The Second Clone

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

Miranda and her best friend Emma, both children of gene research
scientists, are experimental humans created by their fathers’ friend,
Dr. Mullen. The doctor seems benign at first but gradually acquires an
ominous aura and eventually is seen as villainous. Another cloned teen,
Ariel, who has been raised in a laboratory, comes to live with Miranda
and her parents. When Dr. Mullen kidnaps Ariel from Miranda’s home,
the friends set out to rescue her. They succeed, but not without a
thrilling brush with death and danger.

Carol Matas is widely acclaimed for her historical fiction and
thrillers. And deservedly so, The Second Clone is a compelling sequel to
Cloning Miranda (1999). The complex plot is convincing. The talk and
behavior of the teens is lively and credible. Miranda and Emma ground
the science fiction in reality. The novel will intrigue teens and young
adults by its clever blend of a good story, sympathetic characters, and
suspense. For the mature reader, the possibilities now envisaged by
scientists in this tale may seem both beneficent and horrific. Highly
recommended.