The Dark Clone. Carol Matas. Markham, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2005. 126 pp., pbk., $6.99. ISBN 0-439-96099-1. Subject Headings: Human cloning-Juvenile fiction. Rescues-Juvenile fiction. Science fiction-Juvenile fiction. Grades 6-9 / Ages 11-14. Review by Christina Pike. **** /4

excerpt:

"You aren't ill again, are you?" she asks.

I immediately think back to the illness that almost killed me -- and would have, without Ariel's sacrifice. Unconsciously I touch the place where the scar still remains from my liver transplant. But what if there is something else wrong with me now -- like something wrong with my brain?

I gulp and answer, "Not as far as I know." Could I have done it without realizing? Surely not! I woke up as usual in my bed only a few hours ago. Unless ... now my head starts to spin.

 

The Dark Clone, by Carol Matas, is the third book in a series that chronicles the life of Miranda and her younger clone sister, Ariel. It seems that crimes and acts of vandalism are happening and Miranda is captured on-video committing them. Miranda knows that it can't be she, and the girl is too old to be Ariel, but the question that remains is, “Who is it?” Since Eve is dead, is there a fourth clone. With more questions than answers, Miranda fights to clear her name without revealing her family secret. As an added twist, the doctor who engineered Miranda's cloning has just introduced the world to his newest set of clones. The tension rises as Miranda and her family try to keep themselves out of limelight.

     Matas reintroduces the reader to Miranda and Ariels's characters in this sequel. It is a realistic portrayal as both are a little older but do not seem to have accepted who and what they are - clones. The story that Matas creates rings true to life as it takes this new twist to make Miranda and Ariel realize that they are truly sisters. It is also in the search for the truth that Miranda, as the main character, learns to accept and forgive what her parents had done. She truly grows as a character.

     The Dark Clone is more than Miranda's story. It is a story about a dysfunctional family facing an undeniable truth. As the core of the tale, mingled with the value of family, lies the age-old lesson that the "truth will set you free."

     A good read.

Highly Recommended.

Christina Pike has been seconded as a Test Consultant for the Department of Education, Newfoundland and Labrador.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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