Which Way Around the Galaxy

August 1, 2024
Grades 4-7 Everyone knows that magic shouldn't exist on Earth, but the O'Hero-Smith family seems to be the exception to that rule. The newly blended household is teeming with the stuff, and K2 has a particular gift for drawing maps that allow the kids to travel to far-off worlds. Though the family is still recovering from previous galaxy-hopping adventures, a new one arrives in the form of a wayward critter from another planet. Despite firm warnings to keep the portals closed, the children decide that a quick visit to return their tiny charge won't do any harm. They couldn't be more wrong, and their decision sets off a chain reaction that puts all their lives--and the balance of the universe--in danger. The offbeat book is a boisterous delight, with outrageous descriptions, inventive characters, and joyfully scribbled illustrations combining into a humorous high-stakes drama. Uninitiated readers can jump right into the second installment, and established fans will find more to love. An unrestrained escapade of enormous fun.

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Starred review from August 15, 2024
The helter-skelter misadventures of the blended O'Hero-Smith family--on this and other planets--continue. While the resident trio of grown-up witches sneak out of the House at the Crossing of the Ways on a supposedly secret mission, resentful young folk Izzabird, K2, Theo, and Mabel set out themselves on a large, stolen (though Izzabird prefers to think of it as "borrowed") interstellar hoverboard. They hope to prove themselves worthy of not being left out by traveling the Which Ways to an impossibly dangerous planet, leaving behind their sibling, Annipeck O'Hero-Smith, who even at "two and a bit" can animate and control anything made of plastic. (Actually, all of the children plainly have magical Gifts, though some have not yet manifested at this point in the series.) Fortunately, Gifted or not (yet), singly or in groups, the racially diverse clan goes on to prove redoubtable enough to take on even the immensely powerful and treacherous archvillain Vorcxix the Vile. Unfortunately, their hijinks attract the attention of the ruthless Universal Government, which puts all of Earth in danger. As the sort of romp in which nearly everyone has private business, personal frictions, and conflicting agendas, this sequel toWhich Way to Anywhere (2023) is action-packed. Cowell illustrates nearly every page with exuberantly inky images of grotesque aliens and monster robots, frantic kids, and explosive arrivals and departures. She also chucks in mind-bending notions for clever readers to wrestle with, such as ice that is simultaneously cold and hot. Clever, silly fun.(Fantasy. 8-12)

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