The Big Switch: Varney and Cedric

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Published by: Nightingale Books
Release Date: March 26, 2026
Pages: 206
ISBN13: 978-1787884335

 Synopsis

The Big Switch is a warm, humorous adventure for anyone who’s ever felt out of place and dreamed of discovering a place to belong.

Varney Ruthven has been diagnosed with V.A.D., Vampire Adjustment Disorder. He hates the taste of blood and longs to be a human boy who can go to school and play basketball during the daytime. Twelve-year-old Cedric, on the other hand, is desperately unhappy as a human. He hates that he's turning into his bully of a father, but he can't seem to stop. If only he could feel powerful and in control of his life, like the vampires he admires. Not surprisingly, when Camilla, a friendly witch, offers Varney and Cedric the chance to switch places on a trial basis, the boys jump at the chance. The catch? If they tell anyone about the switch, it will immediately end. They have just thirty days to decide whether to make the switch permanent.

 

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Praise

"In THE BIG SWITCH: VARNEY AND CEDRIC, Lynn Slaughter has penned another engaging novel, this one for middle grade readers that features a kid vampire who hates the taste of blood and longs to be a human boy, and a troubled human boy who would much rather be a vampire. The identity-swapping tale is at times hilarious and at other times heartrending. It's hard to put down--especially for those who feel lonely, left out, or just don't fit in. Highly recommended."
—Connie Bergstein Dow, Award-Winning Author of TAP AND RAP, MOVE AND GROOVE

"Middle-grade readers and reluctant readers will love this monstrous take of identity-swapping with a catch.... no one can know! THE BIG SWITCH: VARNEY AND CEDRIC is fast-paced, funny and perfect for any tween who's ever imagined trading lives with someone else. A must read."
— Cindy Callaghan, author of JUST ADD MAGIC and THE GIRL WHO RUINED CHRISTMAS

"Have you ever wanted to trade places with someone else? In Lynn Slaughter’s middle grade novel, Varney and Cedric meet a witch, Camilla, who grants the two young boys this very wish. Varney sleeps in a coffin, has long fangs, deathly pale skin, and is forced by his mom to drink blood juice. He believes he must have landed in the wrong body and tells the witch that he wants to be a human kid. The hefty Cedric has a mean, brutish father and has himself become a bully and a thief. Unhappy, he says to Camilla, “I don’t want to be me anymore.” What happens when the witch does her magic and the name-calling, tough tormentor switches bodies with the lovable student, Varney, who goes to night school with adults to avoid the sunlight, must eat his mom’s Web Cookies, and has only one true friend, Amelia. Adding to this complication, Amelia is the main target of the terrorizing Cedric. We discover their varied differences as the author reveals them in this fun, fascinating story."
—Mary Popham, author of EMMALENE OF LANDING RUN

"Vampire boy + meanest guy at school + nerdy girl = You gotta read this book! Seriously."

AND

"If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be yourself while being somebody else at the same time, this is the book for you. Fun. Hard to put down. And full of surprises."
—Frances Schoonmaker, Agatha Award-winning author of The Last Crystal Trilogy and Sid Johnson and the Phantom Slave Stealer

"A delightfully modern take on the switch story, The Big Switch: Varney and Cedric is funny, insightful and full of adventure. When Varney, a vampire who longs to be human, and Cedric, a human kid with a troubled home life, switch places they find themselves challenged in unexpected ways and find their way to truest selves. A great read for every kid!"
—Ellen Birkett Morris, Award-winning author of Beware the Tall Grass: A Novel and Lost Girls: Short Stories

"A great middle-grade modern fairytale!

The Big Switch: Cedric and Varney is a macabre body-switching fun story about two boys with family and social issues that kids can relate to. The fact that one is a vampire and the other is a bully doesn’t matter. Slaughter’s excellent writing makes these kids sympathetic characters trying to find their better selves."
—Joan Wright Mularz, Award-Winning Author of Slate-A Band of Friends Mystery

"The Big Switch: Varney and Cedric, the latest novel from Lynn Slaughter, is a journey toward wholeness. Two boys, two different worlds, one vampiric and one mortal, are given a second chance at a new life. Lynn Slaughter is a master storyteller. Using prose that is both nimble and deft, Slaughter weaves together a fairy tale that is insightful, humorous and deeply touching."
—Whitney Vale, author of the forthcoming book of poetry, Sermon of Swallows

"There are surprises and adventures galore when two boys--a vampire and a bully--unhappy with their lives--change places. A fun read for kids of all ages!"
—Marilyn Levinson, author of the Rufus and Magic Run Amok series