Gotcha! Gotcha Back!

Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo #19

by Nancy E. Krulik, John & Wendy (Illustrator)

Katie and her friend George try to spice up the school day by playing a few practical jokes. Using a special kit full of whoopee cushions, pepper gum, and a water-spraying camera, the two kids make a splash pulling off gag after gag. But then Katie turns into George—just as he gets blamed for all the trouble! How will Katie get out of this one?

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books, Fiction

84 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2006

About the author

Nancy Krulik is the author of more than 100 books for children and young adults, including three New York Times bestsellers. She is best known, however, for being the author and creator of the Katie Kazoo Switcheroo book series, which has brought her to the attention of second, third, and fourth graders nationwide.

Nancy has also written extensively for teens and is well known as a biographer of Hollywood's hottest young stars. Her knowledge of the details of celebrities lives has made her a desired guest on several entertainment shows on the E! network as well as on Extra and Access Hollywood. She can be seen there talking about the secret lives of such celebs as Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, and Frankie Muniz. Nancy has also been a guest on radio broadcasts nationwide discussing the superstars she has researched over the years.

As the author of several teen and preteen advice books, including Grosset and Dunlap's Prom!: The Complete Guide to a Truly Spectacular Night, Nancy has been interviewed by several prominent magazines including Cosmo Girl, Teen, Teen People, Seventeen, and Teen Celebrity. She has also been the celebrity guest for three Teen People chat presentations. Nancy has recently begun to delve into the teen novel market, writing four romances for young adults, all of which will be published between 2004 and 2005.

Nancy currently lives in Manhattan with her husband, composer Daniel Burwasser, their two children, Amanda and Ian, and a crazed cockerspaniel named Pepper .

Reviews

[Jason Pettus · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I now maintain a blog just for my kid-lit reviews. Find it at http://kidlit4adults.blogspot.com .)

A friend has convinced me to try my hand this year at writing children's literature; but I don't actually know anything about children's literature, so am starting the process simply by reading a large selection of titles that have been recommended to me. Nancy Krulik's "Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo" series was one of them, which I was specifically told is a great example of books perfect for third-graders; and indeed, the two books I read (this and No Bones About It) seemed to feature many of the traits that I was told are important to include in literature for this age group, including a strong sense of humor, a quickly-paced but not too complicated storyline, a concentration on the ways that boys and girls interact at that age, lots of action and mystery, many scenes set in a school environment, and sentences that average around ten words. For parents, also know that Krulik designs each book to center on one or two common moral lessons she details at her website, and that all the titles feature a racially diverse cast of schoolmates and teachers. These are chapter-books with Americanized manga illustrations by professional duo "John & Wendy," each lasting a little under 10,000 words; 32 exist in the series as of January 2010, and a plethora of supplemental information is offered at the website for teachers and parents.

[Elizabeth Lemieux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I swear, this series is so cute. Rereading it as an adult really takes you back.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot of mean characters in this series for kids.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son said “can we give it 5.5 stars?”. They loved this one!

[hal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to love these books when I was in 3rd grade but I'm sure if I re-read it now I wouldn't like it nearly as much. Hence the two star rating. I also am pretty sure that I read more books out of this series, but I only remember this book and the first one. Anyway, in this Katie Kazoo adventure, she and her friend George (didn't he used to bully her? In the first book?) are pulling pranks on people at school. Just as George is being punished, Katie switches Into his body! So the dilemma is: how will Katie get out of this mess?

My thoughts: Overall (for the series in general) a pretty good series for kids ages 8-10. Anyone older might be seriously bored. That's why this book and the other book in this series is on my "coulda-been-better" shelf. Because since I am older now, it reflects my personal enjoyment now. I enjoyed it when I was younger though.

[vampire (dipita) grul]

never pull prank on peple.

[Miki · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Stacia Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the jokes and the consequences. Nicely written, flowed nicely and didn't seem like problems were solved too conveniently...just the right tone and pacing.

[Gabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh George, you and your pranks. Here's another crazy switcheroo. I reread the book because the first time I read this i was in the fourth grade. That's so long ago.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

when katie turns into george the class bully, he checks on the computer and gets in trouble by the teacher.

[Grrrr]

pretty good