What do you think?
Rate this book
The Twinning Project
Tom is a smart, talented loner with a chip on his shoulder and a big secret: an imaginary twin on another planet. Eddie is Tom's opposite, a friendly, athletic kid who always looks on the good side. Tom worries sometimes: does confiding in Eddie mean he's nuts? The truth is even crazier than that. Eddie and his planet are just as real as Tom and his Earth, but fifty-some years in the past. And the twins are caught up in an alien master plan that might just mean Earth—both Earths—will be destroyed. Switching places and identities, "slipping" between planets and across decades, a desperate escape, and the unraveling of deeper secrets leave Tom and Eddie aware of the danger they're facing and the tools they can use to overcome it.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
April 28, 2015
Multiverses are something I like to read about, especially if they contain the same person in multiple worlds, only slightly different. Think "Interworld" or Diana Wynne Jones.
Sadly, "The Twinning Project" is one of the lesser novels of this type, trading in an interesting idea for stereotypical characters and poorly-explained enemies. Moreover, Robert Lipsyte's writing feels oddly choppy and flat, and he seems to spend most of the book bouncing merrily between perspectives rather than fleshing out any one character.
Tom Canty (like the illustrator?) is your average rebellious teen -- problems at school, musical abilities, fighting, traumatic backstory, etc. He also has an imaginary friend, which most people have stopped doing by that age. Eddie is basically an idealized version of Tom: the same person, but a popular jock from a 1950s society.
Except it turns out that Eddie isn't actually imaginary. He's a real "twin" from a parallel version of Earth, and they are connected telepathically. But they share something other than a face and an identity -- hostile aliens are infiltrating both their worlds, and they must band together to save both their Earths from... well, the hostile aliens.
I started feeling apprehensive when the descriptions of Tom began to pop up, and that feeling grew as we also encountered Eddie. This is a book that rests its characters entirely on stereotypes -- we have the popular athletic jock and the dark James Dean-with-a-guitar rebel as our lead characters. And sadly, they are the best fleshed-out in the whole shebang.
To be fair, the concept behind the novel is a pretty interesting one, especially given that two identical people have ended up living in non-parallel times. Moreover, the handling of the two boys in each other's worlds has some intriguing layers.
But Robert Lipsyte's writing isn't really up to the task -- his prose is flat and rather bare-bones, almost like a script at times rather than a novel. The choppy short chapters leave you feeling whiplashed whenever they end, especially since the perspective often changes with each one. It's like a kid with ADD wrote this book.
And he dodges handling some of the big questions in the story, like exploring the aliens' natures and how they manage to attack BOTH worlds instead of just one. That isn't something you should do with your villains, ever. To be a plausible threat, they need depth.
"The Twinning Project" has some nice moments and a good concept, but dismal execution with flat writing and stereotypical lead characters. Give it a pass, and read "Interworld" instead.
Sadly, "The Twinning Project" is one of the lesser novels of this type, trading in an interesting idea for stereotypical characters and poorly-explained enemies. Moreover, Robert Lipsyte's writing feels oddly choppy and flat, and he seems to spend most of the book bouncing merrily between perspectives rather than fleshing out any one character.
Tom Canty (like the illustrator?) is your average rebellious teen -- problems at school, musical abilities, fighting, traumatic backstory, etc. He also has an imaginary friend, which most people have stopped doing by that age. Eddie is basically an idealized version of Tom: the same person, but a popular jock from a 1950s society.
Except it turns out that Eddie isn't actually imaginary. He's a real "twin" from a parallel version of Earth, and they are connected telepathically. But they share something other than a face and an identity -- hostile aliens are infiltrating both their worlds, and they must band together to save both their Earths from... well, the hostile aliens.
I started feeling apprehensive when the descriptions of Tom began to pop up, and that feeling grew as we also encountered Eddie. This is a book that rests its characters entirely on stereotypes -- we have the popular athletic jock and the dark James Dean-with-a-guitar rebel as our lead characters. And sadly, they are the best fleshed-out in the whole shebang.
To be fair, the concept behind the novel is a pretty interesting one, especially given that two identical people have ended up living in non-parallel times. Moreover, the handling of the two boys in each other's worlds has some intriguing layers.
