Better You Than Me

September 1, 2018

Gr 4-7-Two 12-years-old girls, Disney-esque star Ruby Rivera and her biggest fan Skyler Welshman, meet on the set of Ruby's hit television show and improbably switch bodies by accident. At first thrilled with the situation, each tween believes the other has the better life in this Freaky Friday-like storyline. Due to various scheduling constraints, the girls plan to meet several days later to switch back. Meanwhile, each girl's assumptions about one another are put to the test as they struggle to cope with scenarios they never expected and to make the best of their new lives. Brody takes a common trope and freshens it up with realistic details. What starts out as a formulaic plot device evolves into a strong story about appreciating friends and family and making good choices. The alternating chapters from each girl's perspective give each character a distinct voice. VERDICT A feel-good story with a few life lessons. A solid purchase for most middle school collections.-Nancy McKay, Ella Johnson Memorial Library, Hampshire, IL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2018
The familiar body-swap scenario gets a further magic twist in this comedic middle school fantasy.Skylar Welshman is an outsider--the new kid in her seventh-grade class. When she tries out for the school play, a mortifying onstage incident earns her the nickname Belchman. If only Skylar could have her idol's perfect life. Ruby Rivera is the star of the Disney-esque genie comedy series Ruby in the Lamp. Although Ruby has everything superstardom brings, however, she wants to trade in her designer wardrobe and millions of social media followers for textbooks and sleepovers. A fantastic turn of events leads to accidental body-switching courtesy of a real magic lamp. Initially, each girl thinks she's hit the jackpot. Skylar can have the life of a beloved star, and Ruby gets to be a regular kid. But then reality creeps in. Skylar has to get used to public scrutiny of her every move, and Ruby must navigate the pitfalls of middle school. Is the grass really greener on the other side? While the premise isn't exactly earthshakingly original, it's still an appealing one, though Brody misses an opportunity by not interrogating the girls' experiences as members of different races: Ruby is a brown-skinned, bicultural Latina (Mexican and Salvadoran), and Skylar is white. The narrative's on the long side for a middle-grade novel, but each girl narrates in alternating chapters, maintaining a brisk pace.Clichés and superficiality aside, a fun read for anyone who might wish they could be someone else for a little while. (Fantasy. 8-13)

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October 15, 2018
Grades 5-7 Ruby Rivera, lead in the hit TV show Ruby of the Lamp, just wants out of her superstar life. Skylar Welshman, bullying victim, recent product of divorce, and Ruby's biggest fan, wants to escape her average seventh-grade existence. When the two 12-year-olds cross paths on the set of Ruby's show, they make an idle wish on a prop lamp that actually comes true: they switch bodies. Now Ruby gets to sleep in, read books, and go to middle school like a regular kid, while Skylar is getting makeovers, texting celebrities, and attending awards shows. But the girls soon realize that no one's life is perfect; maybe the only way to deal with their problems is by facing them. The breezy tone and the two likable narrators make this a fun, fast-paced read for tweens, especially those who like a little celebrity gossip. The message?that the life you want might just be the one you have?is certainly one readers will have heard before, but, alongside Skylar and Ruby, they'll have a blast hearing it again.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)