Bethany and wondered why her parents left her at Myrle's house. While the story kept going I unraveled why they left her at Myrle's house. The reason for this was because they wanted to protect her.

Myrle was careful to let Bethany know what information she needed to know.

The end was tragic. On Bethany's birthday, Bethany's parents came but a man wanted something from them. Then Bethany sorted everything out and told the man they did not have what he wanted. After that Bethany and her parents were more open and started to be a family again.

Wow! Normally the thought of science fiction makes me want to fall asleep, but Turnabout had me hanging on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down! I absolutely had to know what would happen. I don't really know excactly why; maybe it was the fact that it was by one of my favorite authors, or maybe because it was kind of like realistic fiction in the future, but whatever the reason is, I still loved this book.

Turnabout wasn't too hard or too easy to read, which was really nice. What I really liked about the authors style of writing was how she went back and forth between 2001 and 2085. Also, it was such an original idea. I mean, I actually felt like I was reading a realistic fiction book. That's how good it was!

The book is about two old people, Amelia and Annie Beth, living in a nursing home, along with for forty eight other old people, just waiting to die, until they were given what would seem the chance of a lifetime. Two scientists are telling them that they could actually unage. As in, every year go back a year instead of going forward a year, and that when they were ready, they could choose to be a certain age for the rest of their life. The project's called "Project Turnabout", and they are going to be the fifty participants who get to try it out. There were some problems though, because it wasn't exactly legal, since it had only been tested on rats and monkeys, so they weren't sure it was safe for humans. After six years, Amelia and Annie Beth are fed up with the agency, so they leave. They never tell anyone about "Project Turnabout", but just live their life. When Annie Beth's 18 and Amelia's 16, in year 2085, they realize that somebody si trying to get a hold of them, and she's a reporter. They're also starting to realize that it'll only be a couple of years before they won't be able to take care of themselves on thier own. But who can take care of them? Who can they trust? Doesn't that sound really good?

Margaret Peterson Haddix never fails to deliver, it seems. This book is a perfect example of a compelling tale that has universal appeal written in Haddix's own style that draws you in until you realize that you have finished the book before you can even put it down!

A group of senior citizens in a nursing home are presented the chance to participate in an experiment that may extend their life. Most of them, not knowing what they are signing agree to participate. What they don't know that the experiment is to inject them with the fountain of "un-aging," meaning that as each year passes they will physically be one year old less.

Sounds good? However, like the tale of the Monkey's Paw there is a catch. For each year the person de-ages, they lose one year of their memories from the time before they began the experiment. Meaning that new memories are overwriting old memories like a video tape machine does. On top of that there is no guarantee that the process can be stopped, therefore it is possible that subjects will de-age until they become a fetus and then nothing.

The book centers around two of the subjects who have reached the age that they are no longer adults and need someone to care for them. On top of that they feel they no longer can trust the agency that created the secret experiment and has sheltered them all the years that they were getting younger.

I totally enjoyed the book though I felt that there were a few loose ends left in the end. However, the author may be waiting to see if there is a demand for a sequel. I for one hope so.

Turnabout, by Margret Peterson Haddix, is a splendid science fiction novel about a race against time. The two main characters, Amelia and Anny Beth, are extremely old and are offered an experimental medicine that apparently has them start to grow younger instead of older. They are tested and have to live in the lab, but Amelia and Anny Beth decide they don't want to be prisoners in the lab, so they decide to run away. This book goes through all the difficulties of living on their own and keeping their identities private. No one is to know about the experiment they are in, so it makes it difficult for them to live a normal second life. This book, at first, was very confusing but as I figured out who all of the characters were, I could understand the book much easier. I would recommend this book to any reader looking for a wonderful science fiction novel about how you might live a second life. It would be somewhat of a challenge to readers in the 6th grade and below, however I found the book Turnabout to be a very pleasant and fun book.

"Do you want †o be younger?" Two old aged women, Anny Beth and Melly do not have enough time before they leave all their loved ones and enter the Ga†es of heaven. Just in luck doctors wanted †o see if their experiment could turn back the age of us humans. Unfortunitly a li†tle test became an illigle test. Knowing this information both girls ran for help. Now enterin g the year of 2085 the girls who were tested changed into teens. Seems fun a† first but to them is it? As lucky as they are to be young again, the process won't end. Faster and faster †ime has past but their age has decreased rapidly. Will anyone help the girls or will it be to late to ask?

