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4.37 AVERAGE
4.37 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Certainly very deserving of the Newbery honor award.
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
5th & up
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Gaslighting
Nuance and complexity in books for kids can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, our children deserve only the best possible literature. We must fill them with stories full of three-dimensional characters. We should give them difficult and complicated situations, sometimes without easy answers. We have to be willing to show them (in developmentally appropriate ways, naturally) that the world is not black and white. By the same token, when you write a complex character into a book intended for a young audience, gatekeepers get very nervous. If your main character doesn’t display forthright and true thoughts and intentions from page one onward then the adults start to squirm. They start muttering things like “bad role model” and “what’s the message here?”. Even if your protagonist does learn and grow, some grown-ups just aren’t comfortable with where they started in the process. And if they don’t learn and grow? If they stay adamant in their awfulness? Well, forget about it. Funny books might be able to get away with that (looking at you, Diary of a Wimpy Kid) but definitely not the straight up fiction. And yet, some of the best books for kids I’ve ever read have starred kids with wrong-headed ideas or notions or thoughts or beliefs. Sometimes that’s obvious to the child reader. And sometimes, as in the case of The Wrong Way Home, it can come to them as a complete surprise.
Imagine you were plucked from the only place you’ve ever truly considered your home. Your kidnapper? Your own mother. Fern’s lived on The Farm for most of her life and she’s happy there. They’re self-sustaining, agrarian, and they have very little contact with the outside world. But one day Fern’s mother takes that all away. They get into a car and drive completely across the country to a motel on the shore of the ocean. That’s when her mom breaks it to her: they’re never going back. Worse still, they have to live here now and Fern has to attend school for the first time in years and years. Determined to prove herself to the people she left behind, particularly The Farm’s leader Dr. Ben, Fern decides to figure out where they are and learn how to contact them. But as she places more distance between herself and her old life, Fern may begin to understand that maybe there was more to The Farm than she ever truly imagined.
A child who has never encountered an unreliable narrator may be utterly unprepared for when that moment occurs. It can be a good thing. It can throw them off, make them more susceptible to enjoying the book, and it can stay in your memories for a long time. But there are two types of unreliable narrators I’m talking about here. There’s the narrator who knows that they are purposefully misleading their audience. Then there’s the narrator who has no idea that they are in the wrong. Fern belongs squarely in the latter category. Her beliefs are based on what, she would be more than happy to tell you, are cold hard facts. The Farm offered her and her mom the first stability that they’d had in years. The people there were nice to her. They believed in good things like sustainability and helping the environment. And yes, sometimes there was tragedy, like a kid sent off on their initiation dying, but since Dr. Ben can explain such things away, it’s okay. Right?
Now an adult reading this book is probably going to catch on pretty quickly that something strange is going on. The book begins with Fern knitting in a circle of women. Dr. Ben comes in and we are told that he’s the leader of their community. He then does these very subtle little power plays. So subtle that if you aren’t looking for them, you might miss them. Stuff like observing the knitting the girls are doing and offering thoughts on their improvement. When he speaks to Fern and tells her that he’d like her to undergo some kind of coming-of-age initiation, your antennae goes up and you begin wondering (if you’re an adult) what year this takes place. By the time you realize it’s in the present day you’re on high alert. Kids, however, may be listening more to what Fern’s reactions are to all these events. We’re seeing the book through her eyes. As such, the child reader is going to be inclined to trust their narrator. If she says that her mom is unreliable and Dr. Ben is infallible, they’ll listen. But going into this book I didn’t know a thing about it, and the escape from The Farm (I almost wrote “the compound”) had my “CULT!” alarm systems blaring out like mad. The word “cult”, for that matter, does actually appear in this book, but it takes a good 242 pages to get there. And the child reader is entirely on Team Fern for much of this text.
I sometimes wish I could have read a book for kids that I’ve encountered today as a child myself. This is one of those books. At what point does the average reader figure out that Fern may be in the wrong? When do their loyalties switch to the mom? Do they ever? While the adults amongst us are screaming “DON’T GET IN THAT VAN!” at the book, do kid readers feel the same way? I can’t help but think that this book would be an amazing bookclub read with children. Their reactions would be incredible.
