Hopkins, Ellen.
IDENTICAL
New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008
IL YA
ISBN 1416950052

(2 booktalks)

Kaeleigh and Raeanne and identical twins.  And they each have their dark secret.  Ever since the car accident a few years ago, their mother has been very distant.  She is running for political office and is always on the road.  She can't help them.  And their father is the problem.  In public, he is a district court judge with a good reputation.  In private, he is Kaeleigh's abuser.  Raeanne has her own problems that are equally as dire as Kaeleigh's.  No one got through that car accident without permanent damage.

Booktalk #2

This is the story of Raeanne and Kayleigh, dealing with a pretty crappy family. They are identical twins yet nothing alike. Kayleigh is the good girl - good grades, school play, the right clothes, the right friends. Raeanne is the wild child - skipping school, pot smoking, promiscuous and dangerous sex. Their mother is running for office and is basically gone. Their Daddy is a judge who, well, 8 years ago he was drunk when he crashed their car. Mom has been having surgeries to fix it ever since, but the family is seriously broken.

This is Kayleigh: (read "Yeah, It Stings" on page 158)

This is a very hard book to read. It is mostly about how Kayleigh and Raeanne are dealing with the fact that Daddy has turned to Kayleigh to replace the absent mother - meaning he's molesting her. It's a hard book to read, but it is so very worth it.  (Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 2011)