This book at first was hard for me because the entry went form 2000, to the next entry at 2085. Margaret Peterson Haddix did a wonderful job and has a good message. You have one life to live enjoy it as long as you can. You should read Turn About because this book will spreed your way of thinking about life and know that we always have a choice.

I really enjoyed reading the book Turnabout. The idea of being able to age backwards is a really cool concept. This book is well written and exciting enough that you want to read it in one sitting.
The book tells the story of Melly and Anny Beth. They were once 100 years old and on the verge of dying. But thanks to a special experiment, they aged backwards back down to 15, and 18 (their ages now). The book goes between the past, 85 years ago, and the present when Melly and Anny Beth are 15 and 18. When they think that a reporter has figured out who they are, and the agency responsible for their deaginh has turned against them, Melly and Anny Beth are forced to be on the run, a tough thing to do in a future when privacy does not exist.
The only complaint I have about this book would have to be the ending. It does not really reveal much information about what will happen next. But then again, maybe thats what the author wanted.
I would recommend this book to girls ages 12-15.

Love this author, but after the parents abandon Bethany, they seem to disappear. If they are trying to hide her, why put her somewhere she will be recognized? And her parents pretty much robbed someone and betrayed him.

I love this bok. Love the two main characters, the storyline. I just didn't like how it ended. We don't know what happens, which is the point, but it bothered me. I wish there was a part two so badly.

I am quite surprised that a young adult title could be so thought-provoking. It has all the elements of good science fiction- real people faced with a very timely and pressing problem, but set in a time and place where we the readers can view the protagonists as they attempt to find some sort of closure.
The book simultaneously deals with the social problems associated with aging and the perils of the new, improved DNA-based biotechnology. It also presents the old plot device, immortality and the fountain of youth, with skill and originality. Also, I felt the juxtaposition of teen protagonists into such a complicated situation was an excellent touch.
Although I liked both the characters and the premise, I especially liked the ending of the story. A book of this sort would make for a great made-for-TV movie that could be shown on some lazy mid-week afternoon.
In sum, this was a fine effort, based on very real present-day science. I just wish the tale had been a bit longer.

For almost thirteen-year-old Bethany, life has suddenly and unexplicably taken a strange turn. For a girl who has never spent a night away from her parents, she's suddenly hustled into the car by her sad-looking father, subjected to listening to her sobbing mother, and unceremoniously dropped off in the middle of the night in a town she's never heard of, at the home of a woman claiming to be her Aunt Myrlie. Her parents are a lot older than her friend's parents, and Bethany is sure that her parent's siblings are all dead. So who is this woman claiming to be her Aunt, and why has she never heard of her before? Why won't her mother stop crying? Why does her dad seem so eager to get away from the house in Sanderfield? And who the heck is Elizabeth, the name she overheard her father and Myrlie discussing?

All these questions and more are only the tip of the iceberg in Margaret Peterson Haddix's newest novel, a wonderful young adult thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. The twists and turns are unpredictable and unexpected--the conclusion one I never saw coming.

Overall, a great suspensful read for teens and adults alike!

I read this book for my Literature class. It had many different qualities. It was thrilling,sad, enlightening, and thought provoking. I am not one to read suspense. But if there is one thing I like in suspensful books it that some really work your brain, which double identity definitely did. If you get scared easily (like me) don't read this book at night. Overall this is a well-written book for everyone. (Even my mom took it from me and started reading it for half an hour.)

In the year 2000, a group of very elderly people, on the verge of death, are chosen by a team of scientists to participate in a top-secret experiment, Project Turnabout, to make them young again. By 2085, the protagonists, Melly and Amy Beth, have been aging backwards for 85 years, and are now teenagers. They are running out of time, because once they age backwards to zero, they will die, and who will take care of them as they get younger and younger? This novel is a real page-turner, and very thought provoking as well. This book could provide good material for book club discussions on the ethics of science, especially cloning and other controversial subjects.

This book is about two girls, Melly and Anny Beth, who take a shot called PT-1 to make them deage. This book just follows them around and explains what it would be like to "live twice". I gave this book two stars because of how confusing and complicated it was to read. The Chapters are set up to rotate from 2001 to 2085 every other chapter. I also didn't like the end of the book, because there wasn't one. The story just stops and your looking for another page. I did enjoy so of this book, like sometimes they would leave you hanging and you can't put it down. This book would be good for people who like strange fanticy books. I really didn't care for this book but others really did.

