WHICH WAY AROUND THE GALAXY

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 to Which 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.