The Other Mother

September 28, 2020
Dicks (Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend) offers a wistful and quietly moving portrait of a teenage boy keeping too many secrets. Fourteen-year-old Michael wakes up one morning convinced that his mother has been replaced by an imposter. Neither of his younger siblings notice any difference, nor does Glen, the stepfather Michael disdains. Dicks hints that Michael’s perception might stem from the increasing distance he’s felt from his mother since his father’s death three years earlier—and about which both Michael and his mother are keeping secrets. Sarah, Michael’s neighbor and new love interest, is convinced Michael is suffering from Capgras syndrome, a psychological disorder that creates beliefs about imposters, while Michael suspects the doppelgänger has hidden his real mother away somewhere. Michael struggles to make sense of his place in his school, his peer group, and his family without support from the mother he once thought he could depend on. Though none of Michael’s secrets, or even the central mystery of his mother’s identity, hold much suspense, Michael’s appealingly vulnerable first-person narration and his painful missteps through the minefield of adolescent social situations will endear him to readers. Dicks’s bighearted, generous novel makes a strong case for empathy and for forgiveness—both toward others and toward oneself.

October 15, 2020
Dicks (Twenty-One Truths about Love, 2019) delivers a highly readable coming-of-age story. Michael is 13 and dealing with a lot: his father's death, his mother's remarriage to asshole Glen," the responsibility of his two younger siblings, and one big secret. Plus, he doesn't really have any friends at school, mostly due to his anger issues and the fact that everyone knows he talks to the school psychologist every day. On top of all that, he has woken up today to find that his mother is not his mother; she may act and look like her, but Michael knows she is the other mother. One good thing is that Sarah, his neighbor and the prettiest girl in school, wants to be his friend and maybe something more. Dicks nails Michael's inner thoughts and dialogue, and his portrayals of his relationships (with his siblings and the psychologist in particular) are refreshingly sweet. The other mother conceit wears thin after a while, mostly because Michael's story is compelling enough, but it takes little away from this engaging novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2020

Thirteen-year-old Michael Parsons keeps a list of his problems: He hates his stepfather; he's always getting in trouble at school; he is practically the sole caregiver for his two younger siblings; he has a secret he can't share with anyone; and now his mother has been replaced by another mother. When no one else in his family recognizes that his real mother is missing, Michael takes it upon himself to find out the truth. This is not a missing-persons case, though; it's a severe psychological break that occurs when a young man is forced to carry emotional baggage that would be difficult for someone twice his age. Luckily, Michael has a caring school psychologist and an understanding new friend who will help him begin to unburden himself of his secrets and find the mother for whom he is so desperately searching. VERDICT Dicks (Twenty-One Truths About Love) doesn't seem concerned with medical accuracy, but it is doubtful that readers will mind too much as they laugh, cry, and cheer their way through this touching coming-of-age tale. For fans of Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Andrew David MacDonald's When We Were Vikings.--Portia Kapraun, Delphi P.L., IN

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2021

Gr 8 Up-Michael is drowning. His life seems relatively easy: He's 14, white, in middle school, is interested in girls, and has a mom, two younger siblings, and a stepfather. But he also has two huge secrets that are taking over his life and pulling him under. First, and most importantly, his mother is missing. She has been replaced by another mother, an exact twin, and no one has noticed except Michael. The other secret is so big he can't even contemplate it. Meanwhile, he has to take care of his younger brother and sister while his other mother works two shifts at the hospital to support them and his perennially unemployed stepfather. On top of that, Michael has to check in twice daily with the school counselor for anger management (after all, he did throw a laptop through a window). Determined to find his mother, Michael tackles adult-size problems, and along the way, finds out that friends and family can be a greater resource than he ever expected. This is a captivating story, told from Michael's point of view with incredible veracity and heart. VERDICT A perfect read for fans of John Green, R.J. Palacio, and Marcus Zusak.-Gretchen Crowley, formerly at Alexandria City P.L., VA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.