The Deceivers by Margaret Peterson is a worthy follow-up to the first installment, The Strangers.
Certain mysteries continue, the plot deepens and twists in unexpected ways, but the most important aspect of the first book remains solid: the relationship of the charming Greystone kids and their friend, Natalie. If you haven't read the first book, stop reading here unless you want certain aspects to the story spoiled. In The Strangers, the Greystone kids find their mom missing after another group of children in a different state--who have the same names and look identical to them--are kidnapped. Chase, Emma and Finn know the two things are connected, but they don't know how. What follows is a fun, heartwarming (at times, heartbreaking) adventure to figure out what happened to their mom. Along with their new friend, Natalie, they follow clues left behind by the Greystone mom and discover that there is an alternate world they escaped from years before. They eventually find their mom, but have to leave her (and Natalie's mom) behind so they can help the "twin" versions of themselves get home. It's all a bit like reading a Nancy Drew mystery with a very fantasy twist. In The Deceivers, the main goal of the Greystone kids and Natalie is to return to the alternate world, find their moms and get back home. It seems simple enough, but what follows is a page turning mystery filled with more questions, several dual personas and a secret passage filled house where almost everyone is a possible enemy. The way Haddix changes perspective in each chapter is clever, so you see the mysteries unfold from each child, but the book is at its absolute best when all four kids are together, deciphering clues and hatching plans. They each have their own part to play and their individual skills, traits and mistakes impact the story in surprising ways. I really loved this story and believe readers will be taken on a wild ride that will stimulate their own curiosity about the world around them.
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January 2021
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