"the changeover" is set in a fairly new suburb of christchurch called gardendale; mahy had renamed the suburb of bishopdale for her book. it has a fairy-tale plot, with a devoted sister risking her life to save her bewitched brother. in some respects a coming-of-age story, it is also an unconventional romance between an aloof and difficult boy who happens to be a male witch and a strong-willed, psychically sensitive schoolgirl.