Module 8 - Fake ID

FAKE ID

Bibliographic Information

•           Sorrells, W. (2005). Fake ID: A novel. New York: Sleuth Dutton.

Summary
Chastity is a sixteen year old who is on the run with her mother, though she does not know why.  Her identity changes in every new town they move to, as does her mother's, and she has no knowledge of any other family.  After arriving in a small town in Alabama her mother disappears one night.  Police find some evidence, including blood, and try to take Chastity into custody for foster care.  She runs again, and believes her mother is on the run also but must find out where her mother is and why they are running before she is captured or placed in foster care or worse.

My Impressions
I thought this book was OK.  I enjoyed it in spots, and found that it is a pretty easy read and pretty easy mystery.  It is not a very suspenseful mystery, but one that middle schoolers would most likely enjoy.

Reviews
Slayden, B. (2006). Fake ID. [Review of Fake ID, by W. Sorrells]. Library Media Connection, 24(7), 71.

Sixteen-year-old Chastity and her mother have been on the run as long as she can remember. Chass doesn’t even know why. She simply knows that they move from town to town at a moment’s notice, getting new identities with each move, and that her mother doesn’t like music of any kind. It is the discovery that Chass has a real talent for music that sends her mother out for a “cooling off” drive. But her mother fails to return home. Her abandoned car, a purse containing several IDs, and blood matching her DNA are found. Chass realizes it’s up to her to figure out who she really is within six days or be put in foster care. Or even worse, she could be murdered by the people they’ve been running from. Chass digs up information on an unsolved mystery of years past. With the pieces finally all laid out, Chass discovers she is the daughter of Jenna
Farmer, a once popular singer/songwriter who happened to have a tape describing a murder in detail. Although Chass’ many close calls with death are a bit redundant and her tough girl demeanor seems a bit
too contrived, the story does flow well. The conversational tone makes it an especially easy-to-read mystery sure to be well liked. Recommended. --Bridget Slayden, Educational Reviewer, Fordland, Missouri

Library Usage
This is a circulation book, but could be used as a genre study on easy mysteries for middle school students.