Freaky Friday

What beliefs about children and education are represented by each of the three school employees in the meeting at Annabel’s school? Which of these approaches is most effective in reaching Annabel, and what does this say about Annabel herself?

What do Annabel’s changing thoughts about her mother, father, and brother reveal about how Annabel herself is changing? How does her self-image inform her understanding of others, and vice versa?

To what extent does the novel align with John Locke’s theory that personal identity is synonymous with consciousness? Is Annabel entirely the same person when she occupies her mother’s body, or does this new body facilitate changes in her identity? What about the “makeover” she undergoes after returning to her original body? What does the novel therefore suggest about the relationship between body and identity?