Which Way Round the Galaxy

The second outing for the four older Smith-O'Hero children unfolds at a less hectic pace than the first book in this series - but barely! Trying to save a tiny, magical creature and return the aforementioned Grub to his icy home planet while staying in one piece is no small task...

While not entirely realising the significance of the fact that they have left the youngest child in the family, the highly magical Annipeck, alone at home - and that they are breaking their promise to their parents not to recklessly use magic - K2, Mabel, Theo and Izza head out to save the day. I mean, it's not like they have any choice about it. The fate of the universe is it take, for heavens sake!

The children's promise of good behaviour to the grown-ups was made in a attempt to demonstrate that they are responsible and sensible, but this behaviour is unlikely to be considered to even vaguely match that description by the adults in their lives!

Their journey involves criscrossing the Universe using the Which Ways and avoiding any number of dangerous creatures such as the snow snakes and killer robots, while navigating various "everyday" challenges along the way.

This book, like the first one in the series, was great fun to read. The first book was largely centred around K2's mapping abilities, so I like that the focus shifted in the second book to Theo and Izza's conflicts and complementarity.

It was also nice to see how the blended family aspect was working out for the children, despite the inevitable adjustments required. I give this book 5 stars!

I haven’t read the first book but I feel the characters and plot line swept you straight into book 2. The story is a tale about a small magical creature and the epic journey to return him to his icy home planet all while trying to stay alive!

The journey involves crossing the Universe using the Which Ways while avoiding killer robots and dangerous creatures. The plot is full of wild magic, there are walking plants, talking robots and a plethora of fantasy creatures.

I really enjoyed this story, much like Cowell’s other books. Highly recommend.

This is an amazing sequel.

I read this with my 8 year old son and we both loved every second.

Full of mystery and adventure. The plot was clever and intriguing.

We loved the characters. Especially Annipeck.

The writing is brilliant and the pace perfect for keeping younger readers interested.

The ending was great and we can’t wait for the next instalment.

In the words of my son ‘the best book we’ve read this year by a universe’

My children and I adore Cressida Cowell and her Which Way To Anywhere and Which Way Round The Galaxy is just as WOW! A rip-roaring twisty turny sci fi fantasy extravaganza with the BEST cast of characters! The pace is astonishing and so is the sheer number of character arcs woven together! Masterful storytelling.

What a book! So many questions and I can't wait for the next one to answer some of them. The O'Hero-Smith children set off on another adventure again and it brings them closer together. More powers are revealed and Annipeck uses her powers brilliantly to help. There are lots of secrets that the family hide from each other, but eventually realise that's not good. Horizabel Delft is back and is a great storyteller. There's definitely going to be at least one more book and I can't wait to read it!