Double

What starts as a case of mistaken identity turns into a bizarre mystery in this exhilarating thriller from Valentine (Broken Soup). Homeless, 16-year-old Chap is killing time in a London hostel when he’s presented with a coincidence-born opportunity of a lifetime: if he pretends to be Cassiel Roadnight, a teen who has been missing for two years and who looks just like Chap, Chap can have the life and family he’s always dreamed of. As he tries to pass in his new identity among the dysfunctional Roadnights, constantly fearful of giving himself away, Chap begins to suspect that there’s more to Cassiel’s disappearance than meets the eye. Now he’s caught in a delicate balance between knowing too little and asking the wrong questions. Valentine ramps up the paranoia and mystery steadily, letting the story unfold with a grim inexorability. Some of the twists are a little unbelievable, but the slow series of revelations, coupled with Valentine’s incisive exploration of identity and perception, add up to the kind of tense, nerve-wracking story that teens will race to finish. Ages 12–up. Agent: Adams Literary. (Feb.)