The Copycat by Wendy McLeod MacKnight
Published by Greenwillow Books on March 10, 2020
ISBN: 0062668331
Pages: 432
Genres: Fantasy, Humor
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

Seventh grader Ali comes from a long line of copycats, people who can change into other living beings.  It’s her Sloane family secret and up until now only Digger, her father, and Gigi, her Great grandma, are the copycats in her family.  For some, it’s a magical ability while others it’s a curse.  When Ali and her parents move into her father’s birth home to help Gigi, Ali changes like copycats do for the first time.  Unfortunately, she is at school when it happens.  Readers intrigued by the copycat phenomena will be left with questions about why only the Sloane families are copycats.  Is it DNA?   How do their clothes change too?  Why does the boring book about fog become readable by the copycats?  The story line provides themes of friendship building, family forgiveness and grieving in the context of the school setting and the chaos in Ali’s family life.  Suggested for readers in grades 4-6 who enjoy some magic in their school routine.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Youth Services, Springvale Public Library