Carnegie medal-winning supernatural romance from Margaret Mahy. The face in the mirror. From the moment she saw it, Laura Chant knwe that something dreadful was going to happen. It wasn't the first time she'd been forewarned. But never before had anything so terrible happened. The horrifyingly evil Carmody Braque touched and branded her little brother -- and now Jacko was very ill, getting steadily worse. There was only one way to save him. Laura had to change over: had to release her supernatural powers. And that meant joining forces with the extraordinary and enigmatic Sorenson Carlisle!
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Original and unforgettable -- a seamless combination of supernatural thriller and teenage love story." The Guardian
About the Author
Margaret Mahy was born in New Zealand and has loved telling stories all her life. She has published well over a hundred titles and won several major prizes and awards, including The Order of New Zealand, for her internationally-acclaimed contribution to children's literature. She has twice won the prestigious Carnegie Medal, (The Haunting, 1982, and The Changeover, 1984). Margaret lives in the South Island of New Zealand, in a house which she partially built herself, overlooking Governor's Bay.
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More About the Author
Margaret Mahy lives in New Zealand and is internationally acknowledged as one of the most outstanding children's writers today. She is the author of more than two hundred books for children of all ages, two of which have received England's Carnegie Medal and others of which have garnered numerous citations from the American Library Association. She is also the recipient of An Order of New Zealand, the highest honor a citizen can receive. In 2006 she received the Hans Christian Andersen award for her contributions to international children's literature.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
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.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I read this book as a teenager when it originally came out in 1984. The greatest compliment that I can give The Changeover is that twenty+ years later, I still reread it sometimes--and I still enjoy it. I can't say that about too many of my childhood books.
The Changeover was a rare bird back in mid-eighties--there weren't too many well-written books about magic and the supernatural with teenage girls as the protagonists in those days. This was a genre that I adored and could never get enough of back then. So this novel was an instant favorite.
There are certain books that you read when you are young that shape the kind of person that you become--not necessarily in a large way, but in subtle way. The Changeover was one of these books for me. I didn't realize it when I read the book at fourteen, but The Changeover is a metaphor for changing from childhood to adulthood--from becoming a girl to becoming a woman. And this book really captures that--all the insecurity and the fear, and even the pleasure that you feel as a girl in your own new-found, womanly power. I guess this book appealed to me so much because it made me feel better about a lot of the things I was going through at fourteen; it gave me a certain confidence in myself: I wasn't just getting older--I was becoming a different being.
I have read other comments about this book and I agree with the reviewers that say they want a sequel. I still think about Laura from time to time--she and I were the same age when the book came out--and I often wonder what became of her and what type of woman she became.
The Changeover was a rare bird back in mid-eighties--there weren't too many well-written books about magic and the supernatural with teenage girls as the protagonists in those days. This was a genre that I adored and could never get enough of back then. So this novel was an instant favorite.
There are certain books that you read when you are young that shape the kind of person that you become--not necessarily in a large way, but in subtle way. The Changeover was one of these books for me. I didn't realize it when I read the book at fourteen, but The Changeover is a metaphor for changing from childhood to adulthood--from becoming a girl to becoming a woman. And this book really captures that--all the insecurity and the fear, and even the pleasure that you feel as a girl in your own new-found, womanly power. I guess this book appealed to me so much because it made me feel better about a lot of the things I was going through at fourteen; it gave me a certain confidence in myself: I wasn't just getting older--I was becoming a different being.
I have read other comments about this book and I agree with the reviewers that say they want a sequel. I still think about Laura from time to time--she and I were the same age when the book came out--and I often wonder what became of her and what type of woman she became.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By "fiammetta"
Format:Mass Market Paperback
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!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fantastic read even after all these years
I first read The Changeover when I was about twelve, and have reread it many, many times since then. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Shelly84
3.0 out of 5 stars
Strong teen read
Laura Chant is a teen growing up with her divorced mom and younger brother in New Zealand. Laura sees that something is happening to her brother but no one else seems to understand... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Debnance at Readerbuzz
5.0 out of 5 stars
I've been reading this book for ten years.
I read this book for the first time more than ten years ago and I loved it. I finally decided to look it up again a couple of years ago and I still felt the same way so finally I... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Cynthia Rambo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Surprised this book hasn't gained more of a following
...given the recent upsurge in the supernatural teen genre. This book surpasses all of them. Others have given a good breakdown of the plot, so I won't repeat it here. Read more
Published 12 months ago by M. Salisbury
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read this when I was 12, was even better now that I am 37!!
As an advanced reader growing up in a very small town, my parents gave me a note to the librarian which opened up all of the books for me to check out. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Renata
5.0 out of 5 stars
"You Don't Need Me To Tell You What To Do. But Only You Can Do It..."
I read Margaret Mahy's Carnegie-winning novel first as a teenager and again just recently, in my twenties. Read more
Published 24 months ago by R. M. Fisher
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent paranormal YA novel! This is a must-read book! :)
From the perfectly described details of Laura Chant's everyday family life to her charmingly atypical romantic suitor to the threat of a truly sinister villain, The Changeover is a... Read more
Published on February 25, 2010 by The Eager Readers
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magical
When a shop owner puts a stamp on the hand of her little brother, Laura's life changes abruptly. 3 year old Jacko gets sick and she is certain that the stamp is to blame. Read more
Published on August 2, 2009 by Skilpadde
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Changeover
I loved this book in school and read it many times. I didnt recieve the cover in the photo like I wanted, but the book is still VERY worth buying! Read more
Published on May 21, 2009 by Amber Flowers
4.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful take on witchcraft
Laura is a normal girl with a sweet younger brother and a frazzled single mother. Her life is ordinary until the day her brother is stamped with the image of a horrible man. Read more
Published on December 31, 2007 by A. Arey
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