The Clone Conspiracy. Simon Rose. Vancouver, BC: Tradewind Books, 2005. 88 ppl, pbk., $9.95. ISBN 1-896580-80-7. Subject Headings: Human cloning - Juvenile fiction. Detective and mystery stories. Grades 3-7 / Ages 8-12. Review by Rita Rebizant. **** /4

excerpt

Grey clouds gathered overhead, and when the first few drops of rain fell, Luke took shelter under the canopy of a nearby office tower. A throng of men and women hurried out of the entrance and pushed past Luke on their way home from work. But one lone figure remained on the steps.

"Patrick?" asked Luke, stunned. But his friend didn't answer him. Luke reached over and grabbed his arm. "Patrick, where have you been?"“Luke?" Patrick asked, offering a weak smile."Patrick, what happened to you?""Luke?" Patrick repeated, frowning at him. Then suddenly his expression changed. "Who are you?" he demanded angrily.

There was a look of fear in Patrick's eyes as he backed away from Luke toward the main entrance. "Get away from me!" he yelled.

As an introduction for children to the wonderful world of science fiction, The Clone Conspiracy definitely finds its mark. When 13-year-old Patrick is kidnaped, the police make an attempt to find him, but after a few months the trail gets cold, and his family and best friend Luke have begun to give up hope.

     When Luke sees Patrick and confronts him, Luke is faced with someone who doesn't even recognize him. Luke is devastated but determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. Luke confides in Patrick's younger sister, Emma, and together they discover a plot that involves hitmen, crooked cops, stake-outs, mind altering experiments, and mad scientists. Luke and Emma find an alibi in an employee of the sinister company that has transferred memories and the personality of its leader into Patrick, and they risk their lives trying to save Patrick and expose a secret that will change the face of science.

     Rose has done a magnificent job with this fast paced medical science mystery.

Highly Recommended.

Rita Rebizant is an Educational Assistant in Hanover School Division and a teacher candidate in the B.Ed. program at the University of Manitoba.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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