The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix (review)

Twelve-year-old Chess Greystone has been helping his mom look after younger siblings Emma and Finn since their father died eight years ago. Now three children with their same first names, same ages, and a mother who could be their mom's twin have been abducted. The similarities are uncanny to say the least, but some major differences set them apart: the missing kids, the Gustanos, live thousands of miles away in Arizona, and both of their parents are alive. Still, the kidnapping definitely rattles their mother, who suddenly leaves town and arranges for the kids to stay with Ms. Morales and her daughter, Natalie. Working together with Natalie, the Greystone kids decipher an encrypted note from their mom, and the quartet decides to go on a rescue mission to save the Greystones' mother and the Gustano kids from an evil government-run corporation in an alternate world. Haddix returns with another mystery/adventure/science-fiction hybrid filled with twists, turns, and political undertones in the nefarious intentions of the alternate world. This first installment ends expectedly with a cliffhanger that is sure to leave readers wanting more. Reviewed from an unillustrated galley. QB