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Which Way to Anywhere
By Carrie R. Wheadon,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Chaotic but fun intergalactic romp mends blended family.
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What's the Story?
In WHICH WAY TO ANYWHERE, the four stepsiblings in the O'Hero-Smith family – K2, Izzabird, Theo, and Mabel -- are on their way to middle school, bickering as always, when the animated toothbrushes in K2's backpack warn him to hide. A skull wearing a cloak sneaks by, a being clearly not from this planet, and it's looking for something. Or someone. When the kids get to school things get weirder: They have a substitute geography teacher with too many teeth who asks them to draw something called an Alternative Atlas. K2 looks terrified and refuses to do the assignment. When they get home from school Izzabird finds out why: K2 is hiding a magical gift that creates maps linking our world to alien planets very far away. It's a rare, dangerous gift that could get their whole family in big trouble, and before long trouble comes knocking on their washing machine door. Also, their baby sister has gone missing.
Is It Any Good?
This chaotic romp ramps up slowly and has a few too many oddball villains to keep track of, but pulls in reluctant readers with plenty of adventure. Plus, Which Way to Anywhere is generously illustrated by the author in expressive black-and-white drawings throughout. At the heart of the story is a blended family that's divided in many ways and full of secrets. Daniel Smith married into Freya O'Hero's magical family and doesn't know it, though his kids Theo and Mabel suspect. There's some obvious and humorous tells, and it's intergalactic mayhem only a magical family with unique gifts can conjure.
The kidnapping of toddler sibling Annipeck begins to bring the magical and nonmagical halves of the family together. The quest to save her starts late, in the second half of the book, but it's worth the wait. The alien world fascinates and the once-squabbling stepkids discover the power of teamwork as they face off with the too-many villains and some mean plants. More surprises await for this family that both test them and bring them closer together. This wild and satisfying first installment will leave readers wanting more.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the family communication in Which Way to Anywhere. What helps the always-squabbling stepsiblings work together to save their little sister? When you have trouble getting along with your siblings, what strategies do you use?
K2 doesn't think of himself as a hero at the beginning of the story. How does he overcome his fears and become heroic? Can you think of other stories where the hero feels very unhero-like?
For the reluctant reader fans out there: What drew you into this story? Did the illustrations help? What about the robots, weird worlds, and crazy characters? Who can help you find more fun books that will keep you reading?
Book Details
- Author: Cressida Cowell
- Illustrator: Cressida Cowell
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Brothers and Sisters , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires , Pirates , Robots , Science and Nature , Space and Aliens
- Character Strengths: Communication , Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: September 19, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 528
- Available on: Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: September 26, 2023
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