The First Escape

The Dopple Ganger Chronicles #1

by G.P. Taylor, Daniel Boultwood (Artist), Joseph Sapulich (Artist)

At Isambard Dunstan’s School for Wayward Children, life is trouble for 14-year-old identical twins Sadie and Saskia Dopple and their friend, former thief Erik Morrisey Ganger. But what starts out as a perfectly normal day of food fights, rioting classmates, fires, and (yawn) threats of expulsion goes suddenly and horribly wrong when a mysterious, wealthy woman appears at the school and adopts Saskia . . . without her sister.

On her own in a mansion full of dark secrets, Saskia stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens her very life. Meanwhile, in a desperate attempt to find her, Sadie and Erik escape from the orphanage with a gang of enemies in hot pursuit. Faced with madmen, wild dogs, treasure seekers, and an otherworldly visitor with a secret message, the trio must decide who to trust—and what to believe—if they are to survive long enough to find each other again.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Adventure, Middle Grade, Comics

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

(born 1958 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire), pen-name G.P. Taylor, is the author of the best-selling novels Shadowmancer, Wormwood and Tersias. Before taking up writing full-time, he was an Anglican vicar in the village of Cloughton, North Yorkshire.

His works reflect his faith, carrying Christian messages like The Chronicles of Narnia of C.S. Lewis. He began to write his works to counter the increasing number of works, such as Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that he believed were encouraging children to investigate the occult. His works have also garnered some controversy however, because whilst Taylor has claimed to be "an authority on Wicca and paganism", his books have been considered offensive by some neopagans for describing them as being tricked by the Devil.

Reviews

[Karen Deblieck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touted by the Heaven and Earth show on the BBC as "The new C.S. Lewis" I was a little disappointed after finishing the first book.

When I saw these books on the shelf I was immediately intrigued. Still being a kid at heart I loved the mixture of writing and pictures that Taylor had done. His writing has many tangible phrases in it which draw the reader into the book. The art work is fantastic and really draws you into the story. This is a wonderful hybrid for both kids and adults to read.

The story line is a little dark. It paints evil as well, evil. Although not gory or over explicit it does put the main characters in scary situations. I was a little disappointed after reading the first book as it seemed to have very little Christian themes in it.As well,there is very little to like about the mischievous protagonists, Sadie and Saskia. They go beyond the boundary of being merely naughty children.If you are a brave reader looking for something new you may want to take a look. My only warning is not to stop at the first book. There are many more redeeming qualities in the second book.

I barely got through the first book before it was taken by my oldest child! I would recommend these books for older children due to frightening scenes. These books would appeal to those children who struggle to read as the excitement and artwork help them to make it through the books. Probably why the London Times calls it "Hotter than Potter."

If you do read this book I suggest continuing to the second in the series before you pass judgement.

[Coranne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The First Escape is the story of Saskia and Sadie Dopple, a set of fiery haired twins who have a temperament to match. The are living in a orphanage in England when Saskia is suddenly taken from Sadie and placed into an adoptive home. Sadie escapes from the orphanage with help from the school handyman (and lackey) Erik. Sadie and Erik find themselves drawn into the home of a man who claims to know Sadie's mother. (And he ends up being a nutcase murderer.) Saskia ends up with an old woman who owns a large house- and knows immediately something is very very wrong.

The theme of this book is part graphic novel and part regular novel. I thought the combination of the two flowed seamlessly and really added to the over all character of the book. I was not a fan of the style of graphics, but they grew on me- they felt very Gothic. This book in itself was a very Gothic novel- it reminded me of a Series of Unfortunate Events. Although I felt that the plot seemed to jump around- I enjoyed this book for the novelty that it was.

If you are interested in the Series of Unfortunate Events books- then I would recommend this book to you!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sort of book I might not have read until much later, like when my kids are older and want to read young adult fantasy/adventure books, but I'm so glad I picked it up as part of Tyndale's Summer Reading Program.

The first of the Dopple Ganger Chronicles, The First Escape is part book, part graphic novel. Great illustrations, including some words emphasized for effect in illustrative form. I loved it.