But Robert Lipsyte's writing isn't really up to the task -- his prose is flat and rather bare-bones, almost like a script at times rather than a novel. The choppy short chapters leave you feeling whiplashed whenever they end, especially since the perspective often changes with each one. It's like a kid with ADD wrote this book.
And he dodges handling some of the big questions in the story, like exploring the aliens' natures and how they manage to attack BOTH worlds instead of just one. That isn't something you should do with your villains, ever. To be a plausible threat, they need depth.
"The Twinning Project" has some nice moments and a good concept, but dismal execution with flat writing and stereotypical lead characters. Give it a pass, and read "Interworld" instead.
August 12, 2016
7th grader Tom is a kid with attitude, ever since his father vanished. A tech-head with zero tolerance for bullies, he keeps getting expelled when he takes his clever revenges. What Tom never tells anyone is that he's mentally in touch with his twin, Eddie, who lives on EarthTwo, an alternate Earth that's 50 years behind Tom's Earth. Eddie, in 1957, is a stand-up nice guy, captain of the football team and everyone's friend--pretty much Tom's opposite. When the two have to switch places to try to foil the aliens' attempt to destroy both Earths, and then their friends get involved, things start to get a little complicated...
This plot is straight out of a 1950s B movie, which I think was the intention. It's ludicrous, though inspired by Mark Twain's 'Prince and the Pauper' and 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.' There was a lot that l liked here. It's light, but you still care about the characters, and the characters have depth and personality. There's a lot of detail in both 2011 and 1957 that builds up each world. Kids will enjoy all the action, games, revenge, tech toys, the promise of a sequel, and so forth. There were other things I didn't like so much. The plot is full of holes, for one thing; it's never really explained why the two boys switching roles will be of any help in thwarting the aliens; to me it seems more like waving your hand and shouting, "Look! I know there are two Earths and that something is going on!", especially since both boys are being 'monitored' by human-looking aliens. Then after the adventure, how is it safe for them just to resume their normal lives? The aliens totally know where they are, and know they mean trouble. Didn't buy it. I also thought there was some subtle and not-so-subtle prejudice going on. Clearly the author thinks 1957 was a much better year and world than 2011, and that to save the Earth, we should go back to 1957 ways. I was also bothered by the fact that the best compliment the boys could think up for Alessa is, "She's not so fat," which then equates 'fat' with 'ugly, useless, dumb,' etc. So, silly book that kids will probably enjoy, but has some issues.
This plot is straight out of a 1950s B movie, which I think was the intention. It's ludicrous, though inspired by Mark Twain's 'Prince and the Pauper' and 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.' There was a lot that l liked here. It's light, but you still care about the characters, and the characters have depth and personality. There's a lot of detail in both 2011 and 1957 that builds up each world. Kids will enjoy all the action, games, revenge, tech toys, the promise of a sequel, and so forth. There were other things I didn't like so much. The plot is full of holes, for one thing; it's never really explained why the two boys switching roles will be of any help in thwarting the aliens; to me it seems more like waving your hand and shouting, "Look! I know there are two Earths and that something is going on!", especially since both boys are being 'monitored' by human-looking aliens. Then after the adventure, how is it safe for them just to resume their normal lives? The aliens totally know where they are, and know they mean trouble. Didn't buy it. I also thought there was some subtle and not-so-subtle prejudice going on. Clearly the author thinks 1957 was a much better year and world than 2011, and that to save the Earth, we should go back to 1957 ways. I was also bothered by the fact that the best compliment the boys could think up for Alessa is, "She's not so fat," which then equates 'fat' with 'ugly, useless, dumb,' etc. So, silly book that kids will probably enjoy, but has some issues.
