Erik Ganger and twins Sadie and Saskia Dopple just know something sneaky is going on at the Isambard Dunstan's School for Wayward Children. When they're not being mischievous and pulling practical jokes on the other students, they're busy detecting and discovering- or being discovered. Full of crazy characters and frequent peril, The Dopple Ganger Chronicles: The Secret of Indigo Moon is unlike any book I've come across before. A combination of a children's novel and a comic book, this book is visually stunning. The quality of the hardcover and the thickness of the pages are impressive. The art and comics are well drawn. The creativity used in the fonts and colors is notable. Alternating the black and white in backgrounds and lettering is striking. I liked it from the moment I set eyes on it and surprisingly, so did my twelve year old reluctant reader.
I've had this book awaiting review for quite awhile, as he scooped it up and disappeared with it until he'd devoured the entire thing. I have children who are book worms and can often be found lost in a story of other lands and peoples. He is not one of these. The only books he reads are the ones assigned to him by me for school purposes. So you can imagine how thrilled I was that he was caught up in this book from the beginning.
"Oh, you like that book?" I'd ask. "No." He'd reply, his eyes glued to the page. "Okay, then let me see it so I can read it for my review." No response until I raised my eyebrows and repeated the request. "Er...uh...yeah...well, maybe it's okay. Can I just read it a few more minutes?" He mumbled, not wanting to give up the book or admit that...gasp...he actually wanted to read.
The Secret of Indigo Moon is the second installment in The Dopple Ganger Chronicles. When he finished the book he asked if I'd order the first one for him. "Oh, so you did like it?" I asked. "It was okay, for a book." He gave me a half-grin, "So how soon can we get the first one?" High praise from a very reluctant reader.
Once he had finished, I sat down to read it myself. I loved the art and the style of the book but found the story to be just so-so. It didn't hold a lot of excitement for me, and wouldn't be something I'd read aloud to my kids, but it certainly caught my son's attention. Due to the dark beauty of the book and the response of my son, I would recommend this despite my personal disinterest in the storyline. After all, it wasn't written for the thirty-something mom but for the tween to young teen. And for my tween-it was a definite hit.
The Secret of Indigo Moon is available for a list price of $19.99 at your favorite local or online bookstore. If you'd like the first in the series, the title is The First Escape.
*Disclosure: Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.*
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