Marilyn Kaye facts for kids

Marilyn Kaye (born July 19, 1949) is an American author who writes books for children and teenagers. For many years, she taught children's literature at St. John's University in New York. She has written over 100 books, and is famous for her popular Replica and Gifted series.

Life and Career

Marilyn Kaye was born in New Britain, Connecticut, in 1949. She grew up mostly in Atlanta, Georgia. As a child, she loved to write and kept a diary.

She studied English at Emory University and later earned advanced degrees from Emory and the University of Chicago. For more than 20 years, she was a professor at St. John's University, where she taught about children's books.

Kaye started publishing her books in 1984. At first, she used a pen name, Shannon Blair. A pen name is a fake name that an author uses. She became very successful, especially with her Replica series, which has been sold all over the world.

The Replica Series

Replica is a science fiction book series for young readers. It's about a teenage girl named Amy Candler. Amy finds out she is a clone. She is one of thirteen girls who were created in a lab and given superhuman powers.

Amy was made as part of a secret government plan called Project Crescent. A kind scientist took her from the project and raised her as her own daughter. Throughout the series, a mysterious group called the Organisation tries to find Amy and the other clones. They want to use the clones' powers to take over the world. Amy has to try to live a normal life while also helping the other clones and fighting the Organisation.

The series was very popular and was translated into many languages, including Finnish, Polish, and German.

Books in the Replica Series

The original series has 24 books. They follow Amy's adventures as she learns about her powers and her past.

• Early Adventures (Books 1-6): Amy discovers she is a clone with special abilities. She tries to hide her secret from her friends while a new person in her mom's life turns out to be part of the Organisation. She meets another clone who is her exact opposite and must escape a fake trip designed to capture her.

• New Discoveries (Books 7-12): Amy meets other kids with special powers, including a boy clone named Andy who was designed to be her perfect match. She also has to deal with a woman who claims to be her birth mother and a strange illness that affects her powers.

• Facing the Organisation (Books 13-18): Amy's adventures take her to Washington D.C., the home of Project Crescent. She learns more about why she was created. Later, she is kidnapped and forced to compete in a dangerous game against other clones on a desert island.

• Final Challenges (Books 19-24): Amy develops new powers like reading minds and seeing the future. She and Andy work together to uncover the truth about the Organisation. In the end, the clones' powers start to fade, and Amy must face the idea of living a normal life.

• The Plague Trilogy: This is a special mini-series where Amy must fight a dangerous plague. She travels through time and even inside a human body to stop it.

The Gifted Series

Gifted is another popular series by Marilyn Kaye. It is about a special class of students at Meadowbrook Middle School. Each student has a unique supernatural power, or "gift."

Their teacher, Madame, helps them learn to control their abilities. A secret group wants to use the students' powers for their own gain, so the students must work together to protect themselves. This is hard because many of them don't like their powers or each other.

Main Characters

• Amanda Beeson: A popular girl who can possess other people's bodies when she feels sorry for them. She tries to avoid this, but her classmates think she does it on purpose.
• Jenna Kelley: A Goth girl who can read minds (telepath). She has a reputation for getting into trouble.
• Emily Sanders: A quiet girl who has visions of the future (prophecy). Her visions are hard to understand.
• Ken Preston: A popular athlete who can talk to spirits (mediumship). He is often bothered by ghosts asking for help.
• Tracey Devon: A shy girl who can become invisible. She feels ignored by her family.
• Charles Temple: A boy who uses a wheelchair and has the power of telekinesis (moving objects with his mind). He is very selfish.
• Sarah Miller: A kind girl who can control what other people do. She is scared of her power and rarely uses it.
• Martin Cooper: A boy who gets super strength when he is angry.
• Carter Street: A boy who cannot speak and has lost his memory. He is later revealed to be a shape-shifter.

Books in the Gifted Series

The series follows the students as they learn to use their gifts and work together.

• 1. Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Amanda gets trapped in Tracey's body and decides to make Tracey's life better. The class must stop someone from using Emily's visions to win the lottery.
• 2. Better Late Than Never: Jenna's long-lost "father" returns, but he is a fake who wants to use her mind-reading to win at poker.
• 3. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: Emily has visions of her classmates disappearing. Many of them are kidnapped and forced to help with a robbery.
• 4. Finders Keepers: Ken tries to help a ghost find a winning lottery ticket for his son. Amanda uncovers a plot against the class.
• 5. Now You See Me: Tracey thinks there is a spy in the class, especially after Jenna is framed for a crime.
• 6. Speak No Evil: Carter, the boy with amnesia, discovers he is a shape-shifter. The class learns about a doctor who might be able to take away their gifts.