Random Reads

     These books are about people who have adopted aliases or alter egos.  The characters may have adopted assumed names in order to evade authorities.  They may have created a secret identity in order to accomplish some goal.  In some instances, the character may even be cloned.  In extreme cases, the character may have even developed alternate personalities.  You never know what book may show up on this list.  The book titles will actually be the real name titles, no aliases.  (Ha ha)

Sara's Face by Melvin Burgess

   Jonathan Heat is a mega star who is very similar to Michael Jackson.  Heat has done so much plastic surgery on his face that he must resort to wearing a mask full-time because his face has collapsed.  His personal surgeon, Wayland Kaye, is a controversial plastic surgeon who employs bizarre experiments and wants to actually grow a new face for Heat.  Sara, a seventeen year old girl dreams of being a mega star.  She's a complex character herself who often hurts herself yet wishes for a new altered body.  She meets Heat and they have an immediate connection.  She moves into Heat's mansion and he grooms her for stardom.  She is to undergo plastic surgery to achieve the final step of her journey.  This novel is bizarre on so many levels.  The main characters are so complex that you could discuss them for hours.  I found this book utterly fascinating and kept comparing Jonathan Heat to Michael Jackson.  I'm sure this novel would appeal to teens, and I simply couldn't put it down. 

Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

 Okay, you may be wondering why this book is on the "Secret Identity" page.  The reason is that the main characters all dress-up like Disney characters, so, in a way, their identities are secret.  In addition, this page needed more entries.

  The Disney characters at Walt Disney World are on strike so the park hires replacement workers until the strike can be settled.  Luke and Ella are seventeen years old and step up to the task to play Cinderella and Dale of the chipmunks.  Both teens are attracted to each other but they end up dating other people.  The entire novel is about whether or not the two will hook up or not.  There are occasional subplots that are somewhat interesting.  This would make an excellent beach read and readers will be fascinated with the behind the scenes look at Disney World.  While I thought the novel was really well written, I often felt the characters acted beyond their years and then reverted back to middle schood drama.

     Ever since she can remember, Chastity has been on the run with her mother.  They have moved to different towns and assumed various identities.  Chastity's mother refuses to tell her what they are running from and who her real father is.  Chass is thirteen years old when they enter High Hopes, Alabama.  The first thing they do upon entering a new town is visit the local library.  They browse the fiction section and her mother selects a book at random.  They begin reading and the first character names are the names they will adopt.  Chastity becomes Chastity Pureheart.  They are settled for three years until her mother mysteriously disappears.  Her best friend Ben and the sheriff's daughter Brittany help her in finding her missing mother.  They only have six days until the authorities will put Chass in foster care.  Her mother's car is eventually found outside an old abandoned house.  The mystery deepens and is somehow linked to a murder of the past.  The novel is fast paced and highly suspenseful and the author has written a satisfying ending which could also lead to a sequel. 

     Bethany's mother and father have always been overly protective parents.  Bethany is shocked when one evening they leave her with an Aunt she has never met before.  Aunt Myrlie is shocked by Bethany's appearance because she looks eerily similar to a girl named Elizabeth.  Elizabeth turns out to be Bethany's sister who died some twenty years prior.  The resemblance is uncanny and when Bethany sees a video of Elizabeth, she is shocked to discover they are completely identical.  Bethany eventually finds out that she is a clone of her dead sister Elizabeth.  Bethany is still confused about why her parents are on the run and how she fits into the scenario.  Haddix writes a tween thriller about a girl who discovers a shocking secret and deals with it in a surprisingly grown-up manner.