 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
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 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Stranger With My Face
- By Lois Duncan
- Genre: Mystery
Common Sense Media says
OK read. Teens may love the supernatural elements.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that some inconsistent plot elements and a narrator whose voice sounds a little too wise for her years can't distract from a fascinating study of psychic phenomenon.
What's the story?
Sixteen-year-old Laurie finally has it made: She has a handsome boyfriend and a popular group of friends. Things start to fall apart, though, when Laurie's boyfriend swears he saw Laurie meeting another boy, even though Laurie was home sick.
Other unexplained sightings convince Laurie that she has a double, and when the mysterious figure claims to be her twin sister, Laurie investigates. Laurie discovers that she was adopted at birth, although her sister Lia was not. Instead, Lia bounced from foster home to foster home, growing more bitter--and more dangerous.
Now, although her body is confined, Lia visits Laurie through astral projection. When Laurie's friends start to get hurt, Laurie suspects Lia's trying to take over her life. Will Laurie embrace her newfound sister, or will she protect her adoptive family?
Is it any good?
STRANGER WITH MY FACE isn't a mystery in the classic sense; as soon as Laurie's friend, Helen, is discovered battered and abandoned, the reader knows Laurie's double is responsible. The real mystery of the story, though, is which path Laurie will choose: Will she explore her psychic powers and her past, or will she embrace the present and defend her family?
As intriguing as this question becomes, and as menacing a figure as Lia is, these elements of the novel are almost secondary to the exploration of astral projection that's at the heart of the story. Duncan makes out-of-body travel seem so commonplace that even the most literal-minded readers might lose some of their skepticism. In fact, most readers will be so absorbed by these supernatural elements that they'll overlook many of the book's inconsistencies. Laurie tells us this story at age 17, only a year after the events described, but her voice often sounds more middle-age than teenage -- she repeatedly refers to her younger siblings as "the children," for example.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about the supernatural elements of the story.
Do you think people really can have psychic powers?
What do you think of the notion of out-of-body travel?
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- Teens & kids
Teen, 15 years old
August 20, 2009
AGE
Love it!!!
It was very good. A little predictable, but maybe that was just me. It might be more of a girl book, bc it is about a girl and itsn't as gory/horror as boys might think it would be. That's what my brother said anyways. Do read, its brilliant!!
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Kid, 12 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
This was a pretty good book! I would probably recommend...
Laurie was at home, but her boyfriend swears he saw her on the beach with another guy. And now her family insists they see her coming and going when she's been out of the house for hours. But how can she be in two places at one time? Who-or what-is trying to take over Laurie's life? It's up to her to figure it out...before it's too late.
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Kid, 10 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
~ Did A Book Report On it ~
I loved it. And would reccomend it.
very simple read
Laurie's boyfriend and family swears they see her in many places at once.
How can this be happening when Laurie knows she wasnt there?? As it goes she learns about her history future and her background.
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Teen, 13 years old
October 15, 2010
AGE
I Loved It!
I really liked this book. I thought it was very supenseful. I got it at school and I thought it was very appropriate.
What other families should know:
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Teen, 17 years old
August 18, 2009
AGE
awsome book ever!!!
i love the book done read it 5 times and i loved rhe movie done seen it at lees 3 times.
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Teen, 16 years old
January 28, 2010
AGE
good, educational , but predictable.
i did enjoy this book , but once laurie & jeff both ended up in stuck in the rocks the book turned corny & predictible. & i also didnt like how she got her body back it the end, i mean yeah i wanted her to get her body back & i knew she was going to but i just didnt like the way it happened. but overall it was good & i'd say it was educational .
What other families should know:
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Teen, 14 years old
September 7, 2009
AGE
Amazing Novel (:
This book is amazing. It was so good in detail and the whole body transformation thing is totally interesting. We kids need exciting things like this, and like in all of the other Lois Duncan books, to help us keep reading. They're more exciting then most books. It's even better when you can see it made into a lifetime movie!
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Teen, 15 years old
October 23, 2011
AGE
Not read book but watching movie.
I haven't read the book but I am in fact watching the movie right now. It's really good so far! The only language I've heard is "payback is a b*tch". But it's my type of movie. (:
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| Author: | Lois Duncan |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Mystery |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1981 |
| Number of pages: | 235 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 - 14 |
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