The Switch

Tad Spencer is very, very smart and RICH. His parents own a company that sells skin care products and cosmetics. Tad can have anything and everything he wants. When he cannot have his way about going to an amusement park, Tad decides he wants to be someone else!

To his horror, he wakes up the next morning with a different body and with a different life. As he adjusts to being Bob Snarby and life as a "carnie", the adjustments in attitude and outlook on life are very interesting.

I enjoy Horowitz's books. The reader gets to share how his main character thinks and feels. Granted in this book, Tad's experiences are pretty drastic and the change in values come fairly quickly, it is still believable. The mansion Tad grows up in, is based on Horowitz's own home.

At first it was hard to sympathize with Tad or Bob, but as time went on Tad became a more likable individual. Most of the other characters were definitely lacking in being the kind of people you would want to be around. I also like the environmental message in the book. It was not heavy handed but it was handled very well, I thought.

Usually switches like this wind up with the switchees being glad to be who they are. In this one, both were glad to be back in their own bodies, but were glad to be different people. Tad and Bob both had a chance to start their lives anew and both were looking forward to it. I like that premise and hope they have better luck the second time around.