Author G.P. Taylor's reviews call him "hotter than Potter" and "the next C.S. Lewis." Seems like he has big shoes to fill. I've yet to read any Harry Potter books (chastise me -- they're on my neverending to-read list) so I can't vouch for that, and it's hard for me to put anyone in the same tier as C.S. Lewis when it comes to fantasy/adventure/children's fables. However, I would hand these books to middle-grade kids without reservation. There are two more books in the series and I can't wait to dig in.

If there's a downside, it's that the illustrations sometimes made it hard for me to understand what had happened. But I think that's more because I'm not used to reading graphic novels.

A great start to what I hope is a great series!

[Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am going to start off and just say that I was kinda disappointed. While, I loved the layout and the way this book was a mix of comic book and chapter book, with alots of artistic quirks, I just found this book too dark and creepy. This is not something I would give to a child, neither could I enjoy it because I found the illustrations rather disturbing.

I also will note that I thought the children were more than a little rude, especially in the beginning.

I really liked the idea of doing a children's book in this format, a sort of hip comic/book type deal, and I think that it would be great to see more books with this format because I do believe there is an appeal for this type of stuff.

So overall, I am sad to say that I did not like this book. And just could find no enjoyment in it's depths :/

I got this book at the public library, and was under no obligation to review this book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was so interesting with the mix of graphic novel and a novella. I loved the story and it kept my attention the whole time. I think that it was good to be able to go back and forth because sometimes it was a little crazy with what was going on with the twins, but the graphic novel half was able to show it.
The author of this book has definitely created a world that is addicting. The characters in this book are out of this world, yet relatable. All they want is to have a happy ending but they have to go through so much to get to it. It makes the ending more worth while knowing they worked for what they wanted.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to read a easy adventure story with a little bit of humor.

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

NO. UGH. BAD.
Bad art. Unpleasant characters. A story that was almost getting interesting... when the main character was introduced to the concept of an etheric being that was always looking out for her, and which created everything.

[J. Somer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much as a child/teen.
This is my first re-read of it as an adult and I liked it just as much.
The added art and comic style pages is so unique. I’ve never read anything else like this. It adds so much to the book.
Twins have also always fascinated me, making this that much more interesting.
I can wait until my children are old enough to read this too 🥹

[serena482* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very fast pace, adventurou,s and well written. I really enjoyed it! The characters were pretty interesting too.

[I go by 'Jo' now · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Will review it on my blog.

[Elizabeth (Miss Eliza) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadie and Saskia Dopple are the queens of the Isambard Dunstan School for Wayward Children. They rule all the girls in the orphanage with cunning and ruthlessness. Until one day the headmistress is a little more crafty then they. Saskia gets adopted by one Muzz Elliott, who will have one or none. Being a prestigious donor to the home, she gets her wish and the twins are separated, much to the headmistresses delight. So Sadie stays behind while Saskia goes to live in the mysterious home of Muzz Elliott out on Hampstead Heath, were she is given her own room in the tower where she mustn't ever answer the phone. Meanwhile, back at the orphanage, one of Sadie's pranks badly backfires and she's locked up for the night without food or water. But the school's only boy, and odd job man, overhears the mistress saying that Sadie will be off to prison for her stunt, so Erik Ganger risks his neck and releases Sadie so that they can flee across the Heath to Saskia. Of course a rescue can never be as easy as that when you flee across Hampstead Heath at night with bloodhounds baying at your heels and a psychotic magician named The Great Potemkin offering concealment, if you'll only help with one little experimental magic trick, that may or may not kill you. But things aren't going well for Saskia either. There's a mysterious painting she may not look at, a seance to recover a lost fortune and a Muzz Elliott Doppelganger out to kill them all. How will these three kids reunite and save the day?

