Member Reviews
Hey everyone! ๐ I just finished reading Which Way to Anywhere by Cressida Cowell, and I'm absolutely thrilled to share my thoughts with you!
This magical adventure is an absolute delight from start to finish. It's packed with whimsical characters, fantastical worlds, and the kind of storytelling that makes you feel like you're right there with the characters, experiencing every twist and turn.
One of the most captivating moments for me was when the main character, K2 O'Hero, discovers his hidden magical abilities and embarks on a thrilling journey to save his family. The scene where he first uses his powers to open a portal to another world is so vividly described, you can almost feel the rush of excitement and wonder alongside him. Cowell's ability to create such immersive and detailed worlds is truly unmatched.
What I also love about this book is the strong emphasis on family and friendship. K2's bond with his siblings and their collective determination to overcome obstacles is heartwarming and inspiring. It's a reminder that with a little courage and a lot of love, anything is possible.
If you're in the mood for an enchanting story that will whisk you away to magical realms and leave you with a big smile on your face, Which Way to Anywhere is a must-read. Trust me, you won't be able to put it down!
Happy reading, and let me know what you think! ๐โจ
It's clear after reading Cressida Cowell's latest book, Which Way to Anywhere, that the limits of her imagination know no bounds. It's a zany, action packed, humorous adventure that will entertain readers of all ages.
The characters are quirky and lovable. Similar to her other books, they all have very unique names that only add to the story. The names are a bit childish, like K2 or Izzabird (which is reminiscent of the names of characters in her other books, like Hiccup and Gobber). However, that was more a benefit rather than a distraction from the overall story as I felt it added a more whimsical air to the story. In addition to the whimsical elements, there are also more commonplace real life elements with K2 having dyslexia and amblyopia (lazy eye). I really appreciate authors who celebrate differences and neurodivergence in their characters, rather than making them out to be something bad. It's always exciting to me to see authors celebrating differences rather than making them out to be something bad.
The world-building, or should I say building multiple worlds is cool too. The idea of an alternative atlas was incredibly unique, and it was fun to get to learn about the different worlds the alternative atlases created paths to. It was also fun to get to envision the various looks of each alternative atlas in my mind. On another note, the OโHero familyโs history plays a large role in the story and the world, so it was interesting to learn about that over the course of the book.
The audiobook version of this title is an experience. The author narrates the book herself, and it's a fully produced recording complete with sound effects. I loved it! There are some twists related to the author narrating the book that I wasnโt expecting as well. This is definitely one of those instances where listening to the audiobook elevates the reading experience. I think it's also worth checking out the print version as well, given the illustrations interspersed throughout the story.
Which Way to Anywhere is an amazing book, and Iโm so excited to check out more titles from the author in the future. If you enjoy humorous fantasy tales that celebrate differences and the meaning of family, you should definitely check out this book.
Thank you to the author, the publisher Little Brown Young Readers, the team at TBR and Beyond Tours, and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book as part of my participation in the blog tour. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review the book immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed Which Way to Anywhere. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.
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3/5 STARS
Genre: Middle Grade Science Fiction
Synopsis:
In a quest to protect a magical atlas, a group of 4 kids find themselves in other worlds.
The premise was very intriguing, but it was a little too chaotic for me. There was a lot going on without any character development. I never connected with any of the characters(maybe the baby). The book also has a lot of illustrations that help understand what is going on. I liked those! If you are a science fiction fan, give it a try!
This very exciting adventure story is about four kids who are part of a blended family. Neither of the sets of kids like the idea of being a blended family and both sets are looking for ways to separate their parents. As a separate issue, the dad of one of the sets of kids is missing and presumed dead (which is how the mom could remarry) but the kids are SURE he's out there somewhere. It turns out he IS and there is a magical world that none of the kids are aware of (although they suspect) and when the magical world comes looking for them, it gets pretty exciting. It takes some time to get there (like 100 pages into 300 page story). There are lots of wild scary beasts with made up names that look complicated as well as places that are made up. Then there is a robot that speaks sort of English and that is also complicated. Even though its an exciting story, there are lots of things that might slow less confident readers down.
๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ช๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒโA story about siblings who go to an adventurous rescue mission to save their baby sister.
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๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฒ๐ป๐ท๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐๐น๐ฒ.
This is my first read of Cressida Cowell's books and I can say the writing style so different from the usual book I've read. After some pages, I could enjoy the K2's adventure story and absolutely will looking forward for next book.
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Read ๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ช๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ if you're looking for:
1. Extra ordinary family
2. Siblings relationship
3. Witches + robots ๐
4. Book with some illustrations
5. Unique and magical world building
6. Adventurous story
7. Morally grey characters
This was an excellent middle-grade magical adventure. Which Way To Anywhere is a fast-paced story with lots of twists and turns. The detailed illustrations drove the scenes putting us right into the action. This well written book boasts great imagination and characters. I enjoyed how this a blended family came together to rescue their baby sister. Middle graders will enjoy this creative series. And personally, I can hardly wait for the next one!
I do love me a Cressida Cowell book but I have a little confession I have had Which Way to Anywhere on my TBR since last year (I'm from the UK) and I had not picked it up because of my ever growing TBR.
So when I saw the blog tour I knew that this would be the way I could read it and oh boy I could kick myself for not reading it sooner.
Again Cressida imagination and story telling has no bounds. She has made an amazing world which is really shown off in her illustrations. The you have two sets of siblings who are at loggerheads and my favourite character by far Annipeck who was the cutest bean plus a lot of adventure which makes the reader feel that they have been on too. You'd think that would be enough but Cressida then entwines the issue of Climate change so masterfully throughout the story it is breath taking.
I will be reading the next in series which in fact is about to land on my doorstep next and I will be adding it to my October TBR as I can't wait to see what happens next to the O'Heros-Smiths.
Weโre here for the zippy, quirky illustrated, joy of a story! This author is well known for her gloriously memorable stories filled with adventure and family. This new series is no different! Leading us through lesson after lesson, weโre faced with how the characters are learning, growing, and building. Her creativity to describe the world is mesmerizing. This is most definitely a must read.
I do not often reach for middle grade books when I'm looking for something to read but I'm glad I was given the chance to review Which Way to Anywhere by Cressida Cowell. This is defiantly a book series I would purchase for my son when he is gets to the reading stage. Which Way to Anywhere had a perfect mix of loveable characters and not so loveable characters who we follow through an alternate universe on a high stakes adventure. With portals, robots, an entire world of never seen creatures and magical abilities, Which Way to Anywhere is brimming with excitement and whimsical fun. Pick this up for the child in your life, or even yourself and enjoy the fun magical adventure.
I find Cowell's books really hit or miss for me....this one was a miss. While I enjoyed the premise of the story it just fell flat and didn't seem to go anywhere even though they traveled to a magical world. There were good descriptions, the drawings were charming, but it wasn't enough to save the book for me.