POPULAR CLONE

What happens when you take one lovable-but-nerdy sixth grader and add a little mad scientist and a smattering of tween James Bond? You get Fisher Bas, a 12-year-old genius who’s seen the inside of one too many toilet bowls thanks to the Vikings, Wampalog Middle School’s infamous band of bullies.

Unwilling to subject himself to one more day of torment, Fisher steals a sample of his world-renowned scientist mother’s top-secret human-growth hormone and clones himself. At first, Fisher is relieved to let his clone deal with the Vikings while he watches from his computer at home, but his simple plan quickly becomes dangerously complicated. Fisher Two’s unexpected popularity threatens to blow their cover, and things go from bad to worse when both Fishers wind up in the evil grasp of resident mad scientist Dr. X, who’s desperate to get his hands on the top-secret formula. Castle’s debut, the first in a planned series, strikes just the right balance of humor and action and is sure to keep young readers turning the pages. Fisher’s struggles to fit in, to relate to girls and to uncover and preserve his true self feel genuine, making him a misfit and unlikely hero worth rooting for.

An inventive new take on the traditional bully story.