Book Review: Double Take by Melody Carlson

Double Take by Melody Carlson

Publisher: Revell

Publish Date: June 1, 2011

Paperback, 273 pages
Young Adult
ISBN: 978-0800719647

My Review:
Why I read this:  I am a huge Melody Carlson fan so I read everything she writes.


My thoughts: The concept of Double Take is really fun.  There have been other books where kids which places but I'm pretty sure there has never been one where a Manhatten rich girl switches with a Amish girl.

Double Take is a really cute story with a good lesson in the end and really throughout the book.  Madison is unhappy with her life, with the constant pull of her mom, her dad, her boyfriend and her best friend, she really just feels like she wants a simpler life and often feels like she was born in the wrong time period.  Anna likes her life, sure it's simple and it's hard work, but she loves her family and she loves God.  The only problem she really has is the boy she loves has left her Amish community during his Rumspringa with the threat to never come back and has headed to New York City where he is sure his destiny is.  Anna is sure Jacob is her destiny and when her family starts making statements about her marrying another boy in the community and she's about to be shipped off to her Aunt Rachel's more strict Amish community for a few weeks it was like an act of God brought Madison into her life.  When Madison runs into Anna in the coffee shop and sees the resemblance and talks Anna into her crazy switch-a-roo plan the story really takes off.   

I loved getting to know each character in an environment that they were not use to.  I think it actually told more about the character to show them in different environment.  It showed how they were willing to change and how they were willing to learn about the others' lifestyle and take what they learned and employ it into their own life.  So many lessons learned and in so many fun ways.  I just loved this book and could not put it down.  It was just plain fun with a good morals thrown in to boot.

Melody Carlson never ceases to amaze me how she can write so many books and relate so well to teenagers.  I think she has hit another homerun with Double Take and I highly recommend it to teenagers and adults alike!

My Rating: 4.75/5.0

About the Book:

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 Bronner 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.

Readers will love this funny and provocative tale of switching places from bestselling author Melody Carlson. As they get a glimpse into two very different worlds, they may find themselves happy to be just who they are, where they are.

Available June 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

About the Author:

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than 200 books, including Just Another Girl and Anything but Normal. She recently was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her many books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series and Finding Alice. Melody and her husband live in Oregon.
 
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Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.