September 17, 2018
The Twinning Project, by Robert Lipsyte, is a science fiction book about a boy named Tom, Who believes he has an imaginary twin on another planet. Tom is very smart, and seems to love engineering, but can be mean. His twin, Eddie, is very athletic, outgoing, and kind. His grandpa was a rebel against an alien organization who created two Earths to live on for a short time, and see how the life develops. Tom’s Earth is based in present time, and Eddie’s Earth takes place in the 50’s. Since the alien research project was complete, they planned on destroying the two planets. Tom then finds out about this plan from his grandpa, Who then allows him to swap places with Eddie, And they all three worked together to take down the aliens before they could evacuate and destroy the planets. After discovering the aliens, capturing, then killing them, Tom and Eddie unite on one planet and live together as a family. I really enjoyed this book, a lot of it kept me on the edge of my seat, excited to read more. A lot of the book I really enjoyed, but beginning parts were a lot to take in, and could be confusing. For example, Eddie and Tom would communicate using telepathy, and it also took me a while to figure out the time difference between the two characters. Once I did understand everything, the book became very enjoyable and I really got into it. I would definitely recommend this book to any science-fiction lover.
January 30, 2019
Pretty decent sci-fi that takes place on two Earths 50+ years apart. The main characters are twin boys who discover a connection between them and then travel to each other's Earth to try to find their dad and stop the bad guys.
August 18, 2017
Middle grade
September 27, 2018
The The Twinning Project, by Robert Lipsyte is a science fiction story about a boy named Tom. Tom believes that he has an imaginary twin, named Eddie, on another planet. Eddie’s planet, Earth 2, is fifty years behind Earth. Tom and Eddie were born only one minute apart. Eddie is the popular kid at school, he is an athlete, and he is very kind. Tom on the other hand, is almost the complete opposite. Tom is smart, not into athletics, and he can sometimes be mean. Tom’s father disappeared two years earlier, so he is presumed dead. Tom is struggling with school, and has been kicked out of multiple middle schools for being “a bully.” He speaks to Eddie telepathically, but he hears him better when they speak at night when the stars are out. The aliens that created Earth 2 created it as an experiment to see what happened to Earth and what they could change. The only problem is, the humans keep messing up their planets by spreading diseases, causing wars, etc. The aliens want to end the project because of this. They want to blow up one of the Earths. Tom and Eddie have to switch planets to prevent the aliens from stopping the project.
I liked this book because it was interesting and creative. The characters are developed well and the storyline was unlike any other science fiction book. There was one part that was confusing; in the beginning of the book it was really hard to tell who was speaking because it didn’t say their names that much. However, this confusion cleared up and the story was really enjoyable. Overall, I give this a 4-star rating and I definitely think you should read this book if you are into science fiction.
I liked this book because it was interesting and creative. The characters are developed well and the storyline was unlike any other science fiction book. There was one part that was confusing; in the beginning of the book it was really hard to tell who was speaking because it didn’t say their names that much. However, this confusion cleared up and the story was really enjoyable. Overall, I give this a 4-star rating and I definitely think you should read this book if you are into science fiction.
November 6, 2016
"The Twinning Project" is on my favorites shelf because of how interesting Robert Lipsyte has made this book. Twins, Tom and Eddie, were born one minute apart and are living on two different planets, Earth for Tom and EarthTwo for Eddie. EarthTwo is at least 50 years behind Earth, but Tom and Eddie still talk through their minds. This chapter book is an easy read for the intermediate grades, and with it being a science fiction book, students would be able to read this book quickly and get caught up in the story just as I had started to.
When it comes to taking this book into the classroom, students can use this for their daily reading and for even using it for strategies such as questioning and learning how to summarize. This book could also be read by middle grades at the beginning of the year when they have just came back from summer vacation. Students could also read this book and then write a paper about how they think it would be if they had a twin who was living on a different planet. This book opens the minds of the students and it definitely is one that will catch their attention right from the first page!
When it comes to taking this book into the classroom, students can use this for their daily reading and for even using it for strategies such as questioning and learning how to summarize. This book could also be read by middle grades at the beginning of the year when they have just came back from summer vacation. Students could also read this book and then write a paper about how they think it would be if they had a twin who was living on a different planet. This book opens the minds of the students and it definitely is one that will catch their attention right from the first page!
