If I Were You - Hardcover

Margolis, Leslie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374300682 ISBN 13: 9780374300685

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2015

Synopsis

Katie's reasons why it's better to be Melody:
-She's a boy magnet. I'm more like a boy repellent.
-Her parents never make her do any chores. Meanwhile, I get stuck babysitting almost every day.
-Melody's parents are still married. Mine are, too . . . to other people.

Why Melody thinks Katie has the ideal life:
-Her house is fun and lively. My house is empty and lonely.
-They have family dinners practically every single night. My dad almost never comes home.
-Everyone always talks about how pretty I am, like that's the most important thing, like that's all I am . . .

Twelve-year-old Katie is insanely jealous of her best friend, Melody. Turns out Melody is jealous of Katie, too. When they both wish for the exact same thing at the exact same time, to redo summer as each other, their wishes come true. Katie is Melody and Melody is Katie and neither one has the experience she expected. In this be-careful-what-you-wish-for tale, two best friends learn that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

About this title

About the Author

Leslie Margolis is the author of many books for young readers, including Boys Are Dogs, Girls Acting Catty, and Girl's Best Friend. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

From School Library Journal

Gr 5–7—Best friends and soon-to-be seventh graders Katie and Melody each think the other has the ideal life. Katie envies Melody's perfect parents, gorgeous boyfriend, and beautiful body, while Melody longs for a more close-knit family and a figure that won't solicit unwanted attention from strangers. In the spirit of Mary Rodgers's Freaky Friday (HarperCollins, 1972), Katie and Melody find themselves in one another's bodies after a well-timed wish on the last day of summer. Predictably, as the summer resets and each girl lives the other's life, she begins to realize that the grass may not be quite so green on the other side. Once this realization is achieved, Margolis brings the story to a quick, tidy resolution. Katie and Melody are sympathetic characters, and tween readers will relate to the envy that twines its way through their friendship. The chapters alternate between the two girls, and while their points of view and family lives are in stark contrast, their narrative voices are less distinct. This book doesn't have much to add to the body-switch formula, but readers looking for a summertime read with boys and best friends will enjoy it. VERDICT An additional purchase for many collections.—Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Abington School District, PA

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0374300682
• ISBN 13: 9780374300685
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224