DOPPELGANGER by David Stahler, Jr.
    Category:  Paranormal
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  5/1/06
    Publisher:  Eos
    Reviewed by:  Karin Perry
    Rating:  5 Stars


    “He” doesn’t have a name.  “He” isn’t one of us.  “His” species lives among ours without us even knowing.  “He” is a
    monster.  “He” is a doppelganger.  A doppelganger is a shape shifter, but before a person can be copied, they must be
    dead.  

    Growing up, he lived in an isolated cabin in the woods with only his mother and television for company.  He spent much
    of his time alone reading because his mother went out to change skins often.  He never knew what she was going to
    look like when she came home.  Finally, at the age of sixteen, his mother kicked him out.  She didn’t want to be tied
    down to him any more and felt he was old enough to take care of himself.

    At first when he leaves the cabin he is frightened.  He’d never killed before, but knew he couldn’t survive looking like
    his true self.  He hears a train in the distance and approaches it, not knowing what he’d find.  A hobo, who isn’t well,
    happens to be riding the rails.  He puts his hands around the hobo’s neck and kills him, then assumes his form, leaving
    the dead man on the train to be discovered later.  He spends several weeks in the hobo’s form, traveling from town to
    town, but when he stops in Bakersville his life takes a turn he’s not prepared for.

    While sitting by a fire on the edge of town as the hobo, he is approached by three high school boys who start to poke
    fun and be cruel to him.  Two of the boys lose interest and leave because one boy in particular, Chris, starts to go over
    the line and looks like he is going to harm the hobo.  Once the other two leave, “he” kills Chris, wraps his body in
    plastic, stuffs him in a storm drain, and assumes his shape.  Once in Chris’ skin, he heads back to meet the other two
    boys and goes home.

    As Chris, he falls in love, feels some family attachment, and learns that humans can be monsters, too.  Once you get
    into this story, you won’t be able to put it down.  David Stahler has written a fantastic young adult fantasy that will have
    you questioning the definition of good and evil.
Doppelganger
by David Stahler Jr.