I was hesitant to pick up this book due to my hatred of G.P. Taylor's Shadowmancer. But I was finally worn down by the pretty cover and the graphic, comic book style combined with chapter writing, in the vein of Hugo Cabret. I am very glad that I did. It was a fun, visual feast with a witty, almost Dickensian story of lost inheritances, mistaken identities, evil twins and ever so polite ghosts. It was an amazingly fast read and I find it amazing that with three separate artists, there is a very nice cohesiveness to the whole book, as if only one person had drawn it. Like Hugo Cabret, I was a bit thrown my the "real" image thrown in in the middle of the book. Why throw in this reality in a world of ink and linework? I don't know, it was off in that book and this one, so please, if someone who is planning on doing this in a book, just don't. I also applaud this new medium that is coming to the forefront. As a bridge between comics and chapter books I think it will encourage hesitant readers to risk moving on from just comics. But more importantly, it's just so beautiful and gorgeous, it's wonderful to see what can be done in this medium if you're willing to push the boundaries. More please! I guess that means I should go out and grab the sequel right?

[Kaity-Jane Culbertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read a book by G.P Taylor before, and rarely do I read children's books, but when I opened up this one when it arrived after I accidentally got it for reviewing purposes, I knew it would be a fun and interesting book to read. It was so cool! It is like the perfect kids book - a mixture of simple to read pages, comics, and pictures that tell only one story. Even I found it quite intriguing.


I found this book the perfect length for a children's book, ages 8-12 or so. It was easy captivating and full of adventure and action, making the reader want to turn the next page and keep reading. I believe that it would catch the attention of many children and be an enjoyable read for them. Thrown in was a light spiritual message, which I liked. It was hidden, almost like C.S Lewis, but still noticeable to people already in the Christian mindset. I enjoyed how it was in there.

Erik, Sadie, and Saskia were cute and fun characters; easily likeable and enjoyable to read about. I really liked all three of them and thought they made a humorous trio. I found myself chuckling at some of the things said and done. Twins Sadie and Saskia were quite funny and very mischievous, causing trouble from page one. I liked how they were so loyal to one another. Even after they were separated, they were determined to get back together again.

There is a mention of the "bad people" calling on spirits. It is not put in a good light, but it is still mentioned and may be too much for young readers. It was no bother to me and I do not worry about it effecting my two eldest brothers(10 and 13) at all. Another thing is that the girls are pretty rotten and never get in trouble for it. Other than that, I've nothing to mention.

All around, this was a cute and adventurous book that I will be passing down to my brothers and their friends to read. It was a nice read and the last page leaves you wanting to read the next book in the series - very encouraging to children to read more!

[Susan M (MomBlogger) · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Saskia Dopple is taken from her twin sister and the orphanage they have lived in; Isambard Dunstan’s School for Wayward Children; the sisters are angry and frightened. They have never been apart before. Now Saskia is living in a small room in a tall tower of a creepy house, while her sister Sadie and a former thief, Erik Morrissey Ganger, escape from the orphanage to try to rescue Saskia. Along the way they are chased by men and dogs, captured by a mad scientist type magician, and nearly drowned. And the adventure has just begun.

I personally did not like this book. I do not feel that the story is well written, though I think the story line has potential. It is too hard to keep up with what is happening along the way throughout the story. The story jumps around from person to person’s point of view, as well as jumping from action scene to action scene throughout. Several of the chapters or scenes could have been left out and I believe the story would have had a better flow to it. The book went back and forth between novel and graphic novel and was a bit confusing to read.

I wasn't really a fan of that back and forth and also never really got to know the characters well enough to like any of them. I found them annoying most of the time and could not see why most kids would want to read about their disrespect of adults and others. I did like the fact that the evil was exposed and the kids decided to do the right thing. But really didn't care for the fact that ALL of the adults in the story are shown in a negative light and the kids seem to be rewarded for a little good they do regardless of all the bad they have done.

I had to give it 2.5 out of 5. I’m sure there are some who will enjoy this story, unfortunately I did not.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

G.P. Taylor has become one of my favorite authors solely because of his work on Mariah Mundi: The Midas Box. I loved that book for the dark undertones, the supernatural qualities, the Steampunk, and the dark Gothic art.