Margaret Peterson Haddix did it again. I love her books for one main reason, she presents topics and situations that really get kids thinking. Her books provide an excellent springboard for classroom or small group discussions not just about the book but the subject matter. With this book, the topic was reversal of aging. It has kids thinking not only is this possible but what would they do in that situation? To me this (along with her other books) is a must have book for all classroom libraries.

Margaret Peterson Haddix did a magnificent job on Turnabout. I was holding my breath the whole time I was reading it , waiting for more to happen.

Turnabout is all about a group of people at an old age chosen to receive a dose of PT-1 in Project Turnabout. PT-1 is an unaging experiment only used previously on animals. Now every year these people are growing younger they forget what happened before when they were that age in that previous lifetime. Amelia (Melly) and Mrs Flick (Anny Beth) were in this group, given PT-1 in 2000. Now it's 2085 and Anny Beth and Melly are teenagers trying to survive until they can find someone to take care of them once they get too young. And they are left wondering what will happen once they become babies again...

In this book, the two main characters start out as old ladies and, though the miracles of science, gradually grow younger, instead of older. When they are in their teens, they realize that they will soon have to find someone to take care of them when they get too young to live by themselves. While I found this idea intriguing, the only students I have had read it, found it less so. The story wasn't quite compelling enough to make them care about them. The students have liked Running Out of Time and Among the Hidden better.
Still, if you like exploring the ideas, the book is worthwhile.

Enter Bethany Cole, a seemingly avarage teen girl. Her peaceful, quiet lifestyle is quickly demolished when her parents whisk her away from her home, and to her aunt's house. An Aunt she never knew existed.

As Bethany is dropped off with no way to contact her parents about the strange situation, Bethany must wait. Soon, a strange trip turns into a fast paced and exciting mystery, as Bethany hurries to discover the intention behind her parent's behavior. She is left with no clues other than her father saying, 'getting help for her (bethany's) mother.) and the name of young woman whom Bethany does not know.

The plot thickens when Bethany is sent a mysterious package by her parents, containing four bith certificates.

Bethany then proceeds to, slowly, discover the remaining facts, and, with the help of her Aunt, discovers that the mystery woman is none other than, her sister! Once again, another mystery unfolds. Why did she never hear of her sister? Who are their parents hiding from? And when her mother begins speaking strangely, believing Bethany is her sister, the final plot twist begins to unfold.

The answers to these questions and more can only be found in Margaret Peterson Haddix's thrilling story of Double Identity.

Haddix weaves a brilliant tale in this book. The characters each have well thought out, realistic personalities: No stereotypes or paper-thin characters here. The characters are all deep, and never are out of character. The final twist at the ending (which I will not reveal.) was brilliant, and I was certainly not expecting it. As you read this book, you too will find yourself trying to piece together the mystery, just as Bethany Cole tries. The ending was fitting, and not rushed. Very satisfactory.

The story is incrediblle, as the mystery is finally solved in the end. Fortunately, the story is not open ended, but leaves you the room to wonder how the lives of Bethnay Cole and her family proceed into the future. Which reminds me, the story is set in the near future, around 2011/12 Shocking and surprising, the final twist was...it was wonderful! And, then, you begin to realize why the book was titled the way it was.

The book is in the first person view, which truly brings out the full impact of this book.

Well, that's all I'll reveal. This is a wonderful book for anyone about Grade 5 and up. (Around 11 years old plus) Trust me, anyone looking for a great mystery story will find relief in this awesome book. So, basically, read this book!!

In this book, the two main characters start out as old ladies and, though the miracles of science, gradually grow younger, instead of older. When they are in their teens, they realize that they will soon have to find someone to take care of them when they get too young to live by themselves. While I found this idea intriguing, the only students I have had read it, found it less so. The story wasn't quite compelling enough to make them care about them. The students have liked Running Out of Time and Among the Hidden better.
Still, if you like exploring the ideas, the book is worthwhile.

Enter Bethany Cole, a seemingly avarage teen girl. Her peaceful, quiet lifestyle is quickly demolished when her parents whisk her away from her home, and to her aunt's house. An Aunt she never knew existed.

