Turnabout

Title: Turnabout

Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix

ISBN: 978-1416936534

Publisher: Aladdin

Copyright: 2002

 Plot Summary:  This story follows Amelia and Anny Beth. In 2001, they were living in a nursing home getting older by the minute when they signed an agreement to partake in a study that could "unage" them. They signed paperwork they did not really understand and started to age backwards after they were administered the drugs. The problem was the scientists could not stop the "unaging" without killing the participants. Amelia and Anny Beth decide to leave the nursing home and live in society always moving around so as not to raise suspicion and looking out for a trusted person to care for them when they became infants.

Critical Evaluation:  Haddix writes Amelia and Anny Beth through different time periods and different ages seamlessly. The overall lesson that Haddix seems to conclude with is that Amelia and Anny Beth did not regret aging backwards which is a surprising conclusion. Overall, this is a fantastic book, and very well written. 

 Reader's Annotation:  If you had the opportunity to go back in time would you?

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adults

 Author Information: Margaret Peterson Haddix has written many other young adults books, most famously The Missing series. For more information on this author or her work visit www.haddixbooks.com

Book talks: Unaging, going back in time, learning from mistakes, scientific experiments

Reading Level/Interest Age: Middle School/High School. 12-16

Challenge:  Some may find the topic of "unaging" controversial, but this is a science fiction book and it is meant to be an idea in a world that is always focused on looking younger. 

Why was this book chosen?: This is an interesting science fiction book that is hard to put down.