The concept of this book seemed full of potential: two orphaned twins separated at long last, and the other escaping to hunt down her sister. And the dark colors of the cover and the pages looked interesting. But I think the book was written towards younger kids because the writing just wasn't as dark or engaging as Mariah. Everything was quite shallow, like a kids' TV show plot. The evil orphanage caretakers and all the "bad guys" were kind of typical, and And even worse, the book was written in combination with a comic book illustrator who drew the kids so comically it took away any sort of serious mood the writing could have attempted to create. Basically, there was G.P. Taylor as the writer, an illustrator, and a comic book artist. I'd be reading and finally something serious and creepy was happening, but then the words would stop and then a comic would appear to carry on the story and I'd groan because the mood was lost right then and there due to the awful contrast between writing and comic book. The writer / illustrators really need to work on their transitions.

The only part that really caught me was the talking puppet. It was creepy and perfectly Mariah Mundi-esque (which was what I'd been hoping to get out of the book in the first place). The illustrator did a good job of portraying its chilling strangeness. I also loved his picture of the twins in the beginning of the book. Their bold and obviously rebellious stances were wonderful; completely gave off the don't-mess-with-me vibe. After reading this, I think I'll go try Shadowmancer.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Dopple Ganger series by G.P. Taylor. The main characters are twins Saskia and Sadie Dopple and Erik Morrisey Ganger. They have been left at Isambard Dunstan’s School for Wayward Children. Sadie and Saskia are troublemakers with a capital T. They seem to be spurred on by Erik. The person in charge of the school, Miss Rimmer wants the girls gone. When Muzz Elliott, a famous novelist and benefactor to the school comes in with plans to adopt an heir, Miss Rimmer seizes her chance to get rid of one of the girls. Saskia is chosen and whisked away. Erik and Sadie run away to try to locate Saskia and rescue her. Saskia finds herself facing many challenges while living with Muzz Elliott. Saskia is comforted by someone named Madam Raphael who keeps telling her that she can call on “The Companion” when she needs help. The author has used Madame Raphael and the companion to bring a light Christian theme into the book. I was given the opportunity to review the second book for Tyndale and after doing so decided I needed to read book number one. I at first looked at this series because my students love graphic novels. I on the other hand don’t care for them. When I looked at these I found that they were a mixture of novel and graphics that balanced each other out quite nicely. I will definitely buy the physical book to add to my shelves and will recommend this to anyone who likes a good adventure and especially to those who love graphic novels.

[Jessica at Book Sake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a completely different format than any I’ve read before. It’s part graphic novel and part fiction novel. The format was what first captured my attention when I purchased this book as a gift for Wally. (He is the King of Graphic Novels around here.) After he read it, I got to see what it was all about. The story of the identical twins had me interested right away, I like twins…it’s that whole sharing a womb, sharing a lifeline, creepiness that draws me in. With that said, the sisters did tend to blend together too often.

With one sister being adopted and the other left behind, the story quickly picks up pace and moves into an adventure. Sadie and Erik escape and run for their lives in order to find Saskia, whom is fighting for her life. Some of the most amusing characters that you meet are too short lived. There is a great scene with the dogs that tops all of the others, but the dogs are not central characters within the story.

Some of the artwork repeats the novel portion that was placed right before it, and repeating the storyline threw me off. Bits of the art are difficult to make out as well, it may be a matter of perspective, but there were parts of the drawings that I just couldn’t figure out. The story comes up a bit short as it doesn’t tie everything up neatly at the end, but it was written as part of a 6 book series. Conveniently, there is a mystery left unsolved, which leads into book two, The Secret of Indigo Moon.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The First Escape by G. P. Taylor is a children’s book, which begins The Dopple Ganger Chronicles, which promises to be a six book series, about the Dopple twins and their friend Erik Ganger. The story opens with the Dopple twins dominating at an orphanage, playing pranks and getting themselves into trouble. Erik is their only friend, and helps them get into and out of trouble. An older woman, who happens to be a major funder of the orphanage, comes and chooses one of the twins to come and live with her, while the other must stay behind. Both sisters are at a loss with out the other and get themselves into life altering trouble, risking life and limb.

The First Escape combines many different things and makes it work. The format is part typical text, and part graphic novel with both animation-inspired illustrations and photograph quality images used to great effect through the book. While this technique is not actually new, it is still not very common, and it is done well with The First Escape.The story and action move quickly, keeping the pages turning and the readers mind whirling. Gothic settings and story elements are prominent; filled with scheming, mystery and humor that keep everything moving forward. I recommend The First Escape to those of the pre teen and tween set, particularly those that enjoyed Lemony Snicket and similar kinds of book series‘.My thanks to NetGalley for another book I might have otherwise missed!

