What happens when you and your family head to a cottage for the weekend but, when you wake up the next morning, everything has changed? Your car is gone, a barn has appeared, no wifi,...this is what happens to the Oaks family. The first half of the book does a great job of character and plot building; the story primarily focusing on Zachary, the 13 year old son.
At about the halfway point, a lot changes. Many of the changes are predictable, happening to keep the plot going. While I still enjoyed the novel, I felt a lot of the second half was forced and did not proceed in a way that held my interest. Predictability can be good or bad and, while I was glad to see some of the plot direction, I felt quite a bit was cliched.
My thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic for the ARC.

Big thanks to NetGalley. Scholastic Press, and author Kenneth Oppel

The forward to us readers says, "clear your schedule to read", and that I did. This book sucked me right in (to outer space or a deep government)...
You wake up in your own house, everything how you left it going to bed the night before. But you know something is not right. You realize your home has been move to a well stock farm. You wander during to day to find you are in some kind of bubble/snow globe with an invisible wall that won't let you past. You learn to make do with your new environment, thinking this is it, this is all that your life will be. Until you finally get neighbors, that turn out to be conspiracy theorists. We all realize that there is always two sides to every coin. That I can say I'm holding a stone and you can argue it's a pebble. You don't know what's out there, you can never be sure because and you have to weigh your options and protect your family. Do good, do the right thing and you will be rewarded. 5 star, highly recommend.

Classified as YA but just as easily Adult, Oppels Best of All Worlds is a must read. I wouldn’t limit this book to one genre either.

Forced to go on a family weekend at their cabin with his dad and new stepmom, Xavier is astonished when he wakes up and instead of seeing their lake, he hears goats, and sees a new barn and fields. Everything at their house is the same except their location. There is an alien component when during his stepmom’s labor, the baby almost dies, they’re all put to sleep and the baby is then saved. They question everything but for the next three years they survive by learning how to farm. Xavier still misses his mom, brother and friends. Until 3 years later another family is plucked down in the same situation, completely unlike them, but there’s a girl his own age. Now not only must they teach this family to thrive, but learn to navigate their very different ideals.

For a young adult title, this book had so many deep and reflective moments. It is also quite genre-defying. Oppel gives us the perspective of being a sci-fi character without the bulk of heavy world-building so that we instead focus on the characters themselves and the issues they face. The relationships are at the front of the action, which makes it much easier to see the human, political, and even spiritual questions we all face. There also isn't a direct answer. Instead, Oppel has given us a moment to reflect: We can see ourselves in all of these characters from time to time. What I didn't love was the ending, not in how it ended, but in its swiftness. However, I could see this book being used as a great book club read or a sociology class read. I don't know that all readers will appreciate the lack of answers to what happens in the book, but I did not find that it took away from it in any way.

I feel like this should be the first in a series...because so many questions are left unanswered.

Also, this is definitely for an older YA audience.

This book reminds me a lot of the tv show under the dome even though they are quite different. If you liked that show, you will love this book.

I loved this book. It's an interesting take on modern times and science fiction, on different societies and cultures, on getting along with each other. It was a page turner, fun to read, and interesting.

Xavier Oake loves pulling his best friend and DM aside to talk about things for their D&D game, but when his father and new, pregnant step-mom, Nia, decide to bring him along for a week at their cabin by the lake, Zay feels he has to go, leaving his mother and brother, Sam, behind. None of them suspected waking up to find the lake gone and the house surrounded by farm land, complete with a barn, goats, and chickens. The Oakes do everything they can to find out what's going on by trying to find a neighbor, a road, anything that might help them only to discover they are trapped in a translucent dome that keeps them on the farm. They now have to learn to farm, care for the chickens and goats, including collecting eggs and milking the nannies. They do the best they can, even when Nia goes into labor and something is wrong with baby Noah. Zay and his dad wake up to find Nia and Noah asleep, clean, and everything is perfectly fine. They believe they have been abducted by aliens, but have no idea why and why them. Three years go by, and Zay discovers a hole in the dome and witnesses tiny little glowing creatures or bots or drones that build an entire new farm in front of his eyes., bringing in a new family to live across the creek from them. This new family with a mother, father, and two daughters, one Zay's age of 16 now, have different beliefs - government conspiracies, technologies - but Makenzie and Zay begin friends, first kisses and a little more for Zay, but her father is adamant they can escape and does everything he can try to do so even when their keepers, whoever, they are, punish both families to get him to stop. This is a thriller suspense based on climate change issues with science fiction thrown in. Zay starts off a moody, jealous teenager as Noah gets presents from their keepers and he doesn't. That he had to leave his mom and brother behind and comes to the realization he will never see them again. As the book goes on, he becomes more dependable to his family and grows to love Noah, and even Nia, but he stays angry, confused, and wants to go home. Though I enjoyed the book, the dropping of the F-bomb and the light sex play would keep me from being able to use it for a reading list. It's an intresting look at what could happen if we don't try to take care of Earth now, as climate change is showing us, and how Zay's dad pulls on Zay's D&D tactical mind and ideas to help think outside the box to try to escape and to survive.

This is absolutely a me thing but I didn't really like this. I'm not a fan of AS King at all, and they're an author everyone loves, so it's probably just that it's not to my taste.

Thank you Netgalley and Scholastic for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Kenneth Oppel’s “Best of All Worlds” is an intriguing, thought-provoking book that combines science fiction with social commentary. At its core, it’s a survival story, but not just in the traditional sense—it also explores ideological survival, human adaptability, and what it means to live in captivity.

