Review: The Big Switch (It's a Twin Thing 2) by Kristin Darell and Illustrated by A Yi

Abi and her twin sister Brook are back in another touching story about what it means to be an identical twin. This time around, it is Term 2 at school. Brook is terrified about giving a talk in front of the whole class, so she and Abi come up with a scheme where they will swap places and Abi, a confident public speaker, will give the talk in her place. Except that things go very wrong, and Abi, as Brook, ends up being chosen for the school public speaking competition ...

This was an entertaining read. To be honest, I found the subplots about the discovery of the hut and that of Frankie raising money for a new guitar to be more interesting than the main twin plot. That said, there is lots of fun to be had and there is a great moral about being truthful--with a fitting punishment, rather than fire and brimstone consequences. Also, the lesson is something that I feel kids will be able to understand and relate to, especially those like Brook, who may be anxious about public speaking. 

 Overall, I've found this series to be well written and it has just enough of a nostalgic vibe to keep grown up readers interested, whilst remaining wholly relevant to the current generation of readers.

Recommended. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh

Image
I picked up a copy of the first novel in the Boys of Tommen series assuming that it was set in a university. Turns out that I was wrong. The characters are all in high school, though as per the note in the front, the novel is pitched at readers over the age of eighteen. The setting is quite dark and topics addressed include alcoholism, physical abuse and bullying. The romance, pairing a fifteen year old girl who is small for her age and described as having a childlike appearance with a boy who is physically mature, sexually active, who invades her privacy and is not far from his eighteenth birthday seems questionable.  After suffering through years of bullying at school, some of which put her in hospital, Shannon has transferred to a private school, one so expensive that her mother has to take out a loan to pay all the fees. Things are going well, she has friends at her new school, there are strong anti-bullying rules in place and everything at Tommen College seems well, nicer ... ...
Read more

Feature and Follow Friday Feature blogger!

Image
Good grief! It's 8am, I've just jumped on the bus, checked my emails and discovered that I'm one of this week's Feature and Follow Friday feature bloggers! So, welcome everyone, and thanks heaps to Parajunkee and Alison Can Read ! This week's question is:  Confess your blogger sins! Is there anything as a newbie blogger that you've done, that as you've gained more experience you were like -- oops? For me, probably being a bit too hard and critical in my reviews than what the author deserved. I used to think that I was failing as a reviewer if I didn't point out at least one thing that was wrong with the book. As I've grown more experienced, I've realised that sometimes that said more about my skills as a reviewer/critic than it did about the authors work. 
Read more

2015 Australia Day Book Giveaway Blog Hop!

Image
For the third year running, I am participating the the Australia Day Book Giveaway Blog Hop . Hosted by Book'd Out this blog hop is a great initiative and an awesome way to connect bloggers with some great Australian fiction. (And once you've finished here, don't forget to head to Book'd Out to see the full list of participants.) This year, I will be giving away three prizes, all of which are books written by yours truly, mostly because I am into blatant self-promotion like that. The books are: An autographed copy of Everybody Hates Abigail, my latest book which about a girl growing up in a small, South Australian town in the mid 1990s. An autographed copy of Cats, Scarves and Liars, an unlikely tale that features murders, a red scarf and a talking cat. An autographed copy of Behind the Scenes, which is about a young woman who scores a role on her favourite TV soap but soon discovers that the real dramas are the ones that occur behind the scenes. ...
Read more