Nobodies, The

Anybodies #2

by N.E. Bode, Julianna Baggott

THE NOBODIES Fern Drudger's quirky adventures continue in this delightful sequel to The Anybodies. She goes to Camp Happy Sunshine Good Times and is bombarded by desperate messages from people who call themselves the Nobodies. But who are the Nobodies, and what do they want from Fern?

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Mystery, Juvenile, Humor

292 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2005

About the author

Julianna Baggott
aka
Bridget Asher & N.E. Bode

Borned on 30 September 1969, she teaches at Florida State University. She's married to David G.W. Scott and has four kids. Along with her husband, she is a co-founder of the nonprofit organization Kids in Need - Books in Deed., getting free books to underprivileged kids in Florida.

Today, she is a critically acclaimed and bestselling author, who wrote novels and poetry, and who has over fifty overseas editions of her books. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Best American Poetry, Best Creative Nonfiction, NPR’s Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered, and Here & Now. For two years, her alter-ego, N. E. Bode was a recurring personality on XM Radio. Her work has been a People Magazine pick alongside David Sedaris and Bill Clinton, a Washington Post Book of the Week, a Girl's Life Top Ten, a Booksense selection, and a Starbucks Bookish Reading Club pick.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best books ever. I've read them about 27947197492973 times

[Rach · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 This was pretty cute and there were some funny parts but not as good as the first.

[Apolonia Arteaga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t remember how old I was when I read this novel either but it was also a deeply influential book in my childhood. Books, strange new family, and a quirky home with adventures.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I read this sequel before the original, I really enjoyed it. It can be read on many levels-- as a thrilling adventure, a lovely trot through references to other children's books, and a reflection on how to live life in the moment and embrace change. I know that sounds like a pile of hooey-- who would see such depth in a young person's novel?-- but the main character's struggles with expressing her tru character enough to find the truth (who captured the Nobodies) is a wonderful metaphor for modern life, with so many choices. The author reminds us all to be ourselves; it's the best choice in the end. Or maybe I'm just assuming that because I'm in the middle of a personal quest myself.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

it's cute, maybe even better than the first but you know what I just realized? that the authers name is n.e. bode. as in anybody. lol. clever

[Kris Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

if only books could have their contents shaken from them, it would be funny.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent second part of the story!!

[Keira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book, not as good as first book, but Overall it was a good, suspenseful.

[Lucy Takeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I’d rate this book 3.5, partly because the awful summer camp is such an overdone format. Also, there is a rather amusing Big Game Hunter, but few other characters falling out of books to intrigue me.
Fern is greatly looking forward to attending a summer camp for Anybodies to learn more about her abilities and meet others like her. Howard, however, is NOT pleased to be required to attend. He’d much rather study mathematical diagrams.
Of course, when they enter the bus, things start going wrong. The bus driver is blind. The other kids they meet seem terrified. The folks in charge seem to be addicted to drinking this odd Lime drink, which Fern has run across because she keeps receiving notes begging for her help every time she shakes a book in bottles of the stuff.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book follows the continued adventures of Fern, but this time with her brother friend thing.
I honestly really like this book until the end. It felt like the author didn't really know how to tie up all the threads that he did and just kind of threw an ending together.
I really loved the Anybodies and I think of it as one of my favorite childhood reads that made me get into reading, but this one definitely did not live up to my own hype I made for the series.
It is a fun read if your not looking for anything too crazy though, but all in all I did like it for what it was

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever sequel to The Anybodies. Fern learns more about her abilities and her history. We learn more about all of the characters as she defeats another "villain" and encourages people to be themselves along the way. Looking forward to the next book.

[Atika · Rating 5 out of 5]

What stood out most to me is the redemption in these books. Like one could go astray from troubles but can find their way back to goodness with love and understanding. I love how smart and empathetic Fern is as a protagonist.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping the second book would be better than the first. I was wrong. Definitely not.

[Eris Cardin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was amused all the way through, although I was quite bemused for much of the way as well, and the ending didn't provide all the answers I had expected. The first book was funny and quirky and strange; this book was funny and quirky and beyond bizarre. I did enjoy it, though, and I'm glad I read it--especially since now I can discuss it with my little siblings.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series and continues the story of Fern and Howard. Fern and the Bone move to her grandmother's boarding house which is completely constructed of books. Book characters that have been shaken from books are there too. I like the references to other books such as borrowers, an Indian in the cupboard, where the sidewalk ends, and a peach tree with a giant peach. I also like the narrator who gets sidetracked telling you about his experiences.

