The Anybodies (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Fern Drudger knew that her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Drudger, were dull..." (more)
Key Phrases: Mary Curtain, The Art, Being Anybody (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–This inventive novel has elements of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart (Scholastic, 2003) and Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (HarperCollins). Fern Drudger, an imaginative misfit in her extraordinarily boring family, discovers that she and Howard Bone were switched at birth. The adults decide that the children will spend the summer with their birth parents and Fern meets her father, the Bone. He is an "Anybody"–he can change into someone or something else. However, he's not very good at it. He's convinced that Fern can help him find The Art of Being Anybody, a book once owned by his dead wife, which will allow him to improve his skills–but he must locate it before his enemy, the Miser, does and stop him from using it for evil purposes. Fern and the Bone end up in disguise at Fern's grandmother's boarding house, a magical, if dilapidated, palace of books, where anything can happen, especially if you happen to be an Anybody. Like Snicket, Bode is an amusing presence within this story about family, imagination, love of the written word, the dangers of hypnosis, and how to put an army of fairies to good use. The writing is fluid, the characters are multifaceted, and the situations range from poignant to gloriously silly. Eye-catching, black-and-white sketches echo the story's nuances and add to the atmosphere. There's laugh-out-loud humor, fantasy, mystery, real-life family drama, and the potential for a sequel. What more could a reader want?–Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library
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From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Though a hospital error left Fern to be raised by the "tragically dull" Drudgers, her biological parents were Anybodies--professional shapeshifters. When 12-year-old Fern reunites with her widowed father, she learns that his transforming abilities have mysteriously disappeared. Their quest to restore his powers occasions a visit to Fern's grandmother, whose vast library gives Fern a chance to discover a talent of her own: by shaking books, she can make elements of the stories tumble into the real world. Writing under a tongue-in-cheek pseudonym, Julianna Baggot, the author of three novels for adults, folds in numerous inside jokes for kid-lit fans (a tree bearing a giant peach makes an appearance, as do hobbits and Borrowers). The many-pronged plot doesn't always hang together (what Fern's book-related gifts have to do with her Anybody heritage is left frustratingly vague), but the plummy, discursive narrative style will appeal to fans of Dahl and Snicket, and the loony goings-on will entice young bibliophiles back for future installments. Rough but charming sketches by Peter Ferguson were included in the galley. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060557354
• ISBN-13: 978-0060557355
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #849,931 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book of the Year, June 7, 2004

By A Customer

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. (...)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Any age will love The Anybodies, June 3, 2004

By A Customer

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reading Good, May 2, 2006

By	Mini Journalist "Sarah" (CA) - See all my reviews

'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!