[DC · Rating 5 out of 5]

It looks artsy and all, but sometimes the artfulness somehow put me off. Truly, I adored the fact that there were comics (would you believe that?) in between the pages, but the rest seemed unnecessary sometimes. Still, I liked how I can imagine the characters and scenes easily enough, thanks to the illustrations, and it was pretty cool how the extra drawings and shadings helped in the overall development and atmosphere of the book, so the artsy stuff isn't so bad.

Speaking about development: this book is really quite action-packed. All the pages of this book were dedicated in telling us the fascinating adventures of Erik and the Dopple twins. Interestingly enough, the book narrates what happened in the span of just a few hours! It was honestly breath-taking and pretty exciting.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment of this series, and so does my youngest sister, who is currently in elementary. While the setting is dark and the words sometimes too much for my kid sis's vocabulary, she enjoyed it as a whole and summarizes the experience of reading this as "AWESOME". (She doesn't read much, but she does adore the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.)

Totally cool.

[Dan Galman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The First Escape" is the first book of the six-book series.
I love the fact that they made it an "illustra-novella", meaning its part graphic novel and part illustrative novel.
I love how every chapter ends, every chapter ends with a kick of suspension.
The First Escape is one great book, it has a lot of twists (which I like.), it has secrets, action and Christian traits (that's why I love the book!).

The book is focused on the Dopple sisters (Sadie and Saskia), and Erik Morissey Ganger. The action begins when Saskia gets adopted by wealthy writer Muzz Eliott, without her sister.

Erik and Sadie escapes Isambard to find Saskia, but a police, a wild dog, a man from the school and a mad magician are about to get them.

Mean While...

Saskia discovers that Muzz Eliott is looking for a treasure that her grandfather hid inside the mansion and forgot where he hid it, and Saskia also discovers that Muzz Eliott her Guardian has a twin and tMuzz Eliotts twin plans to kill her, Muzz Eliott, takes over Muzz Eliotts identity and take all the money their grandfather hid.

Will Erik and Sadie find Saskia? Can Saskia stop Muzz Eliotts twin from her dirty-plans?

Read the book and find out!

Once you open and read the first 5-10 pages you will never stop reading and after you read it, you'll crave for the second book!

[Meagan Myhren-Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is escape possible or will evil prevail?


Book one in the Dopple Ganger Chronicles is The First Escape.
This series by G.P. Taylor gets it's name from the three main
characters - twin sisters Sadie and Saskia Dopple and their friend Erik
Morrisey Ganger. All three live at Isambard Dunstan's School for
Wayward Children. What appears to be a normal day goes from bad to
worse as an eccentric, wealthy woman adopts Saskia, but not Sadie!

While Saskia discovers a mystery that threatens life, Sadie and
Erik face dangers of their own as they escape from Isambard's and search
for Saskia. Will the three be able to reunite or will evil prevail?

The First Escape affirms the value of family and hints at a
higher power by talking of an unseen, always present Companion. When
The First Escape ends you are left wanting more!

The First Escape is reminiscent of both Oliver Twist and A
Series of Unfortunate Events: A Very Bad Beginning but not as dark. The
blended style of story-telling (text, picture text, and graphic dialog)
helps move the pace in an enjoyable manner that should hold the interest
of the reader with a short attention span. Don't deny yourself the
pleasure and enjoyment of G.P. Taylor's adventure!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received from Netalley.

Summary: From the best-selling author of Shadowmancer comes an enthralling new series of illustra-novellas. The First Escape is the first book in the Dopple Ganger Chronicles, a six-book series following three children--Sadie and Saskia Dopple and Erik Morrissey Ganger. Sadie and Saskia are mischievous identical twins living at an orphanage, where Erik is their only friend. They are separated when Saskia is adopted by Muzz Elliott, a wealthy woman searching for her long-lost family treasure. While Saskia stumbles into the center of a crime only she can stop, Sadie and Erik embark on a quest to find her. This book is in an exciting new format called an "illustra-novella," in which the story is told alternately in graphic novel format and plain text with occasional illustrations.

