Switcharound

by Lois Lowry

Published 1 January 1985
Caroline and J.P.'s father has asked them to come visit him and his new wife in Des Moines, Iowa. They don't really want to go, but they also don't have a say in the matter. Upon arriving, they discover they each have unexpected and unpleasant responsibilites. Caroline has to babysit their baby twin sisters and J.P. is forced to coach baseball to a bunch of six-year-olds. The two decide to call a truce in their continual sibling warfare and help each other out. They soon discover there's strength in numbers - and a little responsibility isn't always a bad thing.

The most useless and obnoxious thing in the world to Caroline Tate is her older brother, J.P., the genius with the photographic memory. But now, for the first time, she needs him. She needs him because upstairs in the fifth floor apartment of their building is a mystery man who plans to commit a terrible crime-and she and J.P. are the targets! Luckily, Caroline's best friend, Stacy, wants to be an investigative journalist, so she knows how to gather evidence. Together, Caroline, Stacy, and J.P. set out to catch this criminal red handed before he can pull off his dastardly deed!

Your Move, J.P.!

by Lois Lowry

Published 1 January 1990
J.P. is in love, and it's making him do all sorts of weird things. Like using deodorant, bumping into walls, and imagining he hears serenading violins. J.P. has even forgotten his obsession with chess, too caught up in pondering the beauty of Angela Patricia Galsworthy, a girl who has just moved to town from London and has the most charming British accent. J.P. will do anything to impress Angela, even lie about having a fatal disease called triple framosis. From there, his lies grow bigger and bigger and bigger, until he can barely keep them all straight. What's a poor lovesick boy to do?