Identity Swap: The Card People 2

An action-packed middle-grade adventure story on the borders of science fiction and fantasy. There's heartbreak, humor, and heroic acts of bravery in this gripping story, for ages 9 and up.Two brothers, Paul and Sam Kapadia, are trying to protect the world from the evils of nanotechnology. Their father--a computer genius who is an immigrant from India--has mysteriously disappeared after creating a "good" form of nanodust that brings to life anything it touches--creatures with kindness and intelligence. But the evil David Westfield has created a "bad" form that creates nightmarish creatures with malicious intent.Paul and his friends have many challenges in this story, Part 2 of a trilogy--to rescue Sam (who has been taken prisoner by Westfield), to stop Westfield's production of his evil nanodust, and--in a final scene that reminded me of Bilbo's encourter with Smaug the Dragon--to disable a nuclear submarine that threatens the USA.There's also plenty of emotional crosscurrents between Paul and his old friend Nim, as Paul has to admit that he no longer views her as just a friend. But Nim's boyfriend Lex, naturally, isn't happy with that development. Meanwhile, the mysterious Amra appears on the scene, also from India. Does she have some connection to Paul and his family? There's also a lot of cool speculation about the difference between carbon-based life forms such as humans and AI creatures such as the card people. In all, a great read! Highly recommended.