Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters

Gr 7 Up—An alchemy of romance and suspense, science and history, this book would make Mary Shelley proud. Written in diary form, the novel consists of entries belonging to Victor Frankenstein's identical twin daughters (liberties are taken with the original story). Upon learning that their father is dead, the girls also discover that they have inherited his fortune, and on the eve of their 17th birthday, arrive at a remote Scottish island to claim Castle Frankenstein. Deftly characterized, glamorous and vibrant Giselle is determined to turn the moldering mansion into a showplace, overseeing renovations and planning a grand party, while thoughtful and studious Ingrid becomes consumed by Victor's diaries describing his experiments and resolves to heal a handsome neighbor who is dying of an incurable disease. When acquaintances are found dead, the sisters wonder if some macabre family curse plagues them. Weyn carefully doles out answers to tantalizing questions. What lies at the root of Giselle's dramatic sleepwalking episodes? Is Ingrid's prideful obsession with science leading her into insanity as it did Victor? Why are people being murdered and who is the culprit? The book reaches a dramatic conclusion at the much-anticipated house party. Real 19th-century luminaries are guests, and when readers get to the final showdown scene in the underground laboratory, Mary Shelley will not be the only one left mouth agape.—Jennifer Prince, Buncombe County Public Libraries, NC