Reviewed by Liz Konkel for Readers' Favorite

Turnaround by Charter Road is the story of a teenager's wish to live in a fantasy after a lie goes wrong. Terry has a problem. He failed another test and he has no idea how to tell his parents but he has to think of something soon as the teacher has given him a short amount of time to get his test signed and returned. Add that to his current caffeine addiction and he doesn't know how he's going to make it through the week. One lie turns into another as his attempt to get out of his problem backfires. First, he lies to his mother about getting an A, and then he lies to the prettiest girl in school which just makes matters worse. So he makes a wish to have his life become a kooky fantasy. He just never expected it to come true.

The characters play various roles in his life to help shift him onto the right path. Another important character is his cat who tries to get him to do what's right through her animal actions and her presence is a catalyst to subtly maneuver him a certain way which includes a major moment in the story. His relationship with his parents is key to how his arc unfolds as lying to his parents is what creates tension and guilt for him as he sees how his lies impact his parents. Road focuses on the relationship between him and his parents as a way to show the impact actions have between a child and parents.

Road successfully portrays a normal teenager through his attitude and his views while using him to show how stress can impact a teenager's life. Faith is also a key aspect of what pushes Terry forward and as he reaches out to God, he starts to wonder about his actions more and how his actions affect others. Road takes Terry's journey and opens up life lessons that weave into understanding how to put your trust in God. The writing is fun and often lightens the story through the language which incorporates specific zany words and phrases like 'spooky kooky things' and 'test-astrophe' into Terry's dialogue. Charter Road uses this specific language as a way to build up the quirky events to occur before any spooky kooky things happen. The story is told through the lens of exploring life as a fantasy and how this teaches young readers to make better choices. I really enjoyed this zany fantasy! Turnaround is full of strange happenings and kooky situations with a coming-of-age journey, a test of faith, and an important life lesson that young adult readers will enjoy and appreciate.