My review: I liked the book, it was okay. I'm not a huge fan of the combination of how it was written (ombination graphic and traditional novel). I like actually reading a book with no graphics in it, but that's just me. It was a fun reading experience and since it's a series, I'll probably continue reading them until the end. Sometimes the artfulness put me off but maybe that's only because I'm not used to reading books with graphics.

[Dan Rogers]

I recently read a blog entry one of my students made about one of the books in this series. The book sounded like it might be interesting so I asked her if I may borrow it. Almost from the very beginning I struggled with reading it. The best way I can describe the book is that it's a cross between a regular novel and a graphic novel. This was the first time I had ever tried reading graphic novels at all and I find that they just aren't for me. This, however, was not the reason why I abandoned the book. My reason for abandoning the book is that I just don't like reading stories where adults who are responsible for being kind, loving, and nurturing to children turn out to be anything but. In this book, Muzz Elliot takes one of the Dopple sisters home with her because one of her advisers has recommended that she have an heir. Unfortunately for the girl who is taken home she is not shown any love or kindness at all. In this regard I was reminded of the first book in The Series of Unfortunate Events, another book which I abandoned for the same reason. There are too many good books waiting to be read for me to waste my time on books where adults are mean and emotionally abusive to those whom they should be nurturing.

[Mr. V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the style (combination graphic and traditional novel) of this book. One issue I had with the graphic novel portion was following the action, sometimes it was hard for me to "see" what was happening because of the style of the artist.

I thought the story line was confusing at times and while I was very interested in the adventure of one of the twins, I found the other adventure less interesting. It does have some good action in it and is very quick moving.

I did get somewhat frustrated with the continued return of some characters (trying not to give too much away!) None of the characters were ever developed enough for me. I didn't really care that much what was happening to them because I didn't feel like I knew them.

I am reading this as a possible Reading and Writing Festival book for 2011. Although I gave it 3 stars, the Reading and Writing Festival books I read in the past were 4 or 5 star books. I do not recommend this for the festival, but I would suggest having a copy in your library. I had a student read this book last year and asked me to buy the second book for him.

[Andréa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, mostly because of the unique format, which mixes text pages with graphic novel style pages and illustrated pages. But the art styles don't complement each other well -- the graphic novel pages are an anime style, as are some of the illustrated pages, while other illustrations are more realistic.

The story is a bit much, too. There are twins with the last name Dopple, whose friend bears the surname Ganger (get it?); there's a miserable orphanage, the previous matron of which mysteriously disapeared; there are 2 strangely missing parents (the Dopple mom and the Ganger dad); there's a strange house with strange rules and mysterious occurences; there's a ghost (or is she an "angel"?); there's a seance and a talking puppet; there's a deranged disgraced magician... It's just too much.

The blurbs compare the author to C.S. Lewis and the Harry Potter series, but this book, at least, doesn't have the intriguing fantasy or allegorical nature of Lewis's work, nor is it as richly detailed and developed as Rowling's Potter series. I don't see this series (as it's set to be a series) gaining anywhere near the following that Narnia or Potter have.

[Jess Wigal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reviews on the book compare the book to Harry Potter (“Hotter than Potter”) and C.S. Lewis. However, I think I would compare it to Annie (famous orphan girl movie) and/or Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. The mismatched reviews are the only thing I didn’t like about the book.
The book was about twin orphan girls and a boy they meet at an orphanage. The twins get separated and when the twin left at the orphanage gets rescued by Mr. Ganger (the boy). They make an escape to rescue the other Dopple sister that is in more danger than they can guess. The woman that adopted the other Dopple sister decides to keep all three children after they rescue her from being killed by her greedy sister!
I must still have a lot of kid left in me because I loved this book by G.P. Taylor and can’t wait to request the next 2 books in the series. Despite other reviews about the graphics and comics I actually enjoyed them (maybe more than I should of as a 22 year old female adult LOL!)
Please follow me at http://jessblogforbooks.blogspot.com/