The story follows Xavier Oak, a 13-year-old boy whose family trip to their lakeside cottage takes a bizarre and terrifying turn. One morning, he wakes up to find that the lake has vanished, and his family is inexplicably trapped under an invisible dome in an unfamiliar landscape. They are alone, with only the supplies provided to them—enough to sustain life, but not to escape it. As years pass, the family settles into an uneasy acceptance of their fate. Then, another family, the Jacksons, arrives, shaking up the fragile equilibrium. Their arrival sparks tension, not just because of their differing perspectives on their captivity but because of their ideological clashes—Xavier’s pacifist, intellectual family is suddenly forced to coexist with Riley Jackson, a conspiracy-driven, gun-toting survivalist who believes they are being held by a corrupt government.

The book thrives in its exploration of human nature. Xavier, caught between the two families’ vastly different worldviews, becomes a compelling lens through which we examine questions of control, acceptance, and rebellion. The contrast between the families is sharp—perhaps exaggerated at times—but it effectively illustrates modern political and social divides. The book also offers a subtle yet unsettling commentary on climate change, hinting that their abduction may not be random but instead part of a larger experiment or a desperate effort to preserve humanity.

Oppel’s writing is engaging and well-paced, keeping you invested despite the lack of traditional action. The initial mystery of their imprisonment is gripping, but instead of evolving into a high-stakes escape thriller, the book shifts focus to philosophical dilemmas: Do they resist captivity, even without knowing their captors’ intentions? Or do they build a life within the dome, making peace with an unknowable fate?

One of the book’s strengths is its realism in character reactions. Xavier’s frustration, fear, and reluctant acceptance feel authentic, and the adults’ choices—whether to seek escape or preserve stability—are deeply human. I did find the book’s social commentary to be a bit heavy-handed, particularly in its depiction of the new family. The ending, too, might leave some unsatisfied, as it leans more toward an ambiguous resolution rather than a grand reveal.

Overall, “Best of All Worlds” is a compelling and thought-provoking read. Whether you view it as a cautionary tale, a reflection of our current societal divides, or simply a unique sci-fi premise, Oppel delivers a book that lingers in the mind long after the last page.

I love Kenneth Oppel's books, and each one has a different vibe. This one was very "Maze Runner"/dystopia/utopia. The premise is interesting and held my attention through to the end. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but that's part of the enjoyment - the reader can decide what they think. Would definitely recommend to my students and purchase for the classroom. We could get a lot of good discussions out of this.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Well, this was an interesting sci-fi read.

A teenager and his blended family are on vacation by the lake. When they wake up, the lake is gone and they find themselves alone on a curiously contained farm. Is it a fever dream? Alien abduction? A parallel universe? A government conspiracy? They have no idea. All they know is they can't get out for three long years.

Then, another family arrives.

The teen and his family are pacifist, intellectual, mixed-race Canadians. The other family is American, led by their racist, conspiracy theorist, gun-toting, mentally unstable father.

The story is not about the sci-fi elements, or the mystery behind who kidnapped these people. It never really answers the worldbuilding questions, though it does heavily hint at the answers. Instead, it's about the conflict among the cast. Should they choose to content themselves with their domesticated life within the strict parameters of their captors (holy Canadians) or risk punishment and worse by rebelling against their captors (debased Americans) and trying to escape?

Xavier, our main character, is torn between the two worlds. It's a compelling scenario, and I was interested the whole time.

The only thing is, the message of this book left me slightly baffled. What is it saying? That the intolerance of captivity, no matter how benevolent the bondage, is a destructive impulse antithetical to the greater good of humanity? Maybe I'm too much of a debased American to be satisfied with this.

Welcome to THE DOME

dun dun dun

SUMMARY:
We follow Xavier Oak, a 13 year old boy with a blended family. He is currently on a summer trip with his father and pregnant stepmother at their lake cottage. He is NOT happy with this as he wanted to stay home with his mother and brother and play D&D with notable Cool Girl Serena. So he wakes up on the second day of the trip ready to text Serena about their campaign.

BLEHEHEHEHEH

That's right. There is a whole goat outside. The lake? Gone.

They wander around for a few days. They manage to figure out that they are in a dome due to rocks and math. UHOH! Right when you thought things couldn't get worse, stepmom goes into labor.

Three years pass.

Another family arrives in the dome. And they are the worst kind of monsters you could imagine. They are white people from the south.

MY THOUGHTS:
This book got WAY more political than I could have imagined. Which is great! I love a book that has something to say. However this felt super heavy-handed. It kinda took over the entire plot, which I was invested in at the beginning! But it became a little bit of a slog to get through somewhere in the middle. Very much became look at these redneck people what with their conspiracy theories and racism and balloons. Like man I just wanna know more about this dome. I don't care that you are scared of this mostly reasonable man because of his *checks notes* ultra scary PTSD. Like yeah he sucks but like honestly his reaction to The Dome is much more realistic.

FINAL OPINION:
Overall this book was a bit of a nothing burger. Not much happens. I was expecting more of a mystery, or at least some suspense, since this is a survival thriller. The ending happens and you are just like. Oh. So it was...ok. The characters are pretty shallow and unlikable. Like, I wish we learned a bit more about who these people were pre-dome. You don't really see why any of them would want to get out, and honestly they don't seem to worked up about it either. I guess the book was fine. Not a recommend, but there are much worse books out there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scholastic for providing an advanced copy! All opinions are my own.