The Switch

December 15, 2008
Maybe only a 10-year-old would find the zanily sinister world here plausible, but Horowitz (the Alex Rider adventures) writes about it with such zeal that older readers will get sucked in, too. Rich, spoiled Thomas Arnold David Spencer, or Tad, goes to bed one night on his goose feather pillow and Irish linen sheets wishing for one split second to be someone else. Thanks to some alignment of planets (or maybe just a weird carnival gypsy, it's never really clear), 13-year-old Tad gets his wish, and he wakes up in the body of Bob Snarby, the son of carnival workers, who has a penchant for sniffing glue. The ensuing chain of events has Tad, Bob and readers questioning whether anything is what it appears to be. Horowitz has fun describing both the squalor of Snarby's caravan and its hard-knock occupants as well as the upscale, anything-can-be-bought world of the Spencers. Spinning an action-packed story, Horowitz also slyly tosses in some pretty deep questions about life. Ages 10–up.

March 1, 2009
Gr 5-8-A twist of fate is the premise behind this story of riches, street urchins, and criminals. Tad Spencer, 13, is used to getting what he wants from his indulgent yet inattentive parents. One day, he wakes up as Bob Snarbypoor, hungry, dirty, living in squalorthe son of carnival workers. The story is entertaining but the characterizations of Tad's parents are uneven and contradictory. Also, the level of violence, including mass murder, makes the book sound heavy, but it isn't. It's a fun, tongue-in-cheek read that will captivate children who like adventure and mystery. Tad struggles throughout to make sense of his new life and to return to his old one. The discoveries that he makes about himself and the people surrounding him allow him to realize that his old life perhaps is not what he thought it was, and he discovers that life is only as good as you make it.Margaret Auguste, Franklin Middle School, Somerset, NJ

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2008
Grades 5-8 Horowitzs full-scale assault on the attentions of middle-grade boys continues with this tale of swapped identity. Tad Spencer, a rich kid with little to complain about, one night wishes he was someone else. When he awakes the next morning, he finds his wishhascome true. Muchto his dismay, though, hes switched places with Bob Snarby, the son of two slovenly carnival workers, and soon falls into the life of an uneducated miscreant. He eventually discovers that his old familys wealth is built on the abhorrent practices of his fathers so-called charity, and sets out to take down the empire. Theres a knowing wink at one pointin case readers happen to be familiar with the classic film Trading Places. While Horowitz wont be accused of subtlety in either character or plot here, like that film there are a few underhanded elements of social satire that creep in alongsidethe more obviouscondemnation of rampant greed. Mostly, though, Horowitzs name-brand promise of cartoonish action will attract his audience, and theyll be mostly pleased with this foray.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
Wealthy Tad Spencer switches bodies with transient carnival kid Bob Snarby and becomes embroiled in Oliver Twist-like adventures. Eventually, Tad (as Bob) uncovers an evil plot involving his own parents experimenting on children while manufacturing beauty products. Told entirely from Tad's perspective, Horowitz's dramatic take on a Freaky Friday-ish theme is enjoyably suspenseful.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)