Flip

Flip

Not Just Some Freaky Friday

Author: Martyn Bedford
Format: Hardcover
Pub Date: 03/03/11 Price: £7.99
Publisher: Walker

For me I was never really convinced Flip was a book I wanted to read. The title, I thought, gave away all I needed to make the assumption ‘yeah yeah, two boys swap lives, learn valuable lessons yada yada…’ but the truth of it was better than my stereotype filled mind lead me to believe. Flip is a psychological battle for survival.

Like any average morning Alex wakes up in bed believing it to be like any other day, except it’s not his bed or home and worse, it’s not his life or body. Alex is then plunged into the existence of his new soul-operated-vehicle that is Phillip Garamond, AKA Flip, and all family, friends and girlfriends that come along with it. Alex soon learns there are advantages to being Flip, the good looks, muscles and popularity but all he can think about is getting home. What follows is Alex’s path both physically and mentally to try and return to his body and hopefully his life. Thwarted in many attempts, he is helped by the aid of another ‘psychic evacuee’, Rob, to get to grips with the situation and make a choice; to let go of himself or to fight for a life that could be dead.

This book did what I didn’t expect – it applied reality to the situation. A 14 year old boy finds himself in a body that is better looking and more popular then himself and instead of taking advantage he is actually consumed by wanting his own life back. What this book does is really delve into the topic of the self/soul/essence, or whatever it is that makes a person that person. It highlights the difficulty of not being able to be who you truly are and what teenager can’t identify with that? 

I found Alex a wonderful and insightful character. The way in which he reacted to the situation was the key to hooking the reader into his plight and making them read on.  However, I felt that the writing itself was fairly generic, telling me things rather than showing me them through dialogue or description. For example, from the writing alone I would never had known that it was set in Leeds or that Flip spoke with a thick northern accent. Which was slightly disappointing.

By no means is the concept of this book original but instead it is the reaction that is. It is because Alex freaked out showering in someone else’s body, that he still sucked at sports, that he didn’t want to kiss someone else’s girlfriend and that all that could satisfy him would be to wake up in his own asthmatic, pale, ginger haired body, that this book is so good.

Flip delivers a truly provocative and interesting read, taking the thoughts of a 14 year old boy into territories I didn’t expect it to go. It is a great thriller that builds the tension and develops the plot towards only one possible and terrible climax.

Genre: Fiction/Thriller/YA

Age Range: 12+

Shortlisted: 2011 Costa Children's Book Award

Uffish: Freaky Friday was in fact a book by Mary Rodgers first published in 1972

Rating: 8/10

Short Change for Stuart

Small Change for Stuart
Small book. Small boy. Big adventure.



Author: Lissa Evans
Cover: Temujin Doran
Format: Hardback
Pub Date: 05/05/11 Price: £10.99
Publisher: Doubleday



Actually, small is a word too...well...small to describe this story filled with action, adventure and mind-puzzling intrigue. It is a book that happily warmed the edges of my heart with its wonderful characters, contraptions and secrets. 

When Stuart is uprooted to the mundane town of Beaton he thinks his life couldn’t get any more boring. But with a little help from his great-uncle Tony he is soon set on a treasure hunt to find his lost workshop and inherit all its extraordinary contents. Thanks to his oblivious but somewhat charming parents, he is able to solve the clues and edge closer to the final location. However, his actions draw attention from the nosey Kingley triplets and the menacing Jeannie. Suddenly filled with danger and obstacles, Stuart is pulled further into the mystery of his uncle’s disappearance and the curiosity at the heart of it...

From the moment I saw the beautiful cover by Temujin Doran I knew what kind of story it would be. The idea of secrets being stored away all over the town of Beaton, safe inside their little hideaways for decades was wonderful. 

The characters are well drawn and I have to say a well done to Lissa for the incredible speech of Stuart’s crossword creating father. However, I never had a real sense of threat from the antagonist, Jeannie. As the reader I didn’t feel that Stuart was in any real danger when he came up against her and even when cornered I was unconvinced, or unsure, of what punishment she might inflict. 

The plot was engaging and never overly simple with twists and turns that even I didn’t see coming. I particularly enjoyed moments when Stuart’s quest was interrupted by adult frivolities, highlighting his lack of control as a child, and pushing the plot into a new direction.

In comparison to other titles in the same age range Small Change for Stuart really is quite innocent, but that is what gives it its charm and classic quality. To me this is a book that will stay on the shelves of families and always avoid the spring charity donations. It is a modern classic, capturing the spirit of possibility, mixed with some Roald Dahl inspired characters and littered with riddles and fun.

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy/Fiction

Age Range: 7-11 years

Shortlisted: 2011 Costa Children's Book Award

Uffish: Worth buying the hardback, it'll be on your shelf a while

Rating: 7/10