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When I was in 3rd or 4th grade my father was backing our truck out of the driveway and almost hit a kid. That’s how I met Aron and Ryan, the two fraternal twins who had just moved into the house across the street. Now, I'm not sure if that was the catalyst for my mild childhood fascination with twins or if knowing those boys simply fanned the flames. Either way, I definitely consumed a lot of pop culture about multiples when I was a kid.
Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield’s exploits were endlessly entertaining, both in the Sweet Valley Twins series and in the campy Sweet Valley High books (I even played the board game at my best friend Claire’s house); I can't even guess how many times I sang “Let's Get Together” along with Hayley Mills in Parent Trap; I adored Peggy Parish’s Liza, Bill and Jed mysteries; and I even recall being glued to the screen during a cheesy 80’s sitcom about twin teenage girls called Double Trouble. Even now, as an adult, I'm still curious about what it's like to be a twin and I admit to pestering some of my students about their unique experiences as multiples. Turns out that most of them do not have a secret language. So disappointing.
As you've probably guessed, this episode’s theme is all about twins. Welcome to Happy Reading, a podcast that spotlights wonderful middle grade books aimed at 8 to 12 year olds. I'm your host, Sarah Threlkeld, a former middle school Reading teacher, current elementary school librarian, and a mom whose chances of having twins was pretty high thanks to IVF. In retrospect, I am really relieved that 2nd embryo didn't implant; I don't think my husband and I could handle more than one endlessly curious and rambunctious toddler. What I can handle is awesome books about twins whose antics I can enjoy without having the parent part of me stress out.
Going on a cross country roadtrip with your parents when you’re twelve probably sounds, to most kids, like the absolute worst way to spend your summer vacation. Stopping at every tourist trap along the way while also being attacked by dudes in bowler hats and a germaphobe health teacher makes it ten times worse. That’s exactly what happens to twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald in the Genius Files series by Dan Gutman. Mission Unstoppable, the first book in the series, opens with this brilliant line: “There were ten items on Coke McDonald’s to-do list on June 17, but JUMP OFF A CLIFF was not one of them.” Things only get crazier from there. Just when the twins think they have escaped the two mysterious men who are inexplicably trying to kill them, another diabolical trap is waiting for them. Luckily, both middle schoolers are geniuses and turn out to be much more resourceful than expected when their lives are in danger. The big mystery is why in the world would anyone want to kill these two seemingly ordinary twins? You’ll have to read Mission Unstoppable to find out. And if you happen to be going on a road trip this summer, the audio version is the perfect way to make the hours fly by. You'll also learn some wacky facts about our great nation along the way, which, if you are a kid or educator, you can use to dazzle your friends when school starts back up in the fall. Here’s an excerpt from chapter two that sets the scene for Coke and Pepsi’s unexpected cliff dive.
excerpt - pages 8-11
Text messages, screen shots, photographs, interviews, emails and one twelve-year old girl’s skewed interpretation of events are perfectly woven together in the hilarious The Tapper Twins Go to War by Geoff Rodkey. This book will definitely appeal to fans of funny realistic fiction, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries. Twins Claudia and Reese Tapper live in Manhattan and attend a swanky private school called Culvert Prep. Their parents work long hours and are a tad oblivious, which means the two tweens are left to their own devices way too often for their own good. One morning Reese is convinced Claudia has eaten his last toaster pastry, which leads him to retaliate during lunch in the school cafeteria. Claudia decides to get back at Reese for embarrassing her in front of their classmates and pretty soon the twins and their friends are engaged in an all out war. Rodkey’s characters feel very authentic and the book’s unusual format is fresh and engaging. The Tapper Twins series consists of four books so far and every single one of them is worth your time. I especially love the second book, which finds Claudia and Reese pitted against one another in a city-wide scavenger hunt. Here’s an excerpt that will give you a little more insight into how the epic war between the twins began.
