Switchers: Amazon.ca: Kate Thompson, Niamh Cusack: Books

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Tess has a secret that keeps her apart from others: she can change into an animal at will. Disturbed when scruffy Kevin keeps following her after school, Tess wonders what he wants from her, and why an arctic front is sweeping over the globe, causing a blizzard in Dublin in September. Then she learns that Kevin shares her gift, and they set out across Ireland, disguised as rats, and guided by fellow rats to "little old lady" Lizzie. The eccentric woman sends them on a quest north to stop the krools, ravenous monsters responsible for the Earth's ice ages. The pair races against time (Kevin is about to turn 15, when all Switchers have to choose their final form) and U.N. warplanes seeking alien invaders, to halt the global icing. In occasionally poetic language (which may need some explaining to younger readers), Thompson interweaves elements from mythology and science fiction with insights into animal nature to create a coming-of-age fantasy that, like Peter Pan, ends with an open window and, for many readers, a lump in the throat. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8AA terrific read that's sure to keep youngsters turning pages. As a result of a strange weather phenomenon, severe snowstorms are moving south from the Arctic. Two young teens, with the help of a weird old woman, find out that the blizzards are being caused by a group of mysterious ice creatures and set out to stop them. Tess and Kevin have the ability to switch from human form into any animal they choose, real or imaginary. What better way to save the world than as a polar bear, a woolly mammoth, or, better yet, a fire-breathing dragon! Even those who cannot easily suspend disbelief will care about the characters from the very first pageAtremble when they are in trouble, and feel exalted when they triumph in the end. In addition, the premise that children have powers beyond what they can see or are told is a mighty one. This tale will incite imaginations and provide a launching pad for discussion. In the end, Kevin is killed but rises as a phoenix. Tess is so moved that she gives up her family and human form to join him. Yes, it's corny, but it fits the mood and style of the rest of the story. Imaginative, thoughtful fun.AMolly S. Kinney, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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13 �valuations

5 �toiles:		(8)
4 �toiles:		(5)
3 �toiles:		(0)
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4.6�toiles sur 5 (13 �valuations de client)

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4.0�toiles sur 5 "I Know Who You Are. I Know What You Can Do...", Jui 16 2004

Par	R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - Voir tous mes commentaires

This review is from: Switchers (Paperback)

Tess is a reasonably distant and lonely child, who takes long walks out into the forest and park lands each day, returning home each evening to somewhat bemused parents. They don't believe anything is seriously wrong with their child despite the fact she has no friends - they just think she's a loner that loves the outdoors. But it just so happens that Tess is *very* different from other teenagers, and harbors a secret that she keeps from every other person on the planet. She has had the ability from a very early age to change into any animal she desires, and her daily walks into the wilderness are due to her transformations and adventures in animal form. It is a wonderful life as a "Switcher", and she's not lonely - just alone.

Until one day, when a boy begins to follow her home from the bus station and utters some terrifying words: "I know who you are. I know what you can do..." Who is this elusive Kevin and what does he want from Tess? Terrified that the fellow Switcher will reveal her secret, and suspecting that the "help" that he asks for has something to do with the steadily growing cold front that is moving southwards from the north pole and destroying all human-life in its wake, Tess agrees to accompany him to someone who knows what's going on.

This someone is an old lady named Lizzie, a former Switcher who tells the children about krools - monstrous creatures that are slowly pulling the earth back into an ice age. Whilst dodging the police and the government airforces, Kevin and Tess take it upon themselves to use their shapeshifting powers to stop the krools. But a person's Switching abilities cease when one turns fifteen, and Kevin's birthday is steadily approaching...

"Switchers" is a book that was initially is difficult to get into. The idea of people changing into animals is a well-trod path in children's literature, and for a long while it seemed that this was just another rehash of what has gone before. Tess and Kevin are a little difficult to connect with - both are quite distant, and it's rather implausible that Tess would choose to leave her home and her parents in order to follow someone she barely knows to an unknown destination. Lizzie is also a bit of a tired cliche (crazy old lady with lots of cats) and there are a few scenes that are unnecessary or stretch on a bit to long (Tess and Kevin's escapades as goats, for example).

But the book drastically improves as time goes on. The "Switcher" device is put to excellent use as the story continues, with the children instigating their powers to travel swiftly, hide from the police, to bear the terrible Artic cold and to finally defeat the krools and escape human bombing - each transformation is more ingenious than the last. To tell would be spoiling it - half the fun of this book is realising what great plan the children will come up with next.

