The Beginning

Replica #14

by Marilyn Kaye

Amy is going back to the place where she was born--Washington, D.C. It's a class trip to take in the historic sights of the nation's capital. Sure Amy's uneasy about traveling to the home turf of the people who funded Project Crescent--the reason she's alive--and is in constant fear of being captured. But it's a chance to connect with her roots. After all, what could go wrong? Well, Amy's mother is a class chaperon, and for her the trip stirs up memories. Memories of working in the top-secret government program to develop clones. Memories of a loved one battling a rare genetic disorder. Memories of betrayal, and a decision that would forever change her life. And now the trip back to where it all began pits mother and daughter against an enemy both old and new.

Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction

149 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2000

About the author

I was born in New Britain, Connecticut, and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. I also spent a year (5th grade) in Montgomery, Alabama, and a year in Ann Arbor, Michigan(8th grade). As a child, I always wanted to be a writer, but I had lots of other ambitions too. I wanted to be a teacher, a librarian, a movie star, the president of the United States, and a ballerina.

I didn't achieve all my goals. I never became a movie star, the president of the U.S., or a ballerina. But I've been a teacher and a librarian and most of all, a writer. I've been writing for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I always kept a diary. I wrote poems, stories, plays, songs and lots of letters. Writing wasn't easy for me, but it felt natural and right.

I've always read a lot, too. I was an English major at Emory University (I love Shakespeare), and I also received a master's degree in library science at Emory. I earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago, and I taught children's and teen literature at St. John's University in New York for over 20 years. Now, I'm a full-time writer, living in Paris, France - the most beautiful city in the world.

Reviews

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how we see Amy going back to the city where she came from and at the same time we see flashbacks of Nancy 13 years ago. How it all began. Btw, why haven't we found out before now that Nancy had a brother?

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of the entire series, this one has been the most disappointing by far. It took awhile to understand that Nancy's perspective was mostly in flashbacks, but not all of it. SO not only do we have a new POV but it is a flashback and badly explained that it is so. SO the suddenly emergence of Calvin and Neil completely threw me. I liked getting some idea of how the project went down with Dr Jaleski and their colleagues. Yet most of it seemed unnecessary and even muddled. Seriously, nothing happens or is explained until the last 20 pages of the book! I really feel more could have been inserted into this adventure and lots of extra cut out instead.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one yet!

I could NOT put this one down. By far the best one yet. I loved getting more of the backstory in this one.

[meri · Rating 4 out of 5]

an old favourite, i still liked the two time levels -form of this and yeah i really liked this

[Jonathan Pongratz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've gotta say, this read was pretty darn solid.

This time in Amy's chaotic life, she's DC bound for a class trip. Knowing her overprotective mom, she's volunteered as a chaperone, but is there really danger or is she overreacting? This trip reveals Nancy's former demons as well as new ones that threaten Amy's safety.

So this book takes a slightly different format than prior ones. We've got two viewpoints, that of Amy's in the present and that of her mother's in the past when she was working for Project Crescent. I have to say, these two perspectives really worked for me and created a nice balance. We also finally get some answers as to how Amy's life situation came to be and the major players involved. I love uncovering the truth of what happened.

Amy does get some additional depth here, but it's really gained through Nancy's POV and what she finally decides to tell her about what went down all those years ago.

I really liked the mysterious plot of yesteryear mixed with the action of the present. It kept things interesting in more than one way, which had me flipping through the pages pretty quickly. The only thing I wanted was a bit more of an epic backstory or more action in the present. I think it could've been ramped up more to really shake the reader to their core, but this was still really good.

Can't wait for the next one!

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the dual POV and switch between present and past (Nancy’s life in DC before Amy). I just wish we got more from the backstory since we were introduced to characters from Nancy’s past. My gripe? Nancy wasn’t really instrumental in how they were introduced and she barely interacted with them. Nancy as a character overall — I just wish we got more. As an adult rereading it she feels so flat to be such a major player in Project Crescent and Amy’s life. It still was nice to read/see SOMETHING about her outside of being overprotective and secretive. Not sure this book would be a standalone reread for me, but in the grand scheme of the series, it is a solid addition.

[Ema · Rating 4 out of 5]

And this one finally fleshes out Nancy, which I think really needed done. It's a bit hard to buy how very alone she is while still being in fantastic health, and we see that when, as the books start, she begins developing friendships. The ultimate sacrifice is very sweet and perhaps a tad juvenile in its optimism but works in this sense.

[Jolean O'Connell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's good to finally have some of the puzzle pieces put together.
Very heart-warming and sad.

[Nana Boss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Na jedan način je zanimljivo vidjeti projekt polumjesec iz Nancyne perspektive. Žao mi je Neila. Ali opet to je nekak, već smo to čuli.

[Christopher Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book in the Replica series is a little different because we get narrations from Nancy Candler's perspective and we get to hear specifics about her work at Project Crescent. This would definitely qualify as the origin story for Amy Candler. Returning to Washington, D.C. was a chance for Amy to learn more about where she came from and for Nancy to revisit her past and confront some old demons. I enjoyed this book and hope that the rest of the series get more informative and ties up other loose ends.

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think you should have put this book a little earlier in the series.

[Em's Adventures · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this one because it delves deeper into the history of project crescent and we get to learn about Nancy's past from Nancy's point of view.