The Secret of Indigo Moon (The Dopple Ganger Chronicles)

I really enjoyed G.P. Taylor's first volume in THE DOPPLEGANGER CHRONICLES, THE FIRST ESCAPE. So when I saw that he had a second one out, I snatched it up. And after reading it through, I think I ended up liking THE SECRET OF THE INDIGO MOON better than the first.The story picks up where the last one left off with some creepy sounds coming from the basement of Isambard Dunstan's School for Wayward Children. And Erik Ganger, the only boy living in the school, hears everything and goes to investigate. And that begins a furious ride to discover the truth behind some recent burglaries, a missing headmistress, and the Secret of Indigo Moon. Some old characters re-surface, and some new ones are added to the mix, making this ride just as exciting as in THE FIRST ESCAPE.Like the first book, THE SECRET OF INDIGO MOON is told through traditional prose, comics, and atmospheric black and white photos. One thing I noticed right away was the improved quality in the comics. It seemed like the illustrators took a little more care and time rounding out the drawings and changing them up from the harsh lines and edges of the first one, really making it look classy and still fun.New mysteries are added on in the last few pages, and the Dopple twins definitely have quite a few things to think about as they prepare to embark on another adventure. And it will be worth looking into what comes next for the young detectives...

These books kept my children entertained for hours. the three books in the series were a delight to read and hear them read. the hard covers, illustrations and writings kept everyone's imagination going.

This turned out to be something that I have really enjoyed and know others would like it just as I have.This trade/graphic novel is one that I'll read more than once. It will be staying in my collection always.

The Secret of Indigo Moon might have been better if I had read the first volume in the series The First Escape. Nevertheless, volume 2 in The Dopple Ganger Chronicles series of books was a quick, delightful read. I enjoyed it first to last and I am looking forward to reading the other volumes in the series.This was a quick read for me. I read it in one sitting on Saturday May 14, 2011. The pace was brisk and the pages full of art/comic pages really helped keep the pace at that brisk level. This book is a combination of typeset pages and graphic novel and picture book. The pages are nice and thick and the hardcover book is sturdy and has a nice gloss to it. I especially enjoyed how some pages were white ink on black background and other pages were the opposite.I like reading children's literature. I have read the entire Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events and the entire Harry Potter series (twice). I have also spent considerable time reading C.S. Lewis's fiction (Narnia, Space Trilogy) so I'm no stranger to reading children's fiction and enjoying it. The Dopple Ganger Chronicles is a fun idea and The Secret of Indigo Moon is a fun story.In my opinion, this would be a good book to get into the hands of some junior high or advanced elementary school kids. Adults will find it predictable and will have very little difficulty figuring out what is going on from beginning to end, but that will not detract from the sheer enjoyment of getting lost in a story on a rainy Saturday afternoon. (And there is nothing wrong with adults reading children's literature.)The art is well done. It is not tacky and does not detract from the story but enhances it time and time again. There are some genuinely scary moments and even more genuinely funny moments. And there is a lot of action--from the first page to the last, the book is action packed. The characters hardly ever stop to breathe. There is suspense (is Miss Rimmer a `bad guy'? Who is the strange Lord Gervez?) All the elements that make a story compelling are contained within the pages and lead up to a satisfying, if incomplete, ending (there is already published a third installment The Great Mogul Diamond).If I have a complaint it is this: Madame Raphael who is some sort of angelic being. It is very difficult to include angelic figures in literature (because we know so little about angels) and I am not, generally speaking, a fan of it. Frankly, we moderns (or postmoderns) know too little about angels who are, by biblical admission, `ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation' (Hebrews 1:14). Is that enough information to cast them as characters in our fiction? From a strictly theological point of view, this (Hebrews 1:14) can mean one of two things. On the one hand, it could mean angels serve those who are already destined for salvation with no regard for those who are not `among the living' just yet (that is, Christians). On the other hand, it could mean that angels serve even those who are not yet `in the camp' but will be some day so that the angels are kind of leading them in that direction (that is, not yet Christians but soon or later will be).I'm not a fan of angels being characters inside of fiction for this reason. It seems hopeful at best and misunderstanding at worst to pair them (angels) with characters who are not explicitly those who `will inherit salvation'. Yet maybe that is God's prerogative. Those who read books theologically (as I do) can sort of gloss over such things or re-interpret them through another lens. Children might not be so thoughtful. I might be over-sensitive on this part and perhaps I need to give the author a bit more poetic license; that much I will concede. For the sake of getting the book into people's (children's) hands, I suppose there has to be certain vagaries. My hope is that this `new C.S. Lewis' will not always feel compelled to be so vague."Some people have a desire to search for the truth, and others do not. The Companion is all around us, yet many people go through life unaware of who he is" says Madame Raphael. That might be true, but I suppose as far as the Dopples and the Ganger are concerned, we will have to read other volumes to see how far they are willing to go in search of the truth--and what exactly the author perceives as the truth.I recommend this book to advanced elementary students through adults.****/5**To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, please mention as part of every Web or Amazon review that Tyndale House Publishers has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book or ARC.

After trying and failing to enjoy the first book in this series (I detested it for numerous reasons you can read about by reading the numerous reviews by people who felt the same as I did), I was wary about reading this one. I decided to try it out after reading some of the reviews and because it is a part of Tyndale's Summer Reading program. I tried to begin this book with an open mind and found myself truly enjoying it. Like the first book, the combination of novel and comic is pretty awesome. I enjoy both comics and a wide range of fiction, so this really appeals to me and I can see how it could get kids reading who aren't pleasure readers. The story in this book is much better than the first, it's still got a bit of a creepy feel to it (though not TOO creepy like I felt the first book was). The twin girls (Sadie and Saskia) are still too mean for my taste sometimes, but not nearly as terrible as they were in the first book. They become slightly likeable. Their buddy, Erik, is always likeable. The bad guys are hateable, and there are some adults introduced here that are great, mysterious, interesting people. While I would not at all compare this author to C.S. Lewis (these books are mysterious and creepy; Narnia is charming and warm, for the most part) I would compare them to Harry Potter. The storyline really caught me up and there were many loose ends that weren't tied up at the end of this book. I'm eager to read the next in the series (it seems to be the last?) and see how everything comes to a close. Depending on book 3, these books could possibly be used as an evangelical tool or as a conversation starter about faith. I do recommend you totally skip book 1 and simply go for 2 and 3.

Another great book in the series. A great present for someone for christmas who has others in this series. Great.