Opposite Identicals - by Deborah Kerbel (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection
A MYRCA Northern Lights selection
A CCBC Best Books for Kids and Teens selection

Opposite Identicals is a non-stop adrenaline rush from start to finish. Deborah Kerbel has written two unforgettable characters who take turns telling the story. Kids of all ages will race through this book, desperate to find out what will happen to the twins when catastrophe strikes in a near future world, changed forever by climate crisis. Don't miss this one!" -- Carol Matas, author of A Struggle for Hope and Past Crimes

Opposite Identicals is an upper middle grade novel set in the very near future - a time when climate change has irreversibly altered our planet and lifestyles. Nova and Joule are fourteen-year old twins whose scientist parents have recently uprooted the family from their urban home and moved to the country on a year-long research assignment, studying the effects of GMO 'SuperCrop' farming on the environment in the final regulatory phase before global expansion.

Surrounded by nature and quiet, open spaces, shy, bookish Nova is in heaven. But Joule - whose life's ambition is to be famous and reach a million Hollagram followers - is desperate to escape. One day, Joule gets her wish, although not in a way anyone ever expected. In an instant, she's gone - swallowed up by a mysterious sinkhole under her bedroom floor. Suddenly twinless, Nova is forced to step in and lead the search for her missing sister. But can she face her fears and figure out what caused the sinkhole in time to save Joule?
Told from alternating points of view, it's a fantastical adventure about overcoming obstacles, self-discovery, and environmental awareness.

Review Quotes

" Opposite Identicals centres female protagonists and will appeal to readers interested in family relationships, dystopian futures, and adventures that come without a side of romance. Joule and Nova are believable tweens, both in their voices and in their relationship dynamics, and provide engaging narration of their adventure . . . While the representation of neurodiversity isn't explicit, Nova's use of earmuffs as a way of navigating the world provides positive representation for anyone who finds their world over-stimulating at times and may need external help, like a pair of earmuffs or earplugs, to successfully navigate the world." - Highly Recommended, CM Magazine


Nominee for MYRCA Northern Lights reading list

"Opposite Identicals centres female protagonists and will appeal to readers interested in family relationships, dystopian futures, and adventures that come without a side of romance. Joule and Nova are believable tweens, both in their voices and in their relationship dynamics, and provide engaging narration of their adventure ... While the representation of neurodiversity isn't explicit, Nova's use of earmuffs as a way of navigating the world provides positive representation for anyone who finds their world over-stimulating at times and may need external help, like a pair of earmuffs or earplugs, to successfully navigate the world." -- Highly Recommended, CM Magazine

About the Author

Deborah Kerbel is the critically acclaimed author of numerous books for young readers. Her titles include the wordless picture book Whirl and the middle grade novels Feathered, Under the Moon (which was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award), and Fred and Marjorie: A Doctor, a Dog, and the Discovery of Insulin (a Junior Library Guild gold standard selection). Deborah lives with her family in Thornhill, Ontario.