July 23, 2013
Tom is a middle schooler with a huge chip on his shoulder. Nearmont is the third middle school he has attended in less than two years. His father, presumed dead, disappeared two years ago. His grandfather, and only friend, is senile. His mom, a pharmaceutical rep, is always traveling. Tom can't stay out of trouble. While he seems to want to rid the world of bullies, he is one himself. He's not too likable despite the fact that you want to like him because of his troubles. He's smart and plays the violin like a virtuoso but these don't earn him any brownie points with teachers because of his wretched personality. The summer his dad disappeared, Tom invented an imaginary twin, Eddie, who is his complementary counterpart; kind, polite, and nice to Tom's bristle and sharpness. Eddie is well liked and athletic. And he lives on another version of planet Earth where it is currently 1957. Tom finds comfort in his imaginary conversations with Eddie. Turns out Eddie is NOT imaginary. Alien scientists created two Earths as an experiment, hence the title of the book. One is fifty years younger than the other. (Mind you, there is no other difference, only the 50 year time delay. Everything happens in 1957 on earth2 exactly the way it happened on earth1, so what is the point of the experiment even though grandpa says the idea was to keep track of their evolution, see what went well and what didn't, and make changes whenever necessary?) But the experiment isn't working because humans are messing up their planets, poisoning the water and air, dropping bombs on each other, and letting kids get diseases that could be wiped out. The aliens are thinking seriously about blowing up one or even both planets. Grandpa and Dad are rogue rebel aliens who want to save the earths. Grandpa isn't really senile and Dad isn't really dead, these are just their cover stories so they can continue their rebel work. For some inexplicable reason, Tom and Eddie must change places. The aliens are looking for Tom and Eddie presumably to find their dad and grandpa to squash the rebellion. If it sounds confusing, it is. At first, I was sure that the twin was imaginary, invented to give comfort and assurance to a young man grieving the loss of his father and the family he loved although Tom's metacognitive awareness of this invention was implausible. However, given that this appears to be the first of a series, I am forced to conclude it is not a conceit. It is supposed to be real. You are supposed to buy into the twinning project. "I don't get it a hundred percent, either." (p. 257) I didn't accept the premise, didn't like the characters, and I didn't like the writing. I also found some of the author's writing and characterization offensive. I'm giving it 2 stars because there's a slim chance that some reluctant readers may like it.
July 26, 2016
Tom and Eddie are twins separated by 50 years and different planets. Tom's life in 2011 is one of getting kicked out of multiple middle schools for being difficult. He plays the violin well and loves neat little techie gadgets---especially if they explode. Eddie is his complete opposite: a sports player, friendly to a fault, focused on teamwork. But when an alien plot threatens them both, they'll have to learn to live in each other's worlds.
I liked this, but the plot could at times be a bit of a mess. Tom amused me. He's got a way of saying things that sets people off, refuses to follow stupid orders, and has a well-earned reputation as a troublemaker. His stockpile of little gadgets in particular was excellent (although I was confused by the invisibility cloak---this IS 2011 and not some future time, and as far as I know that's still future tech, which Tom appears to have ordered online and not built himself). Eddie I can respect, although his willingness to believe the best of people lets others take advantage of him.
I was confused at why they had to switch places, though. Tom's got no purpose in the past. Eddie's stunt with the no-tech day in the future felt way overblown. Putting him on TV? Seriously? And what, exactly, are they supposed to be rebels against? It feels like the real villain is set up to be global warming, poverty, and hunger (although I do not argue against the last two, I roll my eyes that global warming is ranked as a crisis. But thankfully it's just mentioned in passing and not a major plot driver). Why the aliens are so keen on getting the person they're after is brushed off as "He's a rebel." It would've been really nice to get at least a hint at what he actually did, other than disagreeing about the plan to destroy the Earths (because he never says the government is totalitarian enough to make disagreement a crime).
The more interesting things about the actual aliens creating planets and so forth doesn't get fleshed out at all. Presumably this will be handled in sequels, although I don't expect them to explain why both Earths are identical except for the fifty-year gap. The hint at greater powers to come is nice, too.
All and all this is a fun and very quick read, if you don't mind some sloppiness around the edges. I rate this book Neutral.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
I liked this, but the plot could at times be a bit of a mess. Tom amused me. He's got a way of saying things that sets people off, refuses to follow stupid orders, and has a well-earned reputation as a troublemaker. His stockpile of little gadgets in particular was excellent (although I was confused by the invisibility cloak---this IS 2011 and not some future time, and as far as I know that's still future tech, which Tom appears to have ordered online and not built himself). Eddie I can respect, although his willingness to believe the best of people lets others take advantage of him.