So although you may be dubious at first, stick with it as "Switchers" and its two sequels "Midnight's Choice" and "Wild Blood" are immensely satisfying and rewarding, just below the likes of J. K. Rowling, C. S. Lewis and Lloyd Alexander, but on the shelf next to Tanith Lee, Sherwood Smith, Nancy Springer and other fantasy authors of this calibre.

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4.0�toiles sur 5 Switchers, Avril 29 2003

Par	Martha (Ravensdale, Washington) - Voir tous mes commentaires

This review is from: Switchers (Paperback)

Book Title: Switchers

Author: Kate Thompson

Genre: Fiction

Exposition: Tess is as you might say "better off" then most teenagers, so when a boy in tattered clothes starts following her from her bus she thinks he's looking for money. But when she hurries toward her houses to get away from him and he says, "I know you, I know what you do", Tess gets scared. Could he know about her secret about how she could change how she's a switcher and can turn into any animal she chooses? Things get worse when Kevin shows up again and tells her he's a switcher and he needs her help to find out what's causing freak weather in the arctic. Will Tess go off with this stranger and find out about her mysterious talent or will she use her common sense and get as far away as she can from that creepy kid?

Characters:

Tess: A teenager from Ireland who has the ability to change into animals. She goes on a mission to find out what's causing extreme cold in the northern hemisphere.

Kevin: A homeless boy who is also a switcher. He asks Tess to go on this adventure with him.

Lizzie: A weird old lady who gives them advice and helps them stay hidden from the cops looking for Tess because shes a runaway.

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4.0�toiles sur 5 my opinion..., Janv. 25 2002

Par	enrique (el salvador) - Voir tous mes commentaires

This review is from: Switchers (Paperback)

Have you ever kept a secret a long time? What are would you feel by mutating into any sort of animal? This might seem strange to you but not to Tess, if you really get into the story you will find understand her lonely life. Tess has never had a close friend because she wouldn't dare to suffer the humiliation, of someone knowing what she really was. Tess was the only child in the family, she was a good student but that didn't make her feel normal. Tess had a hard time accepting she was different, she was a switcher. Because she could mutate into any animal she was called a switcher. She thought that she was the only one there was in the whole world. She had the feeling that if someone else knew this she would be called a phenomenon. Something else was bothering her for the last two weeks or so; it was a boy that followed her when she got off the bus. This time the boy intercepted her in the park and began to talk to her; he threaded her and told her that if she wouldn't listen he would tell everyone her secret. This really made her feel bad because all her life she had been very careful before switching, she was sure that no one had seen her. She discovered that the boy was name Kevin.
There was something strange going on the artic zone, three people had disappeared in huge and fears snowstorms that were unusual in this time of the year. There had been some oil drilling in the artic zone, that was the reason that there were many lives been risked. Back on Ireland were Tess lived she felt the need to transform so she went deep into the park and transformed into a squirrel. She met a young chipmunk with which she darted across the park racing and playing joyfully. But this was strange also because supposedly there ware no chipmunks in this part of the world, why could this be? Was there another switcher in town or this animal had escaped the circus.
I think this is a fantastic book it has some boring parts but to understand the story you should read these parts of the book. Most of the book is filled with emotion and suspense. In some parts it makes you feel that you are really mutating into an animal. Later on the story she finds out that switchers have other amazing powers that may come in handy to try to stop what ever is causing the snowstorms. If you want to live this strangeness it is up to you to read this book.

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Commentaires client les plus r�cents

5.0�toiles sur 5 This Book Was Exellent!
I'm not usually into sci-fi stuff, but this book really made me want to read the rest of the trilogy. I am trying to collect all 3 books in the series. Read more

Publi� le Nov. 18 2001

5.0�toiles sur 5 Fantastic and exciting
The book Switchers was a real thriller and an award winner. Tess is a very shy teenager who moves all over the globe. Read more

Publi� le Oct. 16 2001

5.0�toiles sur 5 Nothing like animorphs....
This book is a great book!Tess is a switcher and doesn't trust anyone and doesn't have any friends. She then meets Kevin, a fellow shifter, and they become friends. Read more

Publi� le Avril 10 2001 par Jess