The Switch Up

The Switch Up

By Author / Illustrator

Katy Cannon

Genre

Friends and family

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Little Tiger Press Group

ISBN

9781788950404

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

13-06-2019

Synopsis

WILLA - Drama queen, Fashion guru, Spontaneous, Looks like Alice
ALICE - Bookworm, Allergic to fashion, Planner, Looks like Willa
LAX Departure Lounge. Two girls board the same flight to London as complete strangers. When the plane touches down, it's the beginning of the craziest plan ever. Can Willa and Alice really swap lives for the summer?  Things are going to get complicated...  The first in a fun new series, this summer read is The Parent Trap meets Freaky Friday and is perfect for fans of GEEK GIRL and SUPER AWKWARD.

Reviews

Beverley

Teenagers Willa and Alice meet by chance in the departure lounge in LAX airport, and immediately realise that they look so alike they could be mistaken for twins. Both girls are on their way to London; Alice is due to spend the summer with her father's new girlfriend, Mabel, whom she has never met. Willa was going to spend the summer with her actor father in London, and while she was there was going to take an acting course. However, at the last minute, Willa's dad has to go and work in Edinburgh, so Willa's plans are disrupted. Unable to go back to stay with her mother, she is being sent to Italy to spend the summer there with an aunt whom she also has never met before.

Alice, still mourning the loss of her mother, has no wish to meet or spend time with Mabel. Willa, desperate to attend her drama course, obviously does not want to go to Italy. When Alice jokingly suggests that, because they look so similar, they should swap identities - and summer holidays - Willa thinks it's a great idea. The girls successfully carry out their plan; Alice heads off to Italy where she meets Willa's aunt Sofia, her husband Mattias, and their foster children Antonio, Luca and Rosa. Willa stays in London with the unsuspecting Mabel, and attends her course.

The Switch Up is a very enjoyable read. Willa and Alice are great characters, and the author describes them beautifully - Alice is quiet and organised with no interest in fashion; Willa is dramatic and spontaneous and is obsessed with her appearance. The girls swap their luggage and I loved the descriptions of them trying on each other's clothes!

The book is divided into alternating chapters, Willa and Alice each telling their story, which makes this an easy read. I particularly liked the use of sections of text messages between the two girls, which cleverly links their stories together. As a reader, I found myself really caring about these two girls, and really felt the tension increasing as they realise that their deception is going to be uncovered.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and can see it appealing to many teenage girls. The author shows how the two girls are changed by their experiences in their new environments. Willa becomes less self centered, and Alice begins to move on from the loss of her mother. Both girls learn a lot about themselves and about the value of family. The book ends very satisfactorily, and I hope the author is planning a sequel - Willa and Alice are very engaging characters, and I would love to know what happens to them in the future!


See the follow-up, The Switch-Up: LA Exchange

352 pages /  Reviewed by Beverley Somerset, school librarian

Suggested Reading Age 11+

 

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