Switch

Reviewed by Breanna F. for TeensReadToo.com

Claire Martin is your average 15-year-old girl. She has her loving mom (Dr. Martin) and her best friend, Beanie. She also has a big crush on her fellow swimming buddy, Nate. And of course the ghost of her deceased grandmother (Evelyn) who has been around since Claire was a baby, even long before that. She probably doesn't sound that average anymore, right?

Here's the real kicker: Claire is what she and her grandmother call a "Switcher." Whenever a bad storm kicks up in Claire's little beach town, she'll be pushed out of her own body in to another girl's body. But only a girl who was born close to the same time Claire was and that lives only around a mile or so away. So most of the time Claire show more switches in to a visiting girl's body. Just someone who is vacationing with her family. Overnight, Claire ends up back in her own body and wakes up back to her old self.

But at one point (during the day even) a little bit of static electricity sends Claire in to the body of a girl that her and her
friend Beanie saw just the other day on the beach. She was obviously not a local from the looks of her, and she was watching two little boys. She was a skinny little thing in a bikini that barely covered her at all. She also seemed like a complete B word to both Claire and Beanie. Of course, she had all the attention from the guys, especially Nate. So when Claire is zapped into this girl's body (her name is Larissa) she is shocked, but at the same time a bit excited. She finally has a body that she loves and is actually able to show it off without looking ridiculous.

But when Claire wakes up the next morning she's still in Larissa's body. And now she's stuck watching these two attention-starved boys from basically dusk till dawn. But she has the attention of Nate and she's not about to lose it. What could a few days in Larissa's body hurt? Except for the fact that Larissa's soul is just floating around, while Evelyn is hanging out in Claire's body for the time being. Will Claire ever switch back to her own body? And the most important thing: will she actually want to?

This book was amazing! I pretty much couldn't put it down. I got so engrossed in it every time I picked it up. I could totally understand why Claire was debating whether or not she wanted her old body back. I mean, she finally had the attention of the guy that she has liked for so long. Who would want to give that up? And I loved Evelyn's character. She was hilarious. Always walking around as her ghostly self (when she wasn't in Claire's body, that is), smoking the same cigarette day after day. The ending was also really touching. It was just overall a fantastic book.

I highly suggest reading SWITCH when it's released. You won't be sorry. show less

After reading 13 Reasons Why, I felt a need to read lighter books-and one that I could finish quickly. Switch by Carol Snow was my ultimate choice.

Here's a synopsis from the author's site:
Not much happens in Claire Martin’s sleepy little beach town, but that’s okay.
Let her hang out with her best friend, dream about her favorite lifeguard, and
swim on the high school team, and she’ll be happy.

Only one little problem:

Whenever Claire she gets too close to lightning, her spirit shoots into another
girl’s body. Usually she’s back to her old self in no time – but suddenly she
finds herself stuck as someone else: a breathtaking summer visitor who has
caught her crush’s eye.

Will Claire ever figure out how to get back to her old life? show more And, more importantly, will she want to?

Switch wasn't a book that's going to really change anyone's life or pose any earth shattering questions...but it is a fun litle book (I read it during the course of one day). As the title might suggest, most of the story transpires during Claire's big 'switch' so you dont' get a lot of her life before she switches with Larissa.

While Larissa and Claire are switched you do learn a good bit about both girl's lives-but most of it is pretty superficial. ..A lot of it was pretty predictable stuff (from the rich family Larissa's acting as nanny for to Larissa and her parents to Claire--though saying how would be spoilery).

So, while this book doesn't present anything new and some of the characters seem to be (slightly) formulaic/predictable, there were also well thought out points around the entire 'switching' events and I liked that the book centered on a longer switch but also explained why it was longer.

It would have been possible to just say that the entire switching bodies in general was strange and unpredictable so the long-term switch was just a fluke. That would have detracted from my enjoyment of the book, though, so I'm glad that Ms Snow kept up a consistent reason for why Claire wasn't switching back.

I also quite enjoyed the secondary story surrounding Claire's grandmother and the way it (and she) developed through the book.

