MIXED UP

A freaky Phenomenon leads to a mysterious memory swap.

After athletic Reef Moody’s single mom checked into the hospital a year ago with Covid-19, he went to live with the family of her best friend, Jenna Helmer. Mom’s death made the arrangement permanent. Reef’s grief is complicated by the fact that Jenna’s volatile youngest, 14-year-old Declan, has made his life miserable. Across town, studious Theo Metzinger spots a menacing rabbit, whom he nicknames Jaws, with giant teeth preparing to destroy his precious flowers…again. But his controlling, macho dad, who clearly favors Theo’s younger sister, scolds him and whisks him off to karate class so he will “toughen up.” When Reef also starts seeing Jaws, readers will be clued in that something really unusual is happening. Over time, the two 12-year-olds each acquire memories belonging to the other and begin changing, bit by disturbing bit. Discovering a shared birthday seems to validate their shared suspicion of some sort of mind swap. A thunderstorm and the help of a handful of secondary characters are key to a solution for the distressed duo. Korman packs his story with colorfully delineated characters and believable middle school set pieces. Dueling first-person narratives capture subtle character differences between Theo and Reef while staying in a convincing preteen vernacular. Main characters are cued White.

An engaging tale of weird science as well as a celebration of individuality.