Fern and Howard are sent to a summer camp for kids with special powers called Anybodies. They are able to temporarily turn into another person, thing, or animal. Gus Watershed is a blind bus driver with a seeing eye dog that tells him how to drive using different barks, etc. We learn more about Fern's mother Eliza, the Miser, the Great Rialdo, and Fern solves a mystery involving cries for help in soda bottles. The theme is follow your heart.

[Addy LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not as good as the first one, but it was close. I really thought that pulling Bixie out of the couch was the smartest idea ever. I really liked The Hermit too. She was a really kind character. BORT was also a cool villain. I enjoyed the part with the flood too. I’m confused as to what happened with The Miser. It never said if he returned to the boarding house or not. I hope it will be explained in the next book.

[Sara Gille]

This book is when Fern and Howard go to a summer camp together. Fern's grandma tells them that they're like brother and sister and that's how they should act, but they don't. They always fight and they're always getting into trouble. After a week of being together at Fern's house, it's time to go to the camp. Fern's grandma is talking about how much she loved the camp when she was younger. Fern and Howard got on the bus and the bus driver had a seeing eye dog with him. He was a blind bus driver. The dog had her ways of telling the bus driver where to go, but he still had some troubles with driving. About halfway there, they stopped and this kid got on named Corky Gorsky. He had a bandaid on his nose and was carrying a small suitcase. He sat down by Fern and started asking questions. He never stopped. Fern and Howard fell asleep listening to the constant sound of Corky Gorsky asking questions. When Fern woke up they were at the camp. The signs for the camp were sloppy and scrunched at the end. Fern got off the bus and looked at the ground. There were mole holes everywhere. Fern went to her cabin and Corky Gorsky followed by Howard, went to their cabin. Fern was in a cabin with a counselor named Mary Stern. She had gills on the side of her neck. She asked Fern to do a number of tasks and in the end, Mary ended up with a limp, stutter, and an eye that wouldn't open. When everyone was at the campfire that evening, Mary Stern suggested that all kids who disobeyed the rules would spend the night outside in the forest. That night, Mary Stern left the cabin and told the girls to go to bed. If they weren't asleep by the time Mary was back in the room they would not be in the cabin for the night. All the girls, besides Fern, went to sleep. Fern stayed up and wrote in her journal. Mary Stern came in and saw that Fern wasn't asleep and so Fern was sent outside into the forest. While she was out there she saw the counselors, one crying, and they were following this path into the forest. Fern went into the forest and watched them, except when she finally got into the forest, all the counselors were gone.

Read the book to find out what happens to the Camp Counselors. Are they still alive are were they kidnapped? I liked this book because there was a lot of mystery and action. I liked the characters personality and how the author wrote the book. My favorite character was Fern because she loved reading and loved her mother even though she was dead. She was very brave and was very curious about anybodies.


292 pages

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reads book review #1
The Nobodies
The Nobodies is about a girl name fern that can with special powers. These powers aren’t normal super hero powers that you’ve heard of her powers are unusual she can shake anything out of a book or painting and she could climb into a book or painting and interact with the things inside of them. She could also shape shift into anything a rhino, moose, or maybe a inanimate object such as phone or record player. This summer the bone which is her dad and her grandmother sent her to a camp but not your usual camp it was a camp for anybodies
Fern is picked up on the bus to go to Camp Happy Happy Sunshine she meets strange kids on the bus ride. They finally arrive at the camp filled with mole holes they are told to go to mess hall so they can be assigned cabins after they they have a bonfire and go to bed. She is awaken by the camp counselors turn into animals and chasing hr into the wood where she meets a hermit actually a woman and she takes care of fern. Now since she been at camp sunshine she has only been able to shake out bottles that said “help us”, “you’re the only one who can help us”. The people who were telling her this, were anybodies that were captured by the mole which is a mole with a nose shaped like a flower and he used to be a anybodies till he got stuck when he was shape shifting. The mole wants the book about anybodies so he can shake out the crown and cane so he can be the king of anybodies, but fern stops him and shakes out a flood and floods city and keeps the mole from being king and turns him back into the a boy.
Overall I give this book a 9 because its original and its captivating and there some weird stuff in it but it make it better than if there wasn’t any. I recommend this book to everyone who like being a kid and like unusual stuff too. This a really good book and you might even learn something from it so what are you waiting for get of your butt and go to a library and check out this book

[Linnae · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a couple of mishaps with Howard, her switched-at-birth almost brother, (including shaking a rhino out of a book,) Fern and Howard are off to Camp Happy Sunshine Good Times. Fern feels uneasy about the whole thing, particularly since anytime she has tried to shake something out of a book lately, all that comes our are blue bottles with messages inside. The messages are all asking HER for help, but she can't figure out who is sending them. On top of it all, there is a nasty mole hanging around.

