Royal Switch

by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Jacqueline Rogers (Illustrator)

Overview

Introducing Princess Amanda. This engaging, redheaded 11-year-old princess can't wait to spend some time with her very busy parents. But when plans change and she must go to a party for her cousin instead, she decides to find her own fun. She never imagines she'll end up pretending to be an American!Meet American tourist Emily Chornak, an energetic, redheaded 11-year-old who is accompanying her parents on a business trip to England. Emily hopes to sightsee with her parents, but business has to come first so she is sent on a "kiddie" tour of the city. When the tour group visits a palace, Emily finds herself mistaken for a party guest. The Duchess of York takes readers into the fascinating world of a princess's life and introduces two marvelously different but equally appealing characters. Together Amanda and Emily form a friendship that shows how wonderful it is to be exactly who you are.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780440412137
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	10/06/1997
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.21(w) x 7.59(h) x 0.48(d)
Age Range:	7 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

"Amanda!" He burst out laughing. "An American accent! How did you manage that? Listen, everybody! Listen to what Amanda's learned how to do!" He beckoned with his arm, and several boys and girls came over.

"Go on--say something," Cousin George said encouragingly. "I think it's smashing, wait'll you hear."

Emily looked at the expectant, smiling faces. "What do you want me to say?"

This was greeted with laughter and applause.

"More!" Cousin George cried, clapping his hands.

"You guys are nice, you all look terrific, this is an awesome party. How's that? I've been practicing." She wondered how long she could keep this up.

Editorial Reviews

The Duchess's first foray into middle-grade fiction may be something less than the jewel in the crown of that genre, but these companion novels have a solid mass appeal. The plots are as predictable as they are improbable: in the first, set in London, the look-alike heroines Princess Amanda of Powers Court and Emily Jane Chornak of Brooklyn Heights inadvertently swap identities; in the second, which is set in New York City, Amanda and Emily foil a ring of jewelry thieves and help the homeless. However formulaic, the stories unfold with a fair amount of brio, aided by dialogue generously sprinkled with "smashing," "awesome" and the like, and by insider info about palace protocol. Breezy as the stories are, the author grafts onto them a convincing poor-little-rich-girl pathos, as both sets of parents are so busy that they continually neglect and disappoint their daughters; the royal pair is particularly chilly. (Windsor-watchers may be interested to learn that the royal characters' relation to the queen remains tactfully obscure.) Readers who have fantasized about being a princess-or rubbing shoulders with one-will find these sufficiently glittery good fun. Ages 7-11. (Nov.) FYI: A sweepstakes offered by the publisher will award a trip for four to London, where tea with the author is on the agenda.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 3-5-Imagine a spirited, 10-year-old, British princess with fiery auburn hair. Imagine a forthright American girl, also 10, with remarkably similar tresses. Then imagine what might happen if they both wear the same dress on the day that Emily, a visitor from New York, wanders away from a tour of London, and Princess Amanda slips out of a boring birthday party at the palace. Unaware of one another's existence, they switch roles and experience the adventure of being someone else for a day. When the two finally meet, they find that they have more than appearances in common-beginning with the difficulty of busy parents who often leave them behind-and find grounds for a lasting friendship. The Duchess of York does a good, consistent job of switching tone and dialect between the two girls. A few of the more unusual British terms will be unfamiliar to American readers, but add to the ambiance. This lighthearted, breezy variant on the Prince and the Pauper theme is utterly predictable, but just as much fun, especially for any elementary-aged schoolgirl who has ever wished to be a princess.-Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA

School Library Journal

A knock-off of Twain's Prince and the Pauper and myriad other tales, about Emily Jane Chornak, of Brooklyn Heights, New York, and Amanda, the princess of Powers Court, in London. Amanda sneaks away from the rigors of royal life just as Emily is left behind during a tour of Powers Court. The two unwittingly take each other's place for the day, and then discover the truth of their switch that night. Another book, Bright Lights (ISBN 0-385- 32178-3), tells of Amanda's adventures with Emily in New York City.A simplistic plot and simpleton secondary characters squash this book almost before it starts. There is an embarrassment of stereotypes used as primary descriptions of nationality: An American yells, "Do-you-speak-English" into Emily's face, while French children are unable to pronounce the th sound, a Chinese boy gets "straight black hair," and children from Denmark are noted simply as "blond." The copyright page states that American English has been used in the book, but some readers won't know their knickers, lace-ups, and nappies from the royal family tree.

Kirkus Reviews

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