Summer Switch

Andrews Family #3

by Mary Rodgers

In the Andrews family, wishing you were someone else can have serious consequences! Twelve-year-old Benjamin "Ape Face" Andrews must learn this the hard way when, about to board a bus for a dreaded sports summer camp, he wishes he could change places with his high-flying executive father. He doesn't know it, but at that very moment, his dad wishes he were the one going to summer camp instead of Ape Face!

In an instant, Ape Face finds himself in his dad's shoes -- literally. But can a twelve-year-old handle a business meeting with a boss nicknamed "The Killer Cream Puff"? Can his dad survive summer camp? And will they ever be themselves again?

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Kids, Young Adult, Novels

185 pages, Library Binding

First published September 22, 1982

About the author

Mary Rodgers was an accomplished author, screenwriter and composer. Her first book--Freaky Friday--won several prizes, and was cited on the ALA Notable Book list. She composed many musicals, and had also amassed credits in television and radio. She had served as Chairman of the Board of the Julliard School and on the Board of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Reviews

[Charles]

This book caught my eye because of the amazing Edward Gorey artwork on the cover. When I picked it up I had no idea that 1. Freaky Friday was based on a book and 2. that book was part of a series.

I'm amazed that this book was at one time considered appropriate for children, not just because of the frank portrayal of homophobia (If you ever need a reason to support 'political correctness,' look at how this book from 1982 reflects a society where it's normal for camp counselors to vitriolically call their campers 'faggots.') but because it makes constant use of esoteric vernacular, subtle descriptions, and ten dollar words. To add to that, many of the references in this book are terrifically dated. I think the average 5th grader will get the gist of the book but much of the truly clever elements will go over their head. I think the reason this book isn't considered 'young adult' is because at the time of its publication the concept as we know it wasn't established in mainstream literature.

Anyway, it's worth a read for the unique and lively writing style that the author uses. The story is good but really not the selling point, for me at least.

[Strawberry Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww. This book is as cute as I remember. I’m a sucker for body switch stories. It’s basically Freaky Friday, with the dad and son switching this time while the son is headed to summer camp and the dad to California for work. It’s not quite as good as Freaky Friday was, but I liked how it switched perspectives this time. (I would’ve liked to see the mother’s perspective in FF, now that I think about it.) This time, the switch takes place when the dad and son say the same thing at the same time (in FF, it’s implied the mother somehow did it magically, and it’s actually sort of odd that Annabelle never figures out the boys have been switched, since it happened to her too). It sort of seemed like the author had an eye for this to be turned into a movie like FF was, as there was a lot more action and dialogue than in Freaky Friday, but still a cute, fun ride.

[Julia Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally, we found the sequel to Freaky Friday! It is easy to say that Annabelle was a more interesting switch than Ape face, but this one is slightly more subtle and better than the movie with Fred Savage - see more - https://simplyhonestreviews.webador.c...

[Robert LoBiondo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Freaky Friday, the concept is similar to what the movies do but with father and son.

There also is some homophobic language that I would not have expected Rodgers to use considering her close relationship with Stephen Sondheim.

[Heather McC · Rating 2 out of 5]

A follow up to the original 'Freaky Friday' this time with the son and father switcheroo, but doesn't hold up as well as the original source material.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The male version of Freaky Friday.

[Estelle]

Read in French: 'Si j'étais moi'.

[Berna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read but it was not as good as the previous ones. On the other hand, I really liked the ending.

[Peter J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

After discovering the much more recent Freaky Monday (which itself has no connection story wise to the three earlier books), I decided to go back to the others. The original Freaky Friday (and it's initial film adaptation) remain childhood favorites and the second book, A Billion For Boris, was good fun.

This one was not. While the premise can work, and I certainly like the idea of stretching it into a few days rather than a singular one, it didn't have the same spirit. Neither character attempts to explain to the mom or daughter what has happened - doing so would save the book from its most painfully bad parts and might have spurred the story into new directions as the once flipped Mom/Daughter try to cover for and aid the currently flopped Dad/Son.

[Jennifer Maloney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't like this one as much as the first two in the series. I think maybe Annabelle is just a more interesting character than Ape Face is. Plus this one jumps back and forth between him and their father's perspective, so that takes some getting used to. I'm not really a fan of duel-perspective books. Still, once I got into it, the story's pretty entertaining. I'd like to see if they've made a movie out of this one too, because that would probably be pretty cute.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable, over-used plot. Basically this is the male version of "Freaky Friday."

[Vivien]

I really want to read this book since it is somewhat similar to Freaky Friday except its with males now.

[Isabel · Rating 2 out of 5]

i read it for school, had a few funny parts

[Amanda Wige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now you can see what would happen to the other side of the Andrews family when father and son switch.