The Lost Twin by Sophie Cleverly

When shy Ivy's troublemaking twin Scarlet vanishes from Rookwood boarding school, Ivy is invited to "take her place." But when Ivy arrives, she discovers the school's true intention; she has to pretend to be Scarlet. Ivy must think like Scarlet, act like Scarlet, become Scarlet. What on earth happened to the real Scarlet, and why is the school trying to keep it a secret? Luckily for Ivy, Scarlet isn't about to disappear without a fight. She's left pieces of her journal carefully hidden all over the school for Ivy to find. Ivy's going to figure out what happened to Scarlet. She's got to. But the staff of Rookwood is always watching, and they'll do anything to keep their secrets buried... Scarlet and Ivy Series: The Lost Twin (Book 1) The Whispers in the Walls (Book 2) The Dance in the Dark (Book 3)

it was a cool and fun mystery series!!!

Middle grade mysteries are just so enjoyable to me. This one is set in a boarding school, which is a trope I've loved all my life, and it features a main character that gets to grow a lot, a sidekick who is frankly adorable, and it's set in the 1930s, so there's the historical aspect as well.

Also, I 100% pictured Mrs Fox as Matron from “Wild Child”.

Well I'm definitely not the target audience, maybe if I was 12 I'd have loved it. It just didn't draw me in and I never became emotionally invested in the characters. The fact that my daughter, who lent me it, couldn't remember anything about is not a great sign. Annoyingly the ending made me want to read the next one. Clever Ms Cleverly!

BRAVO! Truly, a around of applause is owed to Sophie Cleverly and The Lost Twin. I'm well out of the age range that this book is aimed at, but I absolutely adored every bit of it! I can only imagine how much excitement younger Jessica would have had, upon discovering this story. So many things I love are expertly wrapped up in here. Forbidding boarding schools, terrible headmistresses, brave girls, and tons of secrets. What more could a reader ask for?

If you've been following me for any length of time, you'll know that one of the biggest points in any book for me is character development. In MG fiction, that's even more important. A character needs to grow, to change, and to find themselves in situations that cause them to step outside the box. Cleverly has that down pat. Ivy's character was brilliant. Quiet, meek Ivy learned so much about herself while posing as her much more outgoing sister, Scarlet. I loved watching her come out of her shell, and face down the danger. All for the love of her sibling.

Oh, and the mystery! Pardon my overuse of the word brilliant, but it truly was brilliant! The highest compliment I can extend to this story, was that it made me think of my love of Nancy Drew, as a young reader. The clues. The chase. I was head over heels for all of it. The fact that Cleverly gave Ivy the perfect little sidekick, and best friend, was just the icing on the cake. I couldn't love this story more if I tried.

As you can tell, I am a big fan of this story. The ending was just pure perfection, and I am so eager for more! I'm smitten with Ivy, and so excited to meet her sister. This series and I are going to get along just fine.