For the record, I found this book utterly believable as well. O’Shaughnessy seems to have a particular talent for couching her world in reality. Dr. Ben’s background was kid-appropriate and yet still bad. The economics of The Farm makes perfect sense. You can see how these people could, even in this modern day and age of surveillance, still fall through the cracks. I flipped to the back of the book to see if the author talked about her research process at all. Mind you, as an adult reading this book, I got the distinct impression that Fern only saw certain aspects of The Farm that the adults hid from her. There may be more sordid stories found there that she never learns. I had little bit more difficulty understanding why Fern’s mom didn’t share with Fern early on some of the problems with The Farm and, specifically, Dr. Ben, but in retrospect I suppose it makes a fair amount of sense. After all, all you have to do is see Fern’s reaction when her only friend in town tells her she thinks she was in a cult. It does not go well.
It's rare that I encounter a book featuring an active protagonist who uses their brain to solve their problems and whom you find yourself rooting AGAINST. O’Shaughnessy even manages to make you like Fern, though she exhibits some pretty unlikable behaviors for the bulk of the book. It’s a cleverly written and supremely literary story, while also remaining pretty gripping in its telling. Trust me, you won’t know what hit you after you finish it. Consider The Wrong Way Home for any kid who is ready to doubt everything they ever knew about narrators.
Imagine you were plucked from the only place you’ve ever truly considered your home. Your kidnapper? Your own mother. Fern’s lived on The Farm for most of her life and she’s happy there. They’re self-sustaining, agrarian, and they have very little contact with the outside world. But one day Fern’s mother takes that all away. They get into a car and drive completely across the country to a motel on the shore of the ocean. That’s when her mom breaks it to her: they’re never going back. Worse still, they have to live here now and Fern has to attend school for the first time in years and years. Determined to prove herself to the people she left behind, particularly The Farm’s leader Dr. Ben, Fern decides to figure out where they are and learn how to contact them. But as she places more distance between herself and her old life, Fern may begin to understand that maybe there was more to The Farm than she ever truly imagined.
A child who has never encountered an unreliable narrator may be utterly unprepared for when that moment occurs. It can be a good thing. It can throw them off, make them more susceptible to enjoying the book, and it can stay in your memories for a long time. But there are two types of unreliable narrators I’m talking about here. There’s the narrator who knows that they are purposefully misleading their audience. Then there’s the narrator who has no idea that they are in the wrong. Fern belongs squarely in the latter category. Her beliefs are based on what, she would be more than happy to tell you, are cold hard facts. The Farm offered her and her mom the first stability that they’d had in years. The people there were nice to her. They believed in good things like sustainability and helping the environment. And yes, sometimes there was tragedy, like a kid sent off on their initiation dying, but since Dr. Ben can explain such things away, it’s okay. Right?
Now an adult reading this book is probably going to catch on pretty quickly that something strange is going on. The book begins with Fern knitting in a circle of women. Dr. Ben comes in and we are told that he’s the leader of their community. He then does these very subtle little power plays. So subtle that if you aren’t looking for them, you might miss them. Stuff like observing the knitting the girls are doing and offering thoughts on their improvement. When he speaks to Fern and tells her that he’d like her to undergo some kind of coming-of-age initiation, your antennae goes up and you begin wondering (if you’re an adult) what year this takes place. By the time you realize it’s in the present day you’re on high alert. Kids, however, may be listening more to what Fern’s reactions are to all these events. We’re seeing the book through her eyes. As such, the child reader is going to be inclined to trust their narrator. If she says that her mom is unreliable and Dr. Ben is infallible, they’ll listen. But going into this book I didn’t know a thing about it, and the escape from The Farm (I almost wrote “the compound”) had my “CULT!” alarm systems blaring out like mad. The word “cult”, for that matter, does actually appear in this book, but it takes a good 242 pages to get there. And the child reader is entirely on Team Fern for much of this text.
I sometimes wish I could have read a book for kids that I’ve encountered today as a child myself. This is one of those books. At what point does the average reader figure out that Fern may be in the wrong? When do their loyalties switch to the mom? Do they ever? While the adults amongst us are screaming “DON’T GET IN THAT VAN!” at the book, do kid readers feel the same way? I can’t help but think that this book would be an amazing bookclub read with children. Their reactions would be incredible.