I was confused at why they had to switch places, though. Tom's got no purpose in the past. Eddie's stunt with the no-tech day in the future felt way overblown. Putting him on TV? Seriously? And what, exactly, are they supposed to be rebels against? It feels like the real villain is set up to be global warming, poverty, and hunger (although I do not argue against the last two, I roll my eyes that global warming is ranked as a crisis. But thankfully it's just mentioned in passing and not a major plot driver). Why the aliens are so keen on getting the person they're after is brushed off as "He's a rebel." It would've been really nice to get at least a hint at what he actually did, other than disagreeing about the plan to destroy the Earths (because he never says the government is totalitarian enough to make disagreement a crime).
The more interesting things about the actual aliens creating planets and so forth doesn't get fleshed out at all. Presumably this will be handled in sequels, although I don't expect them to explain why both Earths are identical except for the fifty-year gap. The hint at greater powers to come is nice, too.
All and all this is a fun and very quick read, if you don't mind some sloppiness around the edges. I rate this book Neutral.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
September 15, 2016
This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.
This was a very interesting sci-fi premise, one that harks back to a lot of traditional elements of the genre (aliens, hidden powers, clones - or in this case twins - etc).
Before I go any further, I have to get this off of my chest: the most immature scene was when the boys decided to prove that they were twins by comparing the spots on their butt cheeks where they'd been attached until surgical separation after birth. They literally pull down their pants and stand cheek to cheek to verify their story. It's gross.
Besides that one scene, which I'm sure most middle schoolers would roll with (or, more realistically, laugh at), the book is honestly pretty palatable for people of all ages. It's geared toward middle schoolers, though. It's a little more simplistic, not delving nearly as deep into the implications of this scenario as I would have liked, and the maturity level of the two main characters leaves something to be desired. Tom especially is very sketchily drawn; we're just supposed to recognize and accept that he's some great misunderstood tech genius who doesn't play well with others when really he just seems like a rude know-it-all who occasionally has some very deus-ex machina-type gadgets.
I do like the supporting characters, though, and I'm a sucker for stories about kids from the past trying to pass in the present. I haven't read very many, so the time we get watching Eddie from the 60's try to pretend he's a modern millennial was pretty fun. His attempts to get people off of their phones may have been slightly cheesy/unrealistically successful, but I still enjoyed reading about them.
Honestly, what you see is what you get. If this interests you, then go for it. Also, I think there's going to be a sequel. I have no idea when/if that's ever going to happen, though, and I'm not really interested enough to find out. The Twinning Project just really didn't thrill me the way that I'd hoped.
This was a very interesting sci-fi premise, one that harks back to a lot of traditional elements of the genre (aliens, hidden powers, clones - or in this case twins - etc).
Before I go any further, I have to get this off of my chest: the most immature scene was when the boys decided to prove that they were twins by comparing the spots on their butt cheeks where they'd been attached until surgical separation after birth. They literally pull down their pants and stand cheek to cheek to verify their story. It's gross.
Besides that one scene, which I'm sure most middle schoolers would roll with (or, more realistically, laugh at), the book is honestly pretty palatable for people of all ages. It's geared toward middle schoolers, though. It's a little more simplistic, not delving nearly as deep into the implications of this scenario as I would have liked, and the maturity level of the two main characters leaves something to be desired. Tom especially is very sketchily drawn; we're just supposed to recognize and accept that he's some great misunderstood tech genius who doesn't play well with others when really he just seems like a rude know-it-all who occasionally has some very deus-ex machina-type gadgets.
I do like the supporting characters, though, and I'm a sucker for stories about kids from the past trying to pass in the present. I haven't read very many, so the time we get watching Eddie from the 60's try to pretend he's a modern millennial was pretty fun. His attempts to get people off of their phones may have been slightly cheesy/unrealistically successful, but I still enjoyed reading about them.
