Customer Reviews

The Anybodies

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Like the best of young reader literature, which is referenced liberally in this charming tale of eleven-year-old Fern's discovery of her real family and her extraordinary powers, The Anybodies is a pleasure for young readers and adults alike. I bought it because it's a Book-of-the-month selection, and I meant to give it to friends with kids aged 10-13. But then I snuck a peak and I was hooked. Fern grows up learning to ignore things like bats turning into marbles and nuns turning into lampposts because The Drudgers, her parents, are accountants and wouldn't understand that sort of thing. But of course, this is a story where things aren't always what they seem (it tells you so on the cover!) and The Drudgers aren't her real parents at all. Soon Fern is whisked away by her father, known as The Bone, and she discovers powers she inherited from her grandmother and mother, which include shaking characters out of books. And there are other surprises, too...Fern's a spirited and sweet heroine, and you root for her all the way through this thrilling adventure.

'The Anybodies' is a great fast-pace book about 270 pages long. I just finished reading 'The Nobodies' the sequel to 'The Anybodies.' For me, easy reading but a great book for it keeps you from dozing off..... With a few personal touches N. E. Bode grips your fascination and alertness forcing you to dive into the pages of it. Fern, Howard, The Bone, the Miser, and many other charaters have all in their own way a different style. After this book you will HAVE to get the next one. Happy reading!

The main character in this book is Fern. She was switched at birth. She thinks she is a boring person called a Drudger. In truth, Fern is a Anybody and an Anybody can be Anybody she wants! Fern finds out that she has a special abitlity of shaking things out of books. Join Fern as we goes on a quest to find a special book at her grandmothers house. This book is important to her father. He must read the book to become a good Anybody again and he wants to teach Fern this as well.


What did you like or not like about the book?

The black and white illustrations through out the book were interesting. I enjoyed learning more about each character as I read. There are references to other classic children's books including Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, and The Series of Unfortunate Events.

The story moved at a fast pace.

What do you get when you add a sprinkle of magic, a twist of mystery, and a slew of colorful characters? Welcome to the world of THE ANYBODIES! First, we meet eleven-year-old Fern Drudger who is trapped in a rather dull life with her tragically boring parents. Mr. and Mrs. Drudger are both accountants at a firm called Beige and Beige. They enjoy dull things only: toasters, sponges, and refrigerator magnets.

Fern, on the other hand, is different from her parents. She loves books and writing in her journal. Fern is anything but dull and has had some unusual things happen to her. As a toddler, she filled her room with crickets when she was looking at a picture book. And once, when she was learning to read, she caught snow that turned into words. She made the words into a curious sentence: "Things aren't always what they seem, are they?" And more recently, the strange events have increased. Fern observes a nun turn into a lamppost, and then during her swimming class, she sees a bat become a pile of marbles! Fern can't tell her dull parents about these strange sights. They already think she has an "overactive dysfunction" --- an imagination!

One day, Fern's boring world is interrupted by a shocking surprise. Mary Curtain, the hospital nurse who delivered Fern, arrives in tears. She tells the Drudgers that there's been a horrible mistake. Fern is not a Drudger after all! She was switched at birth with a boy named Howard. Howard is with the nurse as well as a man, Fern's father, who calls himself the Bone. A quick decision is made --- Fern will go with the Bone for the summer and Howard will stay with the Drudgers.

As soon as Fern leaves with the Bone, her adventure begins. You see, the Bone is not like the Drudgers in the least. When Fern gets in the car with the Bone and the nurse, she realizes that her summer will be anything but boring. She learns that the Bone and her mother are Anybodies --- people who can turn into practically anybody. Anybodies can also use hypnosis and deep concentration (mixed with a third "something else") to help other people become better versions of themselves. Fern also is told that her mother (who sadly died during childbirth) was a natural Anybody and learned it all from a special book called THE ART OF BEING AN ANYBODY. The Bone, on the other hand, was not as skilled, which Fern soon witnesses from a slew of his hypnotizing mishaps.

The Bone also tells Fern about the Miser, an Anybody who has gone bad, and the Great Realdo, the most powerful and heroic Anybody of all.

The Bone hopes that Fern has inherited some of her mother's Anybody powers. He needs her help for an important mission --- to find her mother's special book, THE ART OF BEING AN ANYBODY, before the Miser can get his hands on it and use it for evil doings.