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, creative approach that mixes standard text, sometimes creatively designed, with giant dripping letters covering the page to create a particular reaction, combined with comic storytelling, drawn in simple, slick color panels that scream movement, which fits the tone of the book. It's a fun, frantic and slightly spooky tale of two trouble making twin girls and a resourceful boy who live at a home for wayward girls (the boy was left there by his father, and now cleans the building). A woman arrives to adopt only one of the girls...and from there on the action becomes extremely frantic and it's difficult for me to explain it without spoiling too much, so I'll simply say that while the tale is enjoyable, and a good start to a series while still being a good stand alone tale, the experimental style of the medium and the overall pace of the book threw me off a bit, hence the mere 3 star rating. I look forward to seeing improvement in later books though.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Dopple Ganger Chronicles, and is presented as part novel and part comic, which adds to the fun of the book.

The story is about twins Saskia and Sadie Dopple who have been left at Isambard Dunstan’s School for Wayward Children and are well known for their trouble making. Also at this school is Erik Morrisey Ganger who helps the headmistress with chores so that he can live at the school.

The twins are separated as one is adopted unwillingly by a famous writer, only to find herself in the middle of a mystery. Of course her trouble making sister and Erik escape the school to go look for her, and become part of the mystery too.

The story is suspenseful and aimed at older children/young adults. The descriptive language and interesting story are enough to keep anyone turning pages.

This series will consist of six books following the adventures of the twins, and I think will become a favourite on many bookshelves.

[Melysah Bunting · Rating 5 out of 5]

My latest read and review, for free, from Tyndale is The First Escape (The Dopple Ganger Chronicles) by G.P. Taylor. It's a young adult fictional story with beautifully drawn anime. The story is about the antics of teenage identical twins and their friend.

Sadie and Saskia Dopple live at Isambard Dunstan's School for Wayward Children. The sisters are a menace and drive the terrible Miss Rimmer and other school faculty crazy. Erik M. Ganger, a former thief, helps the girls in different situations. Food fights, escapes, thievery, murder, etc. are all apart of the plot.

I love this story, and I can't wait to read the other novels to this series. It's technically a YA book, but I think all ages can enjoy it. The story has bold print and great pictures. It's like a comic book and novel in one!

[Jill G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The layout/set-up of this book is super neat--pages of text alternating with pages of graphic novel. Many of the text pages that weren't strictly graphic novel-style were also artistically designed with extra pictures/interesting layouts. When I first saw it, I thought, "My kids are going to LOVE this," and I was really pumped. But I was a little disappointed in the actual substance of the book--I found the story kind of hard to follow and not very well-written. I was especially confused at the beginning when Saskia and Sadie are introduced, because I wasn't sure if we were actually supposed to like them. I always enjoy children-outsmarting-awful-adults storylines, but this one fell a little flat for me. (I still showed it to my students though because I thought the style would still grab a few, which I think it definitely did.)

[Kenslie Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Thoughts:
This is the first book that I have ever reviewed and I could not have chosen a better book to start with. Sadie and Saskia Dopple were perfect for the main characters. They were always doing something action filled or getting into trouble. Erik Morrisey was the icing on top of the cake. The plot was very exciting and it was a fun-filled read. This was an action-packed novel that took me by surprise. However, I think that it was difficult to switch from reading a book to reading a comic book. If it were just pictures and then the text in book form, it wouldn't have been as tough to read. This book is more fit for children than for young adults. Children would love the action and the comics. I have never read anything other than this book from G.P. Taylor, but this book made a great first impression. I highly recommend this book for children ages 9-13.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book ... the idea of part book (with gothic looking illustrations thrown in) and part graphic novel was good, and the cover, endpapers, and binding were intriguing. Unfortunately, the color illustration on the cover is different from the type inside for the graphic novel part of the book, which look like they should be in a kid's book, rather than a book for teens. I'm not a big GP Taylor fan (I couldn't finish Shadowmancer), and this story seemed choppy and didn't always hold my attention. I finished a few other books while I was trying to get through this one. I'm looking forward to other YA authors doing some of these part book / part graphic novels, but will likely pass on the next in this series.