THE ANYBODIES
by N.E. Bode
HarperTrophy
ISBN: 0060557370
Ages 10-13
288 pages

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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

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