Honestly, what you see is what you get. If this interests you, then go for it. Also, I think there's going to be a sequel. I have no idea when/if that's ever going to happen, though, and I'm not really interested enough to find out. The Twinning Project just really didn't thrill me the way that I'd hoped.
March 7, 2013
When 12-year-old Tom Canty’s dad disappeared two years ago, he created an imaginary friend, Eddie Tudor, to help him cope. Eddie is his identical twin and mirror opposite who lives on EarthTwo, which is 50 years behind Earth. The two speak telepathically, especially at night when there is a clear sky full of stars. Tom believes that alien scientists created the two Earths as an experiment to see if humans could take care of their own planet. At times Tom wonders if he’s crazy to talk to Eddie and, even worse, hear Eddie’s replies. Little does Tom know that Eddie—and the aliens—are real and his story about the aliens is true too, except that since their Earth experiments (known as the Twinning Project) are failing with global warming and increased pollution, the aliens are thinking of blowing up one of the Earths. The twins’ grandfather actually serve as monitor—which means he can be in two places at once—and he arranges for Eddie and Tom to switch places to better fight against the aliens and protect both Earths. It’s a race to the page-turning end to see if they’ll succeed. Middle-grade students will love the humorous adventures of Eddie and Tom as they navigate the perils of middle school while battling aliens who look like normal teachers.
November 27, 2012
Rebellious Tom just can't stay out of trouble. He questions authority figures and refuses to do what others tell him to do, and when he sees someone bullying another student, he takes up the victim. Tom's a loner with no friends except an identifical twin named Eddie who lives on another planet. But as unpopular as Tom is, that's how popular Eddie is. While the adults in Tom's life try to convince him that he is imagining Eddie, it turns out that both boys do, indeed, exist, but they live on twin planets. It's both boys and some new friends up against the evil forces who want to destroy them in this wild ride of a science fiction novel. While the book has many poignant moments and characters grappling with tough issues including parental abandonment, there were too many strange goings-on and reasons offered for the strange behavior for my taste. As always with a Lipsyte book, this one was well written; it was the plot that went awry for me.
March 3, 2013
Interesting science fiction novel about twin brothers living on twin planets. At first, Tom believes that his brother whom he talks to in the back yard while looking up at the stars, is his imaginary friend. Soon he finds out that Eddie, his brother, lives on Earth II which exists in 1957 while Tom, on Earth I, lives in 2011. The novel switches between 1st and 3rd person narration, with Tom, the Earth I brother being the 1st person voice. Ultimately, its a cool adventure involving aliens, the mysterious figure of the twins' father (who they at first believed to be dead) and a rag tag group of misfit friends who save the day. Still there was something unsettling about the story. I couldn't help wondering the whole time if Tom was actually delusional and making all of this up in his head. That tension was, on the whole, pretty cool and I think that Lipsyte meant to create that discomfort. It definitely kept me hanging on. It's more like 3 and a half stars but not quite 4.
May 17, 2014
Robert Lipstye's book, "The Twinning Project" is a wonderful adventure involving two parallel worlds. Two Earths that are nearly fifty years apart in time to be exact. Tom, a self-lead and bullheaded rebel is on Earth one while his twin Eddie, that he barely believes exists is one Earth two. The two of them couldn't be anymore different, Tom is a tech savvy "loner" with an aptitude in math and steady foot against bullies and Eddie is a jock and people person who turns his enemies into allies. Unknown to them they're both apart of a conspiracy that was organized by a group of alien scientist eons ago who now want to destroy their planets. As they both become aware of this revelation they are now in a race against time to save both of their worlds. Along the way they both find answers to their mysterious birth. And they have to do all of this while dodging Dr. Traum and Merlyn who want to eradicate both of the twins and anyone one else who gets in their way.
December 14, 2012
The Twinning Project by Robert Lipste follows Tom and Eddie, twins living on two different earth's five years apart. The twins have known about each other and have communicated through a psychic link. They soon learn they indeed were separated and that they have to switch in order to save the world.
