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The Switch Bars

Tess dumped her books on the floor. Another Friday, and she had no plans.

Tess complained to her stuffed monkey, ‘Living in the White House is SO boring, Irving!’

Then she got a text from her friend Gabby. Gabby lived in a basement flat downstairs, because Gabby’s father worked for Tess’s mum as the White House chef. Mum was the president of the United States.

Gabby told her she had just got a magical gift, and she wanted to show Tess.

Soon after, she came up to Tess’s room. ‘I love it up here!’ she said. ‘It’s nice and quiet.’

Tess raised an eyebrow, then asked, ‘So what’s your magical gift?’ It looked like Gabby was just holding granola bars.

‘Grandpa sent me Switch Bars,’ Gabby explained. ‘You eat them with someone you want to switch places with. When both people are ready to switch back, they each take another bite and return to their own lives.’

‘I know who I would want to switch places with,’ said Tess immediately. ‘YOU!’

‘Me?’ laughed Gabby. ‘Well, I was hoping to switch places with YOU.’

‘Let’s try it, then!’ Tess said. They broke a granola bar in half and each took a bite.

Tess felt her arms tingling. She looked down. It had worked. She had turned into Gabby! She was in Gabby’s flat. Gabby’s three brothers were zooming around with their toy lorries and yelling. Gabby’s parents were watching them and laughing. Gabby’s baby sister was cooing and giggling. This flat was where all the fun was!

Gabby’s father, Mr Fletcher, flew out the door, carrying his chef’s hat. ‘I’m doing a big state dinner tonight. See y’all in the morning.’

Mrs Fletcher was bouncing the baby in her arms. Mrs Fletcher turned to Tess and asked, ‘Gabby, can you get dinner started?’

Tess forgot that Gabby had to help around the flat. Tess followed Mrs Fletcher’s directions. She chopped vegetables. She boiled water to make pasta. She added spices to the sauce.

After dinner, Tess hoped she could take a break and read. But there was no quiet place in this home. Gabby’s brothers were so loud, and now the baby was crying. Tess couldn’t concentrate on her book, and the flat was too small to escape them

‘Gabby! Come and help me with the dishes!’ Mrs Fletcher called.

More chores! Tess sighed and got up. She hadn’t realised how much work— and noise!—was in Gabby’s life.
Meanwhile, Gabby was delighted to find herself in Tess’s skin. She had this big, beautiful bedroom all to herself!

Tess’s mum came in and reminded Gabby that there was a big state dinner tonight because the prime minister of Belgium was visiting. Gabby was thrilled. Tess always got to meet such exciting people.

Later that afternoon, Gabby decided she wanted to get a smoothie from the juice shop nearby. But then Elijah, the Secret Service officer in the family quarters, reminded her that he would have to come with her if she was leaving the White House. Gabby had forgotten that Tess needed to have a chaperone just to go down the street.

As Gabby and Elijah walked downstairs, they passed a group of students going on a tour of the White House. When the students saw the daughter of the president of the United States, they all pointed and murmured.

Gabby felt her face turning red. She didn’t want all this attention!

Suddenly she saw a girl who looked exactly like Gabby’s old self running towards her. It was Tess.

‘Gabby, being you has been fun,’ Tess said. ‘But I think I’m ready to switch back.’

‘Me too!’ said Gabby, and they shared the granola bar that would turn them back into their normal selves.