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Summary: A wonderful coming-of-age story for all ages.
Review: As a teenager, I first saw The Changeover in the pages of a book club catalogue and I was drawn to it by the promise of a "supernatural romance" (two of my favorite topics in one book!). Once I actually read this book, I fell in love with it and have dragged it out of the old bookcase many times since. Until recently, I hadn't read The Changeover in quite some time. Now, armed with an English degree and an irrepressible need to over-analyze every piece of writing, I am EVEN MORE IMPRESSED! Laura, as a "sensitive", is standing on the threshold between two worlds, caught between the life she has always known as a mere mortal and the promise of a new, powerful existence as a witch. However, as a teenager, Laura is also on the verge of adulthood, waiting to enter a world that is just as foreign and mysterious to her as that of the supernatural. This parallel in the story beautifully expresses how becoming a woman is, in effect, like becoming a witch. The Changeover is not just about one girl who crosses over to a world of magic. It represents the changeover that ALL girls make on their journey to womanhood and, in so doing, attain their full potential and power as a human being (as well as a little "magic"). This is an excellent message for young women, and it is even more impressive for its subtlety.
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Summary: A novel that is ageless . . .
Review: Having read "The Changeover" countless time over the years since I first read it in highschool, I am amazed at how this novel still has the power to captivate me. With artistry that rivals the day's most highly read fiction authors, Margaret Mahy is truely a master of prose who can create vivid characters that are dynamic yet realistic. Furthermore, her style is marked by a refreshingly candid flair.Despite this novel's young adult label, Margaret Mahy's work surpases all others in the area and is certainly worthy of the attention of more advanced lovers of fiction.
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Summary: Brilliant!
Review: I think the thing I enjoyed most about the book, was the way Mahy managed to write a YA novel without being trapped in the condescending mold that most other YA authors are (with the exception of a few). Sorry and Chant's relationship was an uneasy, complex, yet inevitable thing and their journey together was full of interesting, and sometimes disturbing, magic. As far as villains go, Carmody Broque is one individual that gave me the willies for days after I finished the book. Kudos to Mahy for that. This book was amazing and I'd sell my first born for a sequel.
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Summary: Yeah, it's the prefects you need to watch out for!
Review: Margaret Mahy's book is an unusual take on the juvenile magic-user theme. It takes place in New Zealand, in a single-parent home. Laura Chant lives with her divorced mother, and her toddler brother. Nothing is entirely reliable in Laura's world, certainly not her slightly flaky mother, their extremely flaky car, and especially the surrounding landscape, being transformed from forest and farm into a new subdivision. Chant, perfectly named, can sense things that others can't. She can sense that her brother's rapid descent into illness is supernatural, and that it is linked to the boy's unfortunate contact with the also perfectly named Carmody Braque. She also can sense that the mysterious prefect at her school, an older boy named Sorensen Carlisle, is a "witch" and that he may hold the only key to healing her brother. Sorry, as he's called, is one of those magnificent characters, the enigmatic boy who shows all the signs of being a proto-romance hero. But here, he's young, sly, and not above using his advantage over Laura. Mahy writes Laura as a strong character, and watching her handle Sorry is a lot of fun. This novel is full of brooding atmosphere but with a great contemporary setting. Mahy's protagonist carries her weight, but everyone else is equally nuanced and fascinating. The book calls itself a romance, but I've never read an adult romance filled with such menacing ambiguity.
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Summary: sequel please!
Review: this is one of those books you can wrap yourself into and just LIVE in. if there was one book i could pick to have a sequel, it would be this one. i am 23 and still read it. luckily i bought it from goodwill in 7th grade for 15 cents and not 35 bucks, although id spend 100 if it meant being reunited with one of my fave books of all time!
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Summary: Divorce, adolescence, and witchcraft....
Review: This is the best young adult book I have ever read. Laura and Sorry are unforgettable. Their shared scenes crackle with electricity (remember the munching thunderclouds?) and never has a male witch been so...appealing. Laura Chant is a sensitive, a girl with supernatural inclinations, with certain glimpses into the future. One day she looks into the mirror and sees herself changed. She is aware that her world is going to change, but doesn't know what to do about it. Then her beloved brother Jacko starts to sicken from what she knows is not a natural cause. She's recognized the school prefect Sorenson Carlisle as a witch, and goes to him for help. He tells her that in order to save Jacko she can be changed over, that is become a witch, but the transformation is irrevocable. She will forever be separate from most others. Mahy is an incredible writer. She makes the strange seem like home, and also makes the familiar worth another look. Read this book!
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Summary: Divorce, adolescence, and witchcraft....
Review: This is the best young adult book I have ever read. Laura and Sorry are unforgettable. Their shared scenes crackle with electricity (remember the munching thunderclouds?) and never has a male witch been so...appealing. Laura Chant is a sensitive, a girl with supernatural inclinations, with certain glimpses into the future. One day she looks into the mirror and sees herself changed. She is aware that her world is going to change, but doesn't know what to do about it. Then her beloved brother Jacko starts to sicken from what she knows is not a natural cause. She's recognized the school prefect Sorenson Carlisle as a witch, and goes to him for help. He tells her that in order to save Jacko she can be changed over, that is become a witch, but the transformation is irrevocable. She will forever be separate from most others. Mahy is an incredible writer. She makes the strange seem like home, and also makes the familiar worth another look. Read this book!
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Summary: Suspensful, Entertaining - A Must Read
Review: This is truly a brilliant book. It was on my reading list for a Uni class, and I wasn't altogether sure that I would like it - but I did. Loved it in fact. It had everything a book should have - a great story, very believable and in depth characters, suspense, a touch of romance, and a lot of thought and feeling. There are very few writers who can talk to a teen (or anyone else for that matter) the way Mahy does. She talks to everyone on their own level - she is never condescending as writers for young adults can tend to be. She recognises her audience as people, not 'kids'. The supernatural theme in this book is fabulous, I found it really engaging and exciting. Yet, if not for this factor, I felt I could have been the main character in my earlier years - the same thoughts and feelings coming through that I still identify with today. Mahy is able to do all this, and much more, whilst still keeping it all realistic. Buy this book - you won't regret it.
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Summary: Supernatural Romance
Review: When i first saw this book, a took one look at the back cover and left it on the shelf. Later, after being persuaded by my friend, i gave it a chance. I actually read it 3 times in a row, amd I'm not a big fan of reading. This book is wondourful!! The characters are portrayed so you feel as if your right there with them, sharing their pain and joy and yes, romance. The romance isn't just hot and steamy though, it shows love and caring, not just the dreaded 's' word ending in 'ex'. I advise anyone over 11 to read this book, even if you don't particularily like reading. I have tried Margaret Mahy's other young adult books, but this one is by far the best. I gaurantee you won't be able to put it down.
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