excerpt - pages 6-13 (with a few paragraphs left out)
No matter how embarrassing or oblivious or overprotective your parents may be, I’m sure they are as delightful as a basket full of adorable, fluffy puppies when compared to Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby. Perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events, The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry is a rather dark tale of grownups plotting to free themselves of parental responsibility and children who wouldn’t mind becoming orphans. The family consists of the aforementioned father and mother, along with 12-year old Timothy, who is bossy and a bit of a bully, 10-year old twins Barnaby and Barnaby, who do, in fact, have the same name, so everyone refers to them as A and B, and Jane, a six and a half year old girl who is described as “a timid, pretty little thing” and seems to be the most reasonable of the bunch. The book opens with the children discovering a baby abandoned on their doorstep. Their parents are horrified by the squawking infant and Timothy decides the most reasonable plan of action is to leave it on the stoop of a rundown mansion down the street. Things only get stranger from there. The Willoughbys is a hilarious parody of all the tropes found in children’s literature, from long-lost relatives making an appearance to nannies who don’t take any guff, and readers won’t want to put it down. Here’s an excerpt from chapter two that will give you a sense of just how insane the Willoughby family is.
excerpt - pages 26-27
The last book I'm going to spotlight isn't about twins per se, but it is about human replication and my eleven-year old self would be very cranky if I left it out of this episode. I don't know how I came across this book when I was a kid, but Anna to the Infinite Power by Mildred Ames mesmerized me in fifth grade and is one of those books that still haunts me. There have even been moments when I wondered if, like Anna, I am part of some top secret government experiment. Go ahead and roll your eyes, but let's just say some weird things have happened to me over the years that strongly support this theory.
The book was published in 1981, but is set in the 1990’s, which makes for an entertaining examination of the author’s ideas about the future and whether any of them were accurate. Siblings Rowan and Anna are not particularly fond of each other. Anna is very unfeeling, to the point of being robotic, steals meaningless items whenever she gets the chance, and appears to have no moral compass. Yep, not a very likeable person. She also gets her way more often than not, which Rowan really resents. Rowan, who is more artistically minded, finds comfort in complaining about his sister to his new music teacher, Michaela Dupont. One day when Rowan and Anna are out and about they bump into a girl who looks exactly like Anna and even has the same first and last name. What in the world is going on? How could Anna have a twin without knowing it and how is the music teacher connected to everything? This is a riveting science fiction story for more mature middle grade readers that will have you pondering your own ethics and scanning large crowds for faces that may resemble yours. Here’s the the prelude to Anna to the Infinite Power.
excerpt - pages 1-3
There you have it, four fabulous middle grade novels starring fraternal and identical twins. Now, I am sure you’re thinking, “Sarah, you failed to mention one of the most hilarious and endearing sets of twins to ever grace the pages of children’s literature.” And you would be right. I can’t end the episode without professing my love for Fred and George Weasley from the Harry Potter series. Oh, how I adore those rascally boys! Twins also make an appearance in the classic A Wrinkle in Time and just two nights ago I started reading a new release called The Summer of Bad Ideas that has supporting characters who happen to be fraternal twins, as well as geniuses. If you’re looking for YA titles that fit this episode’s theme, you might want to check out Jacob Have I Loved and Lois Duncan’s creepy Stranger with My Face.
Thank you so much for listening to Happy Reading! A special shout out to all of my new listeners who discovered this podcast thanks to my chat with the incredible Corrina Allen on her Books Between podcast. If you have a moment to post a glowing review of Happy Reading on iTunes, I would be extremely grateful. It helps other bibliophiles discover this podcast. As always, a transcript of this episode can be found on my blog, happyrdng.blogspot.com, along with links to all of the books I mention. You can contact me through the website and I’m also on Twitter as @WordNerd153. I hope you discovered a book or two that you can’t wait to get your hands on. Perhaps you’ll even read one alongside your twin or at least someone who’s dressed like you, which seems to happen way too often for me and my husband. Until next time, dear listeners, happy reading!
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