THE ANYBODIES is a fun-filled adventure that mixes elements of many of today's popular books. Similar to Lemony Snicket, author N.E. Bode uses the first person to tell the tale and mixes it in with quirky anecdotes (here, mostly about her evil writing teacher). Also, the first person allows for many references to other children's books of past and present. For example, the author compares Fern's dilemma to that of several other characters in dangerous situations: "What if Stuart Little had been a girl? He would have arrested her parents for allowing a young girl to set off alone in a motorcar, that's what! What if Harry Potter had been a girl, spirited away by a giant of a man with a magical umbrella? Would you have put up with Violet Baudelaire being haunted, on her lonesome, by that man with the singular eyebrow?"

In addition, the elements of mystery and adventure make THE ANYBODIES a page-turner. N.E. Bode (or is it Julianna Baggot, "the trusted friend" noted on the dust jacket?) has created a quirky and funny read perfect for the summer. As we follow Fern and her many adventures, we realize that "Things aren't always what they seem, are they?"

--- Reviewed by Kristi Olson

Fern Drudger's family is extremely boring. They are nothing like Fern. After twelve years of living with her dull family, Fern discovers that she and a boy named Howard Bone were switched at birth. When the adults decide that Fern and Howard should spend a summer with their birth parents, Fern is whisked away by her father, the Bone. Not knowing what to make of him, Fern learns that he is an "Anybody." He can change into someone or something else at any time. But, he's not very good at it and he's convinced that Fern can help him. Readers, who enjoy Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket, should enjoy this first-in-a-series. The pen sketches sprinkled throughout add just a bit more flavor to this already clever tale. With both humor and real-life family drama along with a little mystery, this fantasy will prove to be a quick and entertaining read for all.

So, on a whim, I picked up this book to read while on vacation. Fortunately (and unfortunately) it didn't make it that far. Fortunately, because it was one of the wittiest books I've ever read. Unfortunately, because I didn't have another book to read on the trip. The characters are all highly imaginative, and the author goes off on these little tangents about his or her writing instructor that are absolutely laugh-out-loud funny. It's great to find a book out there where you feel for the characters and where you can't wait to find out what's going to happen. It's also great to have such a book have such clean language. Please go get the book...You won't regret it. (...)

It's true! Everyday after lunch, I read to my 3rd graders. We have a short window of time before going to recess. One of my students bought the book "The Anybodies" for me from our school book fair (I had hinted for it).

Even in the first day of reading, they were hooked. Did I mention I only have a short time to read? Fifteen minutes to be exact. The class was hooked. By the end of the first week, the classroom clock would be pointing to 12:30...recess time, but none of my students budged. None reminded me of the time. I had to stop reading, but they wanted to hear more.

Ok, N.E. Bode, whoever you are, what kind of magical literary genius can spin a tale so mesmerizing that even 8 yr olds deny themselves the frivolity of recess in order to hear "what happens next"?

When the last day of reading "The Anybodies" rolled around, the kids were downtrodden to say the least. What to do now? So, on to trusty Amazon.com. What on earth is there to read following that addicting novel? AHA!

Yes, N.E. Bode, we're reading "The Nobodies" and, yes, we're hooked again. See a review for that book in a few short weeks. You have made fans and friends of us all! What does that old writing professor of yours know anyway?

The Anybodies is my favorite book, along with The Somebodies and the Nobodies. I can't believe how exciting it was. NE Bode is now my favorite author and I hope he writes several more books. I like how NE Bode came up with the Anybodies. The book is funny and the main character, Fern, is very unique. She was switched at birth and that leads to a lifetime full of adventures. I also like how when you read the book you feel like you are actually there watching the whole adventure unfold before your eyes. I just could NOT put the book down! I am a 5th grade homeschooler and I completely and totally reccomend this book to anyone who will listen. I have convinced both my brother and my mom to read the series.

This is a hilarious, exciting, and fun book, with quirky additions and (parenthetical comments) about the story, her life as she is writing this, and dark memories of her infamous Writing Teacher, who is trying to take over the world with a Drudger-like vision of how books should be: dry, dusty, and boring.
This book was a great read, made better by the fact that the author actually wrote to me (my second author letter EVER, even though it was by e-mail!) and the fact that I now have a great doorhanger that features a rampaging bull and the words "Shh! I'm reading. My imagination is going WILD!"

So get this book and let your overactive dysfunctions loose!


Rating: Very Good

This was a great book. I recommend it. I liked this book because it was full of adventure. I think it was one of my favorites and I would think other people would like this book. I am 10 years old I think people of all ages would like this book.