First published 2004
Nick lives with his uncle Jack along New England's forested coastline. His parents died from influenza when he was an infant, shortly after World War I ended. One day Nick looks in a mirror and sees nothing staring back. A longtime neighbor claims he ignored her completely, though Nick remembers no such encounter. People around town start blaming him for various incidents he knows he didn't cause. Nick wonders if another boy who resembles him is creating these problems. He suspects something far stranger is happening. Nick discovers that someone else is deliberately framing him for trouble. He refuses to let this shadow version of himself destroy his life. Working with his friend Gypsy, Nick devises a scheme to eliminate his mirror image permanently. Two boys share one life in their small town. One breathes and walks among the living. The other exists as a ghost. They must face each other in a struggle that will decide which one deserves to continue existing.
Genres: 20th-century, coming-of-age, mystery, supernatural, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, unreliable-narrator
Setting: New England, Small Town
Period: Post-World War I
192 pages · Hardcover · Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Content warnings: mental-illness