Danny Day, age eleven, lives every day twice, which allows him to skip class, play video games for hours, and try to bring down bullies at his new middle school. - (Baker & Taylor)

When Danny’s family moves across the country, he suddenly has to use his special ability of living every day twice to expose a ring of cheaters in the lunchtime video game tournament as well as take down bullies one day at a time... or is it two days at a time? Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

A boy who lives every day twice uses his ability to bring down bullies at his new school in Mike Thayer's humor-filled middle grade novel, The Double Life of Danny Day. - (McMillan Palgrave)

A boy who lives every day twice uses his ability to bring down bullies at his new school in Mike Thayer's humor-filled middle grade novel, The Double Life of Danny Day.

My name is Danny Day, and I live every day twice.

The first time, it’s a “discard day.” It’s kind of like a practice run. At the end of the day, I go to bed, wake up, and poof everything gets reset, everything except my memory, that is.

The second time, everything is normal, just like it is for everyone else. That’s when everything counts and my actions stick. As you could probably guess, “Sticky Day” Danny is very different from “Discard Day” Danny.

When Danny’s family moves across the country, he suddenly has to use his ability for more than just slacking off and playing video games. Now he's making new friends, fending off jerks, exposing a ring of cheaters in the lunchtime video game tournament, and taking down bullies one day at a time ... or is it two days at a time?

Mike Thayer, author of The Double Life of Danny Day, is a proud father of three, lucky husband of one, passionate author, budding podcaster, lifelong gamer, viral blogger, degreed engineer, decent impressionist, inept hunter, erstwhile jock, and nerd. He has cast a ring on the slopes of Mt. Doom, eaten a feast at the Green Dragon Inn, cemented Excalibur in a sandstone block, tasted butter beer at Diagon Alley, built a secret door to his storage room, and written a few fantasy books. What else is left, really? - (McMillan Palgrave)

Booklist Reviews

In a clever time-loop tale reminiscent of Groundhog Day, a middle-schooler gets free do-overs by living through each day twice—first in a "discard" that ceases to exist, except in his memory, at midnight, and then again in a "sticky" version he can alter by saying or doing different things. Having lived like this since birth, Danny has mostly worked out the kinks. Even so, while adroitly fitting in at his new Idaho school in the wake of a move and carefully cultivating new friends, he begins to wonder if he should be making better use of his opportunities. Rather than going all Robert Cormier (see, for instance, Fade) and endowing his cocky protagonist with darker impulses, Thayer bends his tale in a more lighthearted direction. After engaging in some awesomely reckless exploits (on the discard days), Danny at last takes on, with two new allies, a taunting, bullying gamer who, readers will readily agree, really deserves the schooling he gets. Other bullies remain at large, so look for further just deserts in future episodes. Grades 4-6. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 4–6—Through a quirk of fate, Danny lives every day twice. Once as a regular day like everyone else and once as a "discard" day, when he can do anything he wants without consequences. A typical 12-year-old, he spends his "discard" days cutting school and playing video games. That changes when Danny starts a new school in a new town and meets classmate Zak, self-confident and respected by his peers. Zak's integrity leads Danny to wonder if there is something better he can do with his unique gift. Danny finds his purpose when he vows to take down a video game cheating ring, led by another student who uses the game to steal money from players. Danny's first-person narrative engages readers with wisecracking humor and sharp observations on the middle school social stratum. Danny is cued as white. Zak, whose parents hail from Ghana and Japan, provides the mentoring guidance Danny's parents do not. They are portrayed as loving but preoccupied and a bit clueless: Danny's father doesn't believe he's into video games and his mother thinks he has "playdates" with friends. Gamers will relish Thayer's extended play-by-play accounts of the kids' video battles and strategies. A good group discussion point is the difference between how Zak and Danny handle bullies: Zak stands up to them, Danny plots to get even. VERDICT Perfect for gamers who'd rather play than read, Thayer speaks their language and scores a direct hit.—Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem P.L., Holbrook, NY