dopple ganger: the great mogul diamond (review)

in this third book of the dopple ganger chronicles, life finally seems to be pretty good for sadie and saskia dopple, who have been adopted by writer-friend muzz elliott.  their friend, erik morrissey ganger, is beginning to fulfill his dream of becoming a detective.  it turns out that they are experiencing a calm before the storm when their guardian starts to receive threatening notes.

soon, the twins and muzz elliott are caught up in a series of crimes that come right from the writer's novels, while erik, the former thief, must try to decide whether to steal again in order to rescue the twins and their guardian.

this book revolves around the question of how to know what's right when the answer isn't immediately obvious.  i think that zoe is at an age where this conundrum is starting to become more prevalent.  how do you know what is right, and how do you make the decision to do what is right when the pressure is on?

i like for zoe to have books that are exciting for her to read, but who help her start to deal with moral complexities.  she has loved every book in this series, and i have been glad for her to read and think about the challenges that they present.

zoe and i both wish there were a little less violence perhaps.  zoe herself has said there is "a lot of shooting" in the books.  so far that hasn't resulted in any nightmares (thank goodness!), and overall, the quality of the narrative, writing, pictures and graphics has made up for any disappointment in the area of violence.

zoe and i both recommend these books wholeheartedly to anyone who will listen to us!

i received a copy of this book from tyndale publishers for the purpose of this review.  regardless, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are purely my own.