cover image Switched

Switched

Sienna Mercer, . . HarperTrophy, $5.99 (199pp) ISBN 978-0-06-087113-0

Launching the My Sister the Vampire series, this predictable if cute caper opens on Olivia's first day of eighth grade at a new school. Perky Olivia, who hopes to join the cheerleading squad, notices an abundance of white-faced, black-clad goths; in her pretty pink dress, she looks “like a lollipop in a graveyard.” Charlotte, the snooty self-appointed cheerleading captain, befriends Olivia, as does “ultra Goth” Ivy, who feels strongly that she has met the new girl before. And indeed she has: when she spies the emerald ring on Olivia's finger, identical to the one Ivy wears around her neck, the two figure out that they are twins, adopted at the age of one by different parents. In the inevitable Parent Trap –esque move, they decide to change places, but just at school. How long will it take for Ivy to confess that she and her pals are vampires? Long enough for Olive to want to stand by her, because “blood is thicker than water” (to which her twin responds, “And better tasting, too!”). For those who crave vampire lite, the novel features likable heroines and comical scenarios. Ages 8-12. (Aug.)