THE ROYAL SWITCH

by Duchess of York ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1996

A knock-off of Twain's Prince and the Pauper and myriad other tales, about Emily Jane Chornak, of Brooklyn Heights, New York, and Amanda, the princess of Powers Court, in London. Amanda sneaks away from the rigors of royal life just as Emily is left behind during a tour of Powers Court. The two unwittingly take each other's place for the day, and then discover the truth of their switch that night. Another book, Bright Lights (ISBN 0-385-32178-3), tells of Amanda's adventures with Emily in New York City. A simplistic plot and simpleton secondary characters squash this book almost before it starts. There is an embarrassment of stereotypes used as primary descriptions of nationality: An American yells, ""Do-you-speak-English"" into Emily's face, while French children are unable to pronounce the th sound, a Chinese boy gets ""straight black hair,"" and children from Denmark are noted simply as ""blond."" The copyright page states that American English has been used in the book, but some readers won't know their knickers, lace-ups, and nappies from the royal family tree.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1996

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 168

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1996

Categories: CHILDREN'S