The Changeover
Encyclopedia
The Changeover: a Supernatural Romance is a young adult novel by the New Zealand novelist Margaret Mahy
, first published in 1984
. It won the Carnegie Medal
for that year.
called Gardendale. It has a fairy-tale plot, with a devoted sister risking her life to save her bewitched brother. In some respects a coming-of-age story, it is also an unconventional romance between an aloof and difficult boy who happens to be a male witch and a strong-willed, psychically sensitive schoolgirl.
As Jacko becomes increasingly ill, Laura believes he has been possessed. She seeks the help of Sorensen "Sorry" Carlisle, recognized by her as a witch in hiding though to others he seems just a painfully well-behaved school prefect who photographs birds as a hobby. She learns that Braque is an ancient being who consumes the life force of others to keep himself alive. Sorry's grandmother Winter, one of a long line of witches, recommends that Laura should "changeover" from her normal life, becoming a witch or "woman of the moon" herself. As such she can trick the unwary Braque into putting himself in her power. Although warned that the changeover can be dangerous, Laura is determined to save her brother, now very near death.
Laura experiences the changeover as a spirit journey through a dark forest, which is also at the same time Gardendale. The Carlisle witches help her through it, for their own reasons, and she emerges from the perilous passage with the power of nature and imagination awakened in her.
Taking Sorensen along to mask her new power, Laura confronts Braque and succeeds in gaining power over him and breaking his hold on Jacko. At first intending to make the evil entity suffer, she rejects the dark temptation and instead ends his unnatural existence.
.
It was described by the Guardian as "a seamless combination of supernatural thriller and entirely authentic teenage story", and by the School Library Journal
as "an extraordinarily rich and sensitive novel" with a beautiful but ornate style. In the re-release of the novel in 2007, the author notes the book's significance as having been both her first young adult novel and the first in which she effectively evoked the New Zealand setting. She also observes its lack of adolescent idiom, which gives it a timeless quality. It is recommended by several reading books, particularly for teenage girls.
The Changeover has been the subject of scholarly essays, especially dealing with its fairytale elements.
Margaret Mahy
Margaret Mahy ONZ is a well-known New Zealand author of children's and young adult books. While the plots of many of her books have strong supernatural elements, her writing concentrates on the themes of human relationships and growing up.Her books The Haunting and The Changeover: A Supernatural...
, first published in 1984
1984 in literature
The year 1984 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The book Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is widely read....
. It won the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
for that year.
Plot introduction
The Changeover is set in a fairly new suburb of ChristchurchChristchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
called Gardendale. It has a fairy-tale plot, with a devoted sister risking her life to save her bewitched brother. In some respects a coming-of-age story, it is also an unconventional romance between an aloof and difficult boy who happens to be a male witch and a strong-willed, psychically sensitive schoolgirl.
Plot summary
Laura Chant has one of her "warnings", a premonition that something is about to happen, but is forced to ignore it and go to school as usual. On the way home, she and her younger brother Jacko encounter the sinister Carmody Braque, who 'playfully' stamps Jacko's hand, the stamp appearing as an image of his face.As Jacko becomes increasingly ill, Laura believes he has been possessed. She seeks the help of Sorensen "Sorry" Carlisle, recognized by her as a witch in hiding though to others he seems just a painfully well-behaved school prefect who photographs birds as a hobby. She learns that Braque is an ancient being who consumes the life force of others to keep himself alive. Sorry's grandmother Winter, one of a long line of witches, recommends that Laura should "changeover" from her normal life, becoming a witch or "woman of the moon" herself. As such she can trick the unwary Braque into putting himself in her power. Although warned that the changeover can be dangerous, Laura is determined to save her brother, now very near death.
Laura experiences the changeover as a spirit journey through a dark forest, which is also at the same time Gardendale. The Carlisle witches help her through it, for their own reasons, and she emerges from the perilous passage with the power of nature and imagination awakened in her.
Taking Sorensen along to mask her new power, Laura confronts Braque and succeeds in gaining power over him and breaking his hold on Jacko. At first intending to make the evil entity suffer, she rejects the dark temptation and instead ends his unnatural existence.
Characters
- Laura Chant, a 14-year-old schoolgirl who lives in Gardendale, a suburb of Christchurch, and is sensitive to the supernatural
- Jacko Chant, Laura's 3-year-old brother
- Kate Chant, Laura's mother, manager of a bookshop in the Gardendale Mall
- Stephen Chant, Laura and Jacko's father, who lives in the north
- Julia Chant, Stephen's new wife, pregnant with their first child
- Mrs Fangboner, Jacko's babysitter
- Chris Holly, Kate's new boyfriend, first seen as a customer at the bookshop, a Canadian librarian working at the Christchurch Central LibraryChristchurch City LibrariesChristchurch City Libraries are operated by the Christchurch City Council and are a network of 19 libraries and a mobile book bus. The library was formerly known as the Canterbury Public Library.-Early history:...
- Sorensen Carlisle, known as Sorry, an 18-year-old prefect at Laura's school, a male witch. Fostered as a baby, he returned to the Carlisle home aged 16
- Miryam Carlisle, Sorenson's mother, a witch
- Winter Carlisle, Miryam's mother, a witch
- Carmody Braque, a vampiric lemur masquerading as an antique dealer
Literary significance and reception
The novel was awarded the Carnegie Medal for 1984 and was also the ALA Best Book for Young Adults, the School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, the Booklist Editor's Choice and a Boston Globe-Horn Honour BookBoston Globe-Horn Book Award
The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were first presented by The Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine in 1967. They are among the most prestigious honors in the United States in the field of children’s and young adult literature...
.
It was described by the Guardian as "a seamless combination of supernatural thriller and entirely authentic teenage story", and by the School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
as "an extraordinarily rich and sensitive novel" with a beautiful but ornate style. In the re-release of the novel in 2007, the author notes the book's significance as having been both her first young adult novel and the first in which she effectively evoked the New Zealand setting. She also observes its lack of adolescent idiom, which gives it a timeless quality. It is recommended by several reading books, particularly for teenage girls.
The Changeover has been the subject of scholarly essays, especially dealing with its fairytale elements.