Mixed Up

by Gordon Korman

Libby audiobook 6 hours

Read by: Christopher Gebauer and Mark Sanderlin

Published: 2023

Genre: YA realistic / fantasy

Why both realistic fiction AND fantasy? Because the premise of the story is that two boys (Reef Moody and Theo Metzinger) start forgetting their own memories as they are somehow transferred to the other boy's mind. 

The story opens with Reef, who is forgetting his mother. She died the previous year from Covid and he believes he is at fault for her illness. He is living with her best friend Jenna Helmer, Jenna's husband Will, and their three kids. The oldest two are barely part of the story, but Declan is the youngest . . . and two years older than Reef. He treats Reef horribly! But of course, Reef doesn't want to jeopardize his situation and end up in foster care so he just keeps quiet.

Then we meet Theo, who loves gardening and is averse to "Jaws," the rabbit nibbling on his flowers and working his way to the vegetables. His dad "ruled the school" back in his day and he expects Theo to do the same. Theo goes to karate begrudgingly, but isn't like his dad and prefers to keep to himself.

The story was interesting enough for me to want to know how it resolved and I generally enjoy Korman's stories, but this one bugged me. And the resolution at the end wasn't great! Reef not being able to remember his childhood experiences with his mom, his guilt over her dying of Covid being "his fault," . . . there were just so many things that bothered me. Ugh. Maybe I'm just done with YA fiction.