As Bethany is dropped off with no way to contact her parents about the strange situation, Bethany must wait. Soon, a strange trip turns into a fast paced and exciting mystery, as Bethany hurries to discover the intention behind her parent's behavior. She is left with no clues other than her father saying, 'getting help for her (bethany's) mother.) and the name of young woman whom Bethany does not know.

The plot thickens when Bethany is sent a mysterious package by her parents, containing four bith certificates.

Bethany then proceeds to, slowly, discover the remaining facts, and, with the help of her Aunt, discovers that the mystery woman is none other than, her sister! Once again, another mystery unfolds. Why did she never hear of her sister? Who are their parents hiding from? And when her mother begins speaking strangely, believing Bethany is her sister, the final plot twist begins to unfold.

The answers to these questions and more can only be found in Margaret Peterson Haddix's thrilling story of Double Identity.

Haddix weaves a brilliant tale in this book. The characters each have well thought out, realistic personalities: No stereotypes or paper-thin characters here. The characters are all deep, and never are out of character. The final twist at the ending (which I will not reveal.) was brilliant, and I was certainly not expecting it. As you read this book, you too will find yourself trying to piece together the mystery, just as Bethany Cole tries. The ending was fitting, and not rushed. Very satisfactory.

The story is incrediblle, as the mystery is finally solved in the end. Fortunately, the story is not open ended, but leaves you the room to wonder how the lives of Bethnay Cole and her family proceed into the future. Which reminds me, the story is set in the near future, around 2011/12 Shocking and surprising, the final twist was...it was wonderful! And, then, you begin to realize why the book was titled the way it was.

The book is in the first person view, which truly brings out the full impact of this book.

Well, that's all I'll reveal. This is a wonderful book for anyone about Grade 5 and up. (Around 11 years old plus) Trust me, anyone looking for a great mystery story will find relief in this awesome book. So, basically, read this book!!

This book was great! I really enbjoyed the suspense and the feeling of the book. I felt like I could really relate to this story and the characters in it. The book Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix is about 2 women, Melly and Anny Beth who were both involved in Project Turnabout since they were in their 100's. After the first 6 years of keeping the aging project secret Melly was fed up with the agency and her and Anny Beth decided to go and live on their own. They succeeded indefinitely but when they got to be about 16 and 18 they ran into some problems. They knew now that in a few years they would need a guardian and to make matters even worse they had gotten an email from a mysterious relative of Melly's who was apparently looking for her! What will they do next...if you'd like to find out read this amazing survial/science fiction book!

Turnabout was a marvelous story. In the year 2000, these elderly ladies named Melly and Anny Beth were getting ready to die. At the same time they were being offered a chance to be young again, by having injections given by the top- secret experiment called project turnabout. As the year goes on they became young. Melly and Anny Beth was the only two that was likely to survive this project turnabout. Some other people that participate either died or suicide. By the time they were teenagers, they had to find parents to take care of them, before they become a baby and die.

Turnabout
By: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Reviewed By: Z. Mungra
P. 1
The book Turnabout, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is about two main people that unage. The book starts off with two very old grandmothers-Amelia Hazelwood and Anny Beth Flick. Both of them are entered in an unaging process called Project Turnabout. With another 48 people, they are injected with PT-1 which is a medication that will make them gradually unage. Melly (Amelia Hazelwood) starts to worry about what will happen to her when she goes back to zero. Therefore, she tries to find a guardian for her and Anny Beth. PT-1 is an illegal medication that was given to the 50 people; therefore, it is important to keep Project Turnabout secret. While Melly was looking for a guardian, someone was looking for her. An email showed up in her mailbox that showed that someone was searching for her. From there on, for one whole life, Melly and Anny Beth were trying to runaway from the mysterious reporter that was after them. However, at the end, they find out that the reporter is actually the only one that they can trust and tell their story to. After Melly and Anny Beth confess their life, they start living with A.J. Hazelwood (reporter) -a good life.
One of the reasons that I liked this book was that the author made it so interesting. At the end of every chapter, she would put a sentence or two that would just make you want to read on and see what would happen next. For example, at the end of the book, I was looking for and ending, instead I got a sentence that left my mind hanging. I was even wondering if there was a sequel to the book. She just leaves your mind wondering what happens next. To prove it to you, this is the last sentence of the book, "For an answer Melly took off running, wind in her hair, pulse pounding in her ears, a clear path ahead of her. Clear at least, until the next bend in the road."
Another reason that I like this book is because it has a very good storyline. I thought that Turnabout was a very unique book. I mean - I've never read a book like it before. "It isn't natural for you to be younger than your great-grandchildren. We messed around with nature, and we shouldn't have." This quote shows the theme of the story and how unique it is.
My favorite part of the book was when Anny Beth and Melly went to A.J.'s house and confessed the whole story to her. I like that part because it actually made sense and everything came together. Information that Anny Beth and Melly knew came together with what A.J. knew. That was a satisfying part of the book. My least favorite part of the book was the beginning. The beginning was totally confusing to me. I didn't know what the author was talking about whatsoever. First the author introduced Melly, and then Amelia Hazelwood, and then Anny Beth. As far as I knew, I thought they were all the same people. If I were to recommend the author something, I would say that she fixed the beginning to make it understandable.