This book was odd. While I liked the characters and some of the plot worked the whole premise was just bizarre. The part time travel, part alien premise was just absurd. Strangely however, I didn't put the book down and finished it rather quickly. I think if the author had stuck with it just being a time travel story it would have been a much better story. It's one of those books that's both bad and good at the same time/
Appropriateness: There was no adult content in this book and no major violence. I would recommend it to boys 10-14
This book was odd. While I liked the characters and some of the plot worked the whole premise was just bizarre. The part time travel, part alien premise was just absurd. Strangely however, I didn't put the book down and finished it rather quickly. I think if the author had stuck with it just being a time travel story it would have been a much better story. It's one of those books that's both bad and good at the same time/
Appropriateness: There was no adult content in this book and no major violence. I would recommend it to boys 10-14
May 8, 2013
Tom is a rebel; he gets revenge on the bullies especially other people’s bullies and he’s very smart. But he’s constantly getting kicked out of school, and this is his last chance, but he doesn’t want to change. His only friend is his “imaginary” twin brother who he believes lives on another planet exactly like Earth. Tom’s brother Eddie is his mirror, where Tom fights back, Eddie makes a friend; Tom plays the violin, Eddie is athletic. But when it turns out the Eddie isn’t imaginary, and the scientists need the boys to trade worlds to save the 2 Earths, Tom, Eddie and their friends embark on an adventure. This novel about time travel and aliens, was too strange even for Science Fiction. While the premise offered promise, character development was shallow, the plot was thin and not very exciting.
August 13, 2015
Tom and Eddie are identical twins, but they live on different planets and at different times in history. Such is the basic premise of this science fiction novel. Tom lives in 2011, and he is bright, prickly, lonely, and is always getting in trouble. Eddie lives in 1957 on a different Earth, and he is a sports star, a preppy popular guy who likes people and possesses great diplomacy skills. The two boys talk every night, but Tom can't quite believe that Eddie is real: until Eddie comes to his Earth and their grandfather tells them the truth about their lives and the Earths they live on. Aliens created both Earths in an experiment, and now everyone is in danger. It will be up to Tom and Eddie and their friends to save their worlds. A good choice for reluctant readers, and the book ends on a cliffhanger. 6th grade and older.
December 23, 2013
This book starts off great. The premise is cool and it's executed well. The dynamic between the different eras is great and when the twins switch it works even better, but it falls apart near the end. With about 50 pages left in the story I realized that this would be the first of a series, and as a first book in the series I found it pretty unsatisfying.
October 4, 2013
I think that this book had a very interesting plot. I liked the way that Tom and Eddie worked together to help there father whom they hav'nt seen for years, make his vision come true of a world with out war and pollution. I also liked the companionship of Tom and Eddie and how they worked together with people in their schools to solve their problems.
January 18, 2013
The plot for this sounded really interesting. however I did not like the book at all. Both of the twins were annoying Tom was a jerk and Eddie Seemed too goody two shoes. they reminded me of the goofus and Gallant form Highlights magazine. I all so did not find the action that exciting.
February 10, 2013
Sure, there are plenty of unexplained plot points (like why the twins have to switch planets...), but the characterization is strong enough that kids won't care in this sci-fi, kids save the earth adventure.
October 22, 2013
Lots to like. This book will get middle aged (mainly male) readers thinking about lots of things. A little science, a little politics, a little rebellion. It's a wonderful bridge book--perfect for 5th and 6th graders just starting to open their eyes.
May 10, 2018
This book could have been worse. It had quite a good idea and the plot was pretty good. There where some parts that I was a bit confused about and the book didn't quite explain that. It was worth the time it took me to read the book though.
Want to read
June 28, 2012HMH
Oct 2012
Ask Ellen
Oct 2012
Ask Ellen
October 6, 2012
reviewing for Library Media Connection.
April 27, 2013
The concept was interesting, but sometimes middle grade novels aren't quite so exciting as they were back when I was in middle grades.
July 5, 2013
Good action packed boy book. Not sure the writing quality is up to snuff for VOYA but pretty good story, characters, and plot line.
Read
October 11, 2013Fun concept. Quick enjoyable read. Has a nostalgic feel about it. Like a novel I read when I was younger.
September 27, 2014
I say is was cool to see two points of view of twin brothers but opposite
personalities
personalities
December 28, 2014
It was OK, as the stars said. I'll stop pushing it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews