The Switch Up: L. A. Exchange

I loved the first Switch Up book by Katy Cannon, where two teenage girls, who look very similar, meet at an airport and decide to swap their lives for the summer. What could possibly go wrong?

The second book, Switch Up: L.A. Exchange, sees the girls - Willa and Alice - on holiday together in L.A., and of course there are opportunities once again to swap identities, which the girls take; Willa to work on a film project, and Alice to support an environmental project that Willa had been meant to do.

Although they do swap identities again, L.A. Exchange is a very different book from the first one as now the girls are together and we see their very different personalities start to emerge; as the challenges for them mount, both will need to decide how much they value their friendship.

The novel gives some lovely glimpses into young teenagers and their passions as they look ahead to the future lives they might want to lead. For Willa, it is all about film and being a star while Alice is happier in roles supporting the environment. Each has qualities that the other needs to learn, and Cannon works these changes seamlessly into the novel.

I'd really recommend these books as perfect summer reads for ages 10+ - there is friendship, the stirrings of romance, and a distinct sense of looking ahead to the kinds of young people the characters want to grow into.

352 pages / Ages 10+ / Reviewed by Elen Green

Suggested Reading Age 11+

I liked that this could happen in real life, it's really action-packed and I would recommend this to children ages 10+

Suggested Reading Age 9+