I just finished reading "Double Identity" for the second time, and I realize that I probably read it too fast the first time around. I noticed so much more this time--a sure sign of a good book.

I love the way Bethany struggles to find her place in the world. How she teeter-totters between a normal child's desire to be protected, and a teen's wish to be her own person. How she discovers the need to come to terms with her parent's imperfections, and how she matures enough to recognize her own shortcomings.

I wonder what I'll find when I re-read it a third time?

Turnabout will turn your life around! This is a story about two old ladies, Amelia and Anny Beth, and 49 other people that go into Project Turnabout. This project makes the people grow younger. Amelia is now Melly and her and Anny Beth are trying to survive and get help. I would rate this book a 5 because it is interesting and has a cool plot. It's intersesting to see what would happen if you were getting younger instead of older. This book wil be enjoyed by anyone who likes science fiction books. I hope everyone reads this life threatening story and enjoys it.

When I first started reading this book, I was confused. But after looking at dates on pages, the story seemed clearer. It's a wonderful story about and 100-year-old woman given a chance to unage and live life again. She is told by doctors she can stop at any time and stay the age she's at forever. But when the cure for that fails, she is stuck unaging forever instead. Nobody knows when she and her friend reach 0 if they'll simply disappear, start re-aging, or stay an infant forever. Overall this is a spectacular story! I recommend this to everybody!

Turnabout was a great book. It was about this group of elderly people who are in this experiment to reverse aging. They have to start new lives and leave their old behind. Two woman, Melly and Anny Beth leave the agency and live normal lives (with the exception of running away from the truth). The project is supposed to be secret but someone knows too much. The girls eventually get into thier teens and they have to find someone to take care of them when they get younger. This person has to keep the secret. Read the book to find out what happens next. This is a REALLY good book. I read it in 2 days and couldn't put it down. I highly reccommend this book to people of all ages!

Turnabout By: Margaret Haddix
Always make sure you know what you are signing because you may be signing your life away! In Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix, residents at a home for the elderly could have used this advice when they signed a paper agreeing to participate in a new study. Upon signing up, they received an injection that would cause their internal clocks to tick backwards, making them grow younger instead of older. This story follows two girls and tells of the problems they face in society as they get younger and younger. The book starts off in the present, but jumps to eighty-five years later soon after. The two main characters are faced with many problems. How can you explain to your husband why you are getting younger when he is still getting older? The home for the elderly is able to track the two girls anyplace that they go by using the new advancements that they have with computers. But, there is another curve thrown into the road when the girls discover that there is a newspaper reporter searching for them. Fearing for their lives they cut themselves off from society and fend for themselves in the woods. This was a quick read that really kept me on my toes until the very last page. I normally don't enjoy science-fiction novels because they tend to be too futuristic and not realistic at all, but in Turnabout it was more like a realistic fiction with a small scientific element. I could not put this book down because on every page there was a new problem and more questions that needed to be resolved. My only regret about this book is that there is no definite ending. Even after I finished the last sentence, there was no real resolution. I was left hanging with tons of unanswered questions. But, maybe it is better that way because it was up to me to determine what happens and to make the book end in whatever way I chose. I didn't feel that this book was as strong as Margaret's first book, Among the Hidden. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is a little confusing in the beginning, but once I got into it things ironed themselves out. If you want to try a book with a topic that hasn't been done before, I highly recommend Turnabout!

