I haven't read this book in a number of years, due to the fact I cannot find a copy. However, since I read it years ago, the story and title have stayed with me--which is a clear sign of a good, thought provoking book. The story takes place in a future where nuclear war has occurred and the birthrate has dropped off, so that scientists are looking into cloning as a solution. Particularly, the cloning of people from the twentieth century. The test group has been created from some genetic material that was recovered from the WWII period. This is the "Rag, bone and hank of hair" that the story refers to. A boy of the future is sent in to interact with this test group of two children and a maid. These three have been conditioned to believe they are living in WWII England. They are provided with false memories and stories and have no idea that they are in a far-flung future. The boy interacting with them undergoes a profound change of character as he works with them, coming to understand something of the nature of humanity, and himself.

What struck me most about this was the power of story and belief upon human experience, and how this ultimately shapes the startling ending of the story. The perceptions we have at the beginning are dramatically reworked by the last few pages. And the story provides some food for thought. With cloning becoming a real possibility in today's world, some of the questions raised here might not be so far off base. I found it to be an excellent SF read, with some wonderful accounts of what it would be like to be in England during WWII bombings. I'm hoping to get a copy one of these days so I can reread it. Hope you can find one too!

Happy reading! ^_^
--shanshad

This book is thrilling, exciting, and fast-paced. If you like any of the above then I recommend you to buy this book. At whatever price, it is a great book to any collection of Sci-Fi books in any household. It is about clones after a nuclear accident in Europe. A super-smart 12 year old is going to live with the "Reborns" to get them accustomed to the 2070 style of life. But a nice surprise is in store at the end.

I never got to see a copy of this book. However, I saw "Grinny" as a 1/2 hour cartoon special on that old Saturday morning tv series "CBS Storybreak". (I think ABC still has their books-made-into tv specials series.) Every Saturday morning, there would be a book made into and animation.

I read this book when I was about 10 and still have a copy of it now on book shelf (aged 25! ). It is a captivating and addictive read, with narrative that transfixed me from the first read. The narrative and sory telling is brilliant. This is a book that I will be passing onto my childeren. I only wish that the follow up book had been as exciting.

This is a really great book for those who're into science fiction and horror. The way Grinny hypnotizes the adults is scary, but the way the kids counter with their "eyes right" treatment is pretty cool.

I read this book in the 5th grade and fell in love with it. I still think of it often. It started me in the Sci-Fi genre that still endures today. Get it for yourself or your kid, or both!!!

This book ruled. This was the first science-fiction book I ever bought, and I'm sorry to see it's out of print. When I bought it the first time, it was already older than me.

Summary: Unwitingly abondoned by his parents, Mykl is stranded on a hostile planet, from which escape sems impossible.

More in depth summary: Well, he's on this planet, which is a planet that gets mined off of all the time. Y'see, his parents are space miners, and this planet's a gold mine, but the only problem is that there's these things that eat metal here and, you guessed it, they haven't invented plastic space ships yet. So in thier hurry to leave, they accidentally leave Mykl there. And this dwarf girl who was a hired hand. And there they hang out at this cool dome thing with a robot named Ego.

A badical book. Not much now for me, but I think it's badical because of sentimentality. Get it for the kid in your life. You'll be glad you did.