Reviewed by Marta Morrison for TeensReadToo.com
Have you ever wanted to live with another family? Have you ever been so exasperated with the parental units that you wanted to trade them in for new ones?! Well, that is the premise of PARENT SWAP by Terence Blacker.
Danny Bell is very tired of his family. His mum has left and his dad sits in front of the TV everyday writing terrible songs and remembering his glory days as a rock musician. His sister is argumentative, has a boyfriend, and is never home, while his little brother is suffering from not having enough attention. The apartment is a mess and Danny is the only one who is making an effort to try to keep the family together.
Then Danny gets a flyer which is advertising an organization called Parentswap. Danny decides to check it out. He goes and finds a business which will allow him to pick new parents. After a few weeks of contemplation, Danny decides to go through with the swap.
After he swaps, he gets the feeling that something is not right and decides, with the help of his friend and later his family, to find out what is going on.
I enjoyed this book because I know many kids who think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but when they get there they find that their own life may be a challenge but it is their challenge. All families have problems, and even when Danny thinks that others have the perfect family, problems still arise. I liked the story but I wish I would have found out what happened with all of the main characters in the future. It kind of left things better but not complete.
So check out PARENT SWAP when you are mad at your parents -- it may change your mind!
Have you ever wanted to live with another family? Have you ever been so exasperated with the parental units that you wanted to trade them in for new ones?! Well, that is the premise of PARENT SWAP by Terence Blacker.
Danny Bell is very tired of his family. His mum has left and his dad sits in front of the TV everyday writing terrible songs and remembering his glory days as a rock musician. His sister is argumentative, has a boyfriend, and is never home, while his little brother is suffering from not having enough attention. The apartment is a mess and Danny is the only one who is making an effort to try to keep the family together.
Then Danny gets a flyer which is advertising an organization called Parentswap. Danny decides to check it out. He goes and finds a business which will allow him to pick new parents. After a few weeks of contemplation, Danny decides to go through with the swap.
After he swaps, he gets the feeling that something is not right and decides, with the help of his friend and later his family, to find out what is going on.
I enjoyed this book because I know many kids who think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but when they get there they find that their own life may be a challenge but it is their challenge. All families have problems, and even when Danny thinks that others have the perfect family, problems still arise. I liked the story but I wish I would have found out what happened with all of the main characters in the future. It kind of left things better but not complete.
So check out PARENT SWAP when you are mad at your parents -- it may change your mind!
