Annotation:
Something horrible happens in the town of Gentry every 7 years, children are stolen and replaced by something not quite human. Mackie Doyle is one of those kids and so far he has managed to keep his head down but then another child is taken and he has to decide if he can go on pretending to be normal. Recommended for ages 14+ due to some violence and language.
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| Cover from Goodreads.com |
Book Talk:
In
the town of Gentry there are two worlds, the normal one and the one that exists
below. No one talks about it or even
acknowledges it but everyone knows it’s there because every seven years a child
is replaced by something other, something that looks and acts like the child
but just isn’t. Mackie Doyle is one of
those kids. He’s managed to live in this
world by keeping his head down and pretending to be normal. Until one day another child disappears, a
child he knows, the sister of a classmate who is done pretending that Mackie is
human. Mackie’s worlds are colliding and
he has to decide if he belongs in Gentry or if he’s just The Replacement.
Book Review:
Most of this book was spent with
Mackie coming to turns with his “otherness”.
The author did a great job of exploring Mackie’s emotions, motivations,
and growth so I was a little disappointed when Yovanoff started rushing the
ending. The plot seemed to go from
Mackie choosing who he wanted to be to him taking charge and solving problems in
the blink of an eye. Yes, the actions
Mackie chooses after his decision fit with the ideal version of his new
character but it seemed Mackie performed them without even hesitating when he
had never been a self-sacrificing character before. This is just a small detail in an otherwise
excellent story about being different, accepting those differences, and deciding
who you really are. It would be
especially enjoyable to teens 14+ who like horror/fantasy novels.
“The Replacement was very spooky and
unique, and I really liked it. Mackie was a great main character, and the
writing was lovely.” ~Carolyn E., 16.
Awards and Honors:
Sept.23, 2010 YA Highway blog
Music is important to Mackie, it’s one of the ways he escapes feeling different from everyone. So here’s a playlist of songs from the book:
2010-
starred review in The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
2010-
starred review in Booklist
Interested in knowing more about the author or this book? Check these out:
Sept.23, 2010 YA Highway blog
Music is important to Mackie, it’s one of the ways he escapes feeling different from everyone. So here’s a playlist of songs from the book:
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