Switch wasn't a book that's likely to change your life, but it is a book that you can read when you want to enjoy something that won't take too long to read and won't depreess you either (like I said, I read it after 13 Reasons Why). show less

Author: Carol Snow
Pages: 224
Source: Purchased from Barnes and Noble
Series or Standalone?: Standalone

When lightning strikes and electric currents are in the air, Claire Martin temporarily switches into the body of any nearby girl born under the same moon as her. She knows she’s not normal ... but she’s dealing with it. Besides, it usually only lasts for a few hours and then she wakes up in her own body. So when she finds herself trapped in the body of the beautiful new girl in town, her whole world is turned upside down. This emotional story with a sense of humor explores the bonds between friends, crushes and family and the meaning of identity as Claire struggles to hold on to her own.

* * *

This book was different than how I thought show more it would be, but not in a bad way. Instead of being so focused on the fact that Claire was a body switcher, it was more focused on her relationship with her mother, and her feelings on not knowing who her father was. The whole story was more geared towards making Claire thankful for what she had- - because some people did have it worse than her, even if it didn’t seem like it.

It also sort of surprised me how her “relationship” (does it count as a relationship when it’s not your body?) between Claire and Nate never developed into anything. This story was more suited for a younger grade audience, I think. Teens from 12-14 would be the ideal audience, maybe some 15 year olds.

Overall, the concept of the book was extremely interesting. I just wish the idea of body switchers had been delved into further. It could have been a much more exhilarating story, even though it was a great story already.

As for the cover, I feel like it completely misrepresents the book. Claire is a swimmer, and as she describes it herself, she is not girly at all. She has a swimmer’s body, which is, again, not girly. The whole point is that she traded places with Larissa who is the uber-beauty. They missed the whole meaning of the book with the cover.

Other books by this author:
Getting Warmer
Been There, Done That
Just Like Me, Only Better
Snap
Here Today, Gone To Maui

Plot: 2.5/5
Cover: 1/5
Writing: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4.5/5
Characters: 4/5 show less

There are just SO many books out there right now about switching bodies that I guess I really wasn't into reading yet another one.
(see my podcast here: http://web.me.com/janicerobertson/Site/Passionate_Podcasts/Entries/2009/6/14_Boo...
The things I liked about Switch were the idea behind why the character, Claire Martin, switched bodies in the first place. There's just enough background information for the reader to understand and appreciate the current situation which is that of Claire being in the body of a very spoiled but beautiful, slender girly girl, name Larissa. Conveniently, Claire's main crush, Nate, finds Larissa very, very attractive, and Claire, in Larissa's body, gets to enjoy his attention. The other aspect of the book show more which I enjoyed was Claire's obvious delight over Larissa's clothes, and how Claire looked in those clothes. If you're someone who has held up a size zero pair of pants, and wondered, "Who actually ever WEARS this?" then you could probably appreciate Claire's rapture at being able to fit into cute tiny little clothes like the bikini she first trys on.
The thing I didn't like about Switch had nothing to do with the book itself, and was just the fact that, unfortunately, this is the sixth book I've read about teens switching bodies, and it just didn't seem as good as the others. If I'd read it first, maybe I'd be writing something different. Tough luck. show less

Claire can always tell when an electrical storm is brewing. Her body is tuned in to the lightning. Ever since she hit her teens, lightning has caused her to switch bodies with people. She doesn’t keep the bodies long and she always gives them back. Until one night.Claire is an average girl. She is a star swimmer, has a best friend, and dreams of having the perfect guy notice her. Unfortunately, Nate thinks of her as a sister, but everything changes for her when she makes a switch with a new girl, Larissa, who is working as a nanny for a family staying on the beach for the summer. In the blink of an eye she is blond and gorgeous with a closet full of clothes. She feels like a Barbie doll and enjoys trying on clothes that she knows show more would never look right on her “real” body. Another perk to the switch is Nate. He notices Larissa and through Larissa’s body she experiences the beginnings of a relationship with the boy of her dreams.There are problems though. Swim tryouts are looming on the horizon and if she doesn’t get back into her own body she won’t make the team, her best friend is feeling completely left out, and she is missing her mother. Claire has to figure out why she isn’t switching back automatically like she normally does and get back to her real life before it is too late.SWITCH by Carol Snow is an interesting story with kind of a Prince and the Pauper feel. Claire gets the opportunity to feel what it is like living the life of someone she considers to have it better than her. She has the chance to find out if the grass really is greener on the other side. For a fast-paced story read SWITCH. show less

Living in a small beach community with her mother, fifteen-year-old Claire, an accomplished swimmer, discovers that, like her long-dead but, still very much present, grandmother, she has the ability to inhabit other people's bodies while asleep.

The greatest ever!!!!