For the record, I found this book utterly believable as well. O’Shaughnessy seems to have a particular talent for couching her world in reality. Dr. Ben’s background was kid-appropriate and yet still bad. The economics of The Farm makes perfect sense. You can see how these people could, even in this modern day and age of surveillance, still fall through the cracks. I flipped to the back of the book to see if the author talked about her research process at all. Mind you, as an adult reading this book, I got the distinct impression that Fern only saw certain aspects of The Farm that the adults hid from her. There may be more sordid stories found there that she never learns. I had little bit more difficulty understanding why Fern’s mom didn’t share with Fern early on some of the problems with The Farm and, specifically, Dr. Ben, but in retrospect I suppose it makes a fair amount of sense. After all, all you have to do is see Fern’s reaction when her only friend in town tells her she thinks she was in a cult. It does not go well.
It's rare that I encounter a book featuring an active protagonist who uses their brain to solve their problems and whom you find yourself rooting AGAINST. O’Shaughnessy even manages to make you like Fern, though she exhibits some pretty unlikable behaviors for the bulk of the book. It’s a cleverly written and supremely literary story, while also remaining pretty gripping in its telling. Trust me, you won’t know what hit you after you finish it. Consider The Wrong Way Home for any kid who is ready to doubt everything they ever knew about narrators.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I too crave the ocean
challenging
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Newbery Honor 2025
This was a powerful story that brilliantly shows all the emotions of a child in a traumatic situation. The wrongness of the cult is so clear to the reader, but it’s also so believable that it would be normal to those inside. I read this very quickly, as there was a child in danger almost the whole time, and I can’t sit on that. I loved these characters and their journey.
This was a powerful story that brilliantly shows all the emotions of a child in a traumatic situation. The wrongness of the cult is so clear to the reader, but it’s also so believable that it would be normal to those inside. I read this very quickly, as there was a child in danger almost the whole time, and I can’t sit on that. I loved these characters and their journey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping
Minor: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I wanted to write a really nice narrative review of this book because I think it was incredibly well-done, but my brain just isn't there, so we're going to go with some points.
- Smart move to make the cult in question not religious. Not only because it's important to recognize that there can be cults that are nonreligious, but that there can be "groupthink" situations that are nonreligious. Where the power dynamic of the leader is just off, or when you get a good echo chamber going around you. It is FREQUENTLY abused in religious situations, but being nonreligious does not make you immune! Humans are susceptible to this. Especially VULNERABLE humans without connections and safety nets.
- It also allows for the similarly smart move of having Fern's cult believe things that are true, or at least close to true. The concern "the Ranch" has for the environment and sustainability is totally relevant to modern society, and Fern's shock and discomfort with the trash, harsh chemicals, and synthetic everything is actually valid, even if the moral implications/guilt she feels is still harsher than it should be.
- The idea of things being mixed -- good and bad experiences, good and bad people, good and bad situations -- is a strong stated theme at the end of the book and it is VERY well supported by the story, characters, and -- perhaps most importantly -- the cult itself.
- I would also be fascinated to see how this reads for the intended audience. As an adult who has been in cultish scenarios and is familiar with real-world cults, it's very easy to see the yikes!! yikes!!! YIKES!!! of the situation early on (and root for her mother), but the writing is SO centered in Fern's POV that you can 1) see and understand why she's upset and not seeing the yikes without thinking she's stupid and 2) I think if you are less aware of the yikes yourself, you will follow who through the journey to understanding. I believe it will work really well at introducing the target audience not only to cults, but to all of the related themes that are true across life.
- Fern's mom is such a good character. Not a perfect mom, but one who is really, really trying and clearly loves her daughter dearly. It's so nice to see such strong development, ESPECIALLY when she is still antagonistic to Fern's goals for so much of the book! She also presents very well exactly the kind of person that cults prey on, something I think is really important to know and have compassion about.
- Meadowlark is also an excellent part of the narrative. We don't see her much, but she is sympathetic, and really conveys the losses that cult members must endure to escape. Also,Doctor Ben bringing her along to convince Fern to get in the car with him is PURE EVIL. Skin crawling manipulation.
- Actually, all the side characters work really well. They have compelling motivations and no matter how little you see them, you get a strong idea that they live a full life outside of Fern's narrative.
Some quibbles:
- I found the "Spirit of the Sea" wrap-up convenient (there just happens to be a path that no one has found for decades??? ) and a bit...trite. I did, however, like the final tribute.
