The Book Stops Here: Double Take by Melody Carlson

It's spring break of her senior year and Madison Van Buren is fed up. Stressed over Ivy League pressure, her parents' marital problems, and her boyfriend's neglect, Madison gets in her car and drives west. Meanwhile, eighteen-year-old Anna Fisher wants to escape the so-called simple life--which for her consists of caring for younger siblings, sewing, cooking, and gardening--and she's well aware that her future will simply be more of the same with a man she doesn't love. Suddenly, worlds collide when Madison and Anna meet in a small town, realize they look uncannily similar, and decide the grass is definitely greener on the other side.

MY THOUGHTS:

Remember the movie The Parent Trap? Loved that movie. Watching it as a girl, I remember wishing I had a twin somewhere so I could trade places. Not forever, just for a while. I've watched a few copycat movies over the years (It Takes Two with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen comes to mind) and have always been intrigued at the possibility of two look-alike people (not necessarily twins) trading identities. There is something exciting about the thought of it. Could be just the author in me.

Along comes Double Take, a young adult novel by Melody Carlson. Only this story comes with a twist. Madison VanBuren, a rich city girl, and Anna Fisher, a simple Amish girl, do the switching, each having her own personal reasons for wanting to experience another way of life.

I can definitely see this book as a movie. With the rage of Amish books right now, it would be the perfect time to do it. I'm not offering my a lengthy review here. A full review will be posted on www.faithfulreader.com in mid-July, which I'll be sure to remind you of. But I will say Double Take was a light and fun read and held my interest just as much as The Parent Trap did all those years ago. By book's end, both Madison and Anna have grown up and take away a nice lesson from their experience.

As always, Melody Carlson has written a poignant book for teens. Nothing heavy, just a nice light read with a good message.

If you love switching-places stories, you won't be disappointed with Double Take.

Looking forward to sharing my full review in a few weeks!



*Double Take is available June 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.*


Thanks to Revell for providing me with a copy of this book to review. A positive review was not required and all thoughts are my own.
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Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, THE CHRISTMAS BUS. She also writes many teen books, including JUST ANOTHER GIRL, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon. Visit Melody's website at www.melodycarlson.com.