Once they get to camp, things get even more strange. Her counsellor is mean and has gills. Nothing is quite as it seems. Fern isn't sure how, but she has got to figure out how to save the message senders and also, survive camp.

I liked this one okay--maybe I just wasn't in the mood to really appreciate it. It has a very Lemony-Snicket-ish feel to it, with the author making many comments about dreadful happenings in his own life, as a result of telling Fern's story to the world. Everything is drawn large--the characters more caricatures than real, outlandish events commonplace. It's the kind of book I can see myself really enjoying, but...yeah. Not in the mood, I guess.

[Amelia Huang · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a fantasy book that has all kind of emotions in it.It has some sad parts like the coming of two characters.Also some scary parts like when a mole attacks you.It has some pictures in there to give you an idea of what is going on.There's always something to be cautious about because it is a fantasy book.Crazy things can happen unexpectedly.I really liked the book but I feel like if I had read the first book since this is the second book it would have been more complete.I had to put the puzzle together to picture what happened before all this.I like how this book has two perspectives.One is coming from Fern the main character and also the author itself.It makes the story more exciting that way.I suggest this book to people who like stories that have mysteries in it and also if they like fantasy.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter asked me to read the first book in this series to her, as she had read it at school and thought I would like it. We read that one, and now we're in the midst of the NOBODIES...

I thought that that NOBODIES was a little all over the place, but the sequel is much more focused. The intrusive narrator is funny, the plot moves along at a good clip, the magic is believable and desirable, and, like the previous book, THE NOBODIES ends with a lovely message of redemption. I particularly like the way the books portray the emotional lives of the child characters. We're looking forward to reading book 3, THE SOMEBODIES...

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

More "Anybody" fun with Fern and Howard, this time at a summer camp specifically for teaching young Anybodies how to use their powers. Only once they get to Camp Happy Sunshine Good Times, things are very different than they expected. This is a great sequel to The Anybodies with even more (and I wouldn't have thought it even possible) connections to classic children's literature. Now I'm off to find a copy of The Somebodies!

[Fanny]

A sequel to the Anybodies Fern and her brother Howard go to a camp for Anybodies. Not all is well at home, Fern keeps getting messages in coke bottles about how someone(s)need her help. She and Howard have also released a rhino and a big game hunter too.
The camp isn't really nice, the counselers are mean, the buildings are run down, and the forest is filled with all kinds of transformed people.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read good portion of the book and then just skipped to the end. I don't like to do that but I was so bored and I felt lost. The first book was fun. This not so much. Maybe I didn't remember enough of the first, but I felt like there was new information that was just assumed the reader knew. The author asides were fun at first, but got terribly annoying since they happened at least once a chapter. The silliness of the first book seemed to turn cheesy and flat in this one.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fern is a wonderful, strong female character. Not only is the adventure a lot of fun but the lessons she learns about family, love, embracing the ever-changing world around her and the potential each person carries within her to be a force of good are lessons that are relevant to readers of all ages.

[Jess Rowan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plot line is pretty good - but the character development and interaction is lacking quite a bit. Also, in the last book the author's constant asides were quirky and almost annoying - in this book they are distracting and obnoxious.

A good mind-mush read...and I did like it enough to read the last of the series. Hoping it's a bit better.

[Joanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sequel to The Anybodies by N.E. Bode is just as fun as the first. In this installment, Fern and Howard are sent to summer camp, the dubiously named Camp Happy Sunshine Good Times. There, they uncover an evil plot by BERT, meet The Hermit, and get to the bottom of the Diet Lime Fizzy bottle mystery.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Nobodies is the sequel to another charming book, The Anybodies . Both of these books are great for anyone who has ever wished that they had magical powers. Easy read, but very fun.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this one even better than the first, which is pretty good for a sequel. The characters are back for a new adventure, with new friends and enemies that we meet along the way. It is another good clean fun read for that young age group, or for anyone who just likes an exciting adventure.

[Anya Lasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book that was totally worth reading and was just as good as the first book! :D The third book is definitely going on my reading list. The author writes in such a fun way, I would read a cookbook cover to cover if she wrote it!