- It's mentioned a few times that the Ranch has pretty stereotypical gender roles, and once Fern reacts with confusion to a genderfluid person, but she simultaneously seems to have no questions at all about a lesbian character? It just felt slightly inconsistent in the world-building. In general Fern seems not concerned at all about gender roles for most of the book. I would suggest just not having that be a thing at the Ranch, since it doesn't seem to add much or be that present in the "after."
- It seemed odd to me that Fernchanged her name at the end of the book. It never seemed to really have negative connotations for her, and with the whole "leave the bad and take the good" PLUS the conversation her mom had with her about respecting Fern's choice of name, it seemed like a really sudden turn for her to take. There wasn't set-up for why she would want to go back her pre-cult name. It makes sense in general for cult members to want to leave that stuff behind but it didn't make sense for her specifically.
- I have a really hard time believing there's a real-world private investigator in a tiny town that would take a job from a kid. It's just weird, man. But I am 31, so. It's important enough to the plot that I'll allow it.
--
Anyway, overall I thought this book was an excellent look at cults and the bigger themes of what you believe, and what you want to believe, and what people TELL you to believe, and sorting all that out. It also doesn't seem from the premise like it would be a super "okay just one more chapter" book but I often found myself listening to it much longer than I had intended because I was really invested in the plot and Fern's journey.
- Smart move to make the cult in question not religious. Not only because it's important to recognize that there can be cults that are nonreligious, but that there can be "groupthink" situations that are nonreligious. Where the power dynamic of the leader is just off, or when you get a good echo chamber going around you. It is FREQUENTLY abused in religious situations, but being nonreligious does not make you immune! Humans are susceptible to this. Especially VULNERABLE humans without connections and safety nets.
- It also allows for the similarly smart move of having Fern's cult believe things that are true, or at least close to true. The concern "the Ranch" has for the environment and sustainability is totally relevant to modern society, and Fern's shock and discomfort with the trash, harsh chemicals, and synthetic everything is actually valid, even if the moral implications/guilt she feels is still harsher than it should be.
- The idea of things being mixed -- good and bad experiences, good and bad people, good and bad situations -- is a strong stated theme at the end of the book and it is VERY well supported by the story, characters, and -- perhaps most importantly -- the cult itself.
- I would also be fascinated to see how this reads for the intended audience. As an adult who has been in cultish scenarios and is familiar with real-world cults, it's very easy to see the yikes!! yikes!!! YIKES!!! of the situation early on (and root for her mother), but the writing is SO centered in Fern's POV that you can 1) see and understand why she's upset and not seeing the yikes without thinking she's stupid and 2) I think if you are less aware of the yikes yourself, you will follow who through the journey to understanding. I believe it will work really well at introducing the target audience not only to cults, but to all of the related themes that are true across life.
- Fern's mom is such a good character. Not a perfect mom, but one who is really, really trying and clearly loves her daughter dearly. It's so nice to see such strong development, ESPECIALLY when she is still antagonistic to Fern's goals for so much of the book! She also presents very well exactly the kind of person that cults prey on, something I think is really important to know and have compassion about.
- Meadowlark is also an excellent part of the narrative. We don't see her much, but she is sympathetic, and really conveys the losses that cult members must endure to escape. Also,
- Actually, all the side characters work really well. They have compelling motivations and no matter how little you see them, you get a strong idea that they live a full life outside of Fern's narrative.
Some quibbles:
- I found the "Spirit of the Sea" wrap-up convenient (
- It's mentioned a few times that the Ranch has pretty stereotypical gender roles, and once Fern reacts with confusion to a genderfluid person, but she simultaneously seems to have no questions at all about a lesbian character? It just felt slightly inconsistent in the world-building. In general Fern seems not concerned at all about gender roles for most of the book. I would suggest just not having that be a thing at the Ranch, since it doesn't seem to add much or be that present in the "after."
- It seemed odd to me that Fern
- I have a really hard time believing there's a real-world private investigator in a tiny town that would take a job from a kid. It's just weird, man. But I am 31, so. It's important enough to the plot that I'll allow it.
--
Anyway, overall I thought this book was an excellent look at cults and the bigger themes of what you believe, and what you want to believe, and what people TELL you to believe, and sorting all that out. It also doesn't seem from the premise like it would be a super "okay just one more chapter" book but I often found myself listening to it much longer than I had intended because I was really invested in the plot and Fern's journey.