Turnabout is a future that might possibly soon come to be. An old lady, soon to pass, signs a contract for a strange top-secret project with her friend. She comes to find herself de-aging. This story centers around her life at 2-3 different times, when the progect 1st started, in her early to late 40's, and presently in her young teens.
It was an exccelent read because it provided a strange amount of details, difficult to describe, because throughout the book you have a sence of mystery. Its amazing, deffinatly another hit for Margaret Peterson Haddix.
The only thing that stopped me from giving it the full five is, even though it tells you when it switches time periods, its a little hard to follow. But besides that, I recommend it to most anyone.

this book tells about a science experiment that if you get a shot you become younger but if you take the number 2 shot you die. margaret peterson did a great job with this and many other books. i recomend you to read them all

Turnabout
By:Margaret Peterson Haddix
Reviewed by:K. Shimamoto
Period:1
This book is about two very old women named Amelia and Anny Beth. In the year of 2000 they are both living in a nursing home. They are much too old to take care of themselves. The doctors and nurses there are testing a new formula called PT-1, which they think is supposed to unage the very elderly men and women in the home. Instead of getting older they would each year get younger, just by getting an injection of formula. Both, Amelia and Anny Beth take the risk of trying out PT-1, they get younger each year and they try to adjust to all the new technology and fashion. The doctors can't stop the unaging, and both women decide they will need a parent to take care of them. In the end they stop worrying about everything so much, and decide to make the most of the time they have left.
I liked this book becuase, the main idea of it was very interesting. I think unaging would be pretty exciting, but like in the story it would have major consequences. The character I liked the most was Anny Beth, she usually always had something sarcastic to say, or she would give comic relief in tense situations, for example,she said,"And now- now when I really need to lie and break promises- I'm stuck with the only moral person in this dang century."
I disliked this book because, some of it was a little confusing at times. All the switching around of years was probably the most confusing. You really don't know what happens at the end either, it simply ends like this,"Clear at last, until the next bend in the road."
My favorite part of the book was, when Amelia finds out about one of her relatives. Her name is A.J. Hazelwood, she'd been trying to contact Amelia before, but Amelia couldn't answer back in case she blew her cover of "Melly". I like this part because it's pretty exciting and you find out a lot about the charaters in the section of this story. This book overall in my opinion was pretty good.

Bethany starts to wonder what is going on when her parents dump her at her aunt's place, with numerous fake I.D.'s. She and her family seem to be being tracked, but she doesn't know why. With quite a bit of investigation she finally uncovers the truth: she is an illegal clone and her parents have been raising her as the daughter they have lost. An enjoyable book, and I did not guess at all the turns the plot would take.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading science fiction. Though may be confusing for younger kids. It was interesting and freaky to see what was happening in Amelia and Anny Beth's futuristic world. I also thought it was exciting to find out how the book ended. I wondered what decisions Melly and Anny Beth would have to make next, and how they would find purpose in their second life. It was a clever interesting and well written book.

"Turnabout" is a great text. This text is filled with non-stop suspense combined with humor. With each turn of the page you are wondering what could possibly happen next. Throughout this text the reader is able to watch the main characters "unage." This unaging process spans over 85 years. The reader is allowed to watch the main characters struggle with the issue of getting younger and wondering who will care for them when they will no longer be able to care for themselves. It's a clever story line that leaves the readers questioning their own moral stance on the issue of medical experiments using human guinea pigs. This narrative was written for teen-agers enjoyment, however, as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm sure my parents and grandparents would also enjoy it. The timeline in this text uses a series of flashbacks to tell the story. This technique is confusing at first, but I think it was the best choice for Haddix to tell this exciting and fascinating tale. I recommend this book to everyone.

this is 1 of margaret petersons best books about a girl named bethany who looks completaly the same as her dead sister elizabeth. it is a book that absorbs you and makes you want to read on. thrust me its thrilling

Two old women are choosen to be in project turnabout, which is a project to make people younger, but there is something wrong with it. Everyone in the project is loosing their memories with every year that passes. One man wants to stop becoming younger at 75, so he takes the injection, and dies from an allergic reaction. He disintigrates. The girls run. They hide, they can't tell anyone about their secret, and have been in hiding for many years. Now, at age 15, Melly and her friend Anny Beth, are about to be discovered.
Turnabout is just about the best book i've raed for a very long while. I have never seen anything like it. Margaret Peterson Haddix is a fabulous writer, with great ideas. She is my favorite author, and has outdone herelf with this book! You'll love this book, if you decide to read it. I couldn't put it down!