Review: The Twinning Project by Robert Lipsyte

The Twinning Project by Robert Lipsyte.

Clarion Books
Publication Date: October 2012
List Price: $16.99
ISBN-13: 9780547645711

Review: Have you ever wondered about the stories your parents told you? The ones where they told you about aliens? Did you laugh about them and think they were all a joke? The way you laughed at them will change after reading The Twinning Project! This story will make you question your doubts about aliens. Robert Lipstyle takes you on an adventure to a distant planet called Earth2 where two boys realize that they are twins, but they have been living worlds apart.

The story begins on Earth, with Tom, a boy who doesn't play by the rules of his school. When he is told to do something, he does not do it if he thinks it is stupid. After being expelled, Tom has to attend a new school, where he meets Alessa, a girl who is constantly being picked on by Britsky. Tom protects her from Britsky, the school bully, by using the same arsenal of weapons that got him expelled from his previous school. He is a one man war machine with all his gadgets, including a grease gun and a sling shot.

On Earth2 everything is set back 50 years in the past. There, Eddie, the twin brother of Tom, is living the good life of being a jock at his school. Eddie is just one minute younger than Tom, but he is the exact opposite, of Tom. Eddie loves sports, but Tom hates them. Tom is sneaky, but Eddie is honest. He follows the rules and always does what he is told to do. Nothing out of the ordinary happens except that both boys are able to chat mentally with each other. One day, Tom and Eddie discover each other in Tom's room on Earth.

Tom suspects weird activity is going on all around him, when, all of a sudden, the boys' grandpa says that the monitors or aliens have landed. Grandpa tells Tom to switch places with Eddie on Earth2. Then, two monitors, Dr.Traum and Merlyn show up. Although, they act just like humans, they both have green eyes that are used as a camera to show other monitors at home-base what is happening with Tom and Eddie on Earth and Earth2. Things get extremely complicated when Dr. Traum starts asking questions about Eddie. Both boys are having trouble adjusting to the new environment. What happens with Eddie? How will Tom and Eddie survive the monitors? Read Robert Lipstyle's The Twinning Project in order to find out.

In The Twinning Project I liked how the aliens are realistic and the characters are really believable. I had a clear image of the interactions between the aliens and the characters. The plot and characters are very descriptive and the author's writing style was full of action. However, there are some unrealistic parts to the plot. Many well-developed ideas by the author caused the reader to actually feel the adrenaline while reading. The story is completely action packed with a side of humor. Robert Lipstyle shows different perspectives by switching from one character's point of view to another's point of view throughout the story. This really helped me understand what was going on in the story since it took place on two planets. The plot is so suspenseful that, at times, I couldn't put the book down. I really enjoyed the ending. It is very satisfying for me, because I could imagine things that would really take place here on Earth. I look forward to more of Robert Lipstyle's books. You should add this unique sci-fi fiction themed book to your reading list!

Review written by Alex (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing a copy of The Twinning Project for this review.

Have you read The Twinning Project? How would you rate it?