"... we know Dr Ben certainly isn't perfect - we all know he has a nasty temper.
He doesn't lose it often, but when he does watch out."
This is such a powerful story, but my descriptions might surprise you. All through the story I wanted Fern to fail. I know that sounds very strange, but she and her mother have fled the cult where Fern has lived since she was just six years old. Fern has of course been totally indoctrinated by the cult leader but readers aged 12+ are sure to insights that go beyond the way Fern sees her former life.
Opening sentence: "Before we came to live at the Ranch, Mom and I were like tumbleweeds."
Early on in the story there are hints that the leader of this place - Dr Ben - is all about control. The girls and women are all sitting in room knitting. Fern is watching her friend Meadowlark struggling with this task. When Dr Ben walks into the room everyone falls silent.
"He drops in like this occasionally. It's never on a schedule - sometimes he'll surprise us twice in three days; other times he won't come around for months ... I'm not the only one who's nervous. I see a flash of eyes all around me, the tucking of hair behind ears and shifting of bodies."
"Everything we have - everything The Ranch provides us - is because of him. ... And as long as you live up to his ideals, life is beautiful. It all makes sense."
Dr Ben has come to summon Fern to his office. Once there he tells her it is time for her rite. He also says she should 'prepare for the unexpected.'
"After your rite, you're considered an adult, and you're entrusted with a lot more responsibility. Most of the time it happens around the spring equinox of the year you turn fifteen. But I don't even turn thirteen for another six months."
Every part of the conversation between Dr Ben and Fern feels like a manipulation. As a reader I found him very sinister right from the beginning. Something is very wrong here - he is asking her to do the rite when she is so young. The last time some kids were sent to do their rite a boy named Rain died. You will also read that Fern's mum has been put on a water diet so she can refocus her thinking.
Have you noticed these names - Fern, Meadowlark, Rain and mum's name is Magnolia (real name Jamie Silvana) - yes everyone has changed their name when they joined this cult.
"Choosing a new name - one that reflects the beauty of nature - is something everyone does at the Ranch. For your first few months you aren't called anything at all. Dr Ben says it's so you can 'readjust your self-perception' ... to strip yourself of your old identity entirely, so you can commit yourself to a new one. ... I'm not sure how the name 'Dr Ben' relates to something in nature, but I'm sure it does. I've always been too nervous to ask, because I bet it's short for something obvious, and I'd feel stupid once it was explained to me."
I do need to say Fern does not even know the word cult let alone have any understanding of what this means. That word is not mentioned until page 242. When she and her mother escape and re-enter the 'real world' there is so much that Fern (her real name is Frankie) has to learn. The children don't go to a regular school at The Ranch. It's purpose is to raise:
"A generation who will understand how to live in harmony with the land. How to be ready to survive the fallout of war, climate change, of disaster. I do not take this responsibility lightly. Because it's coming, sooner than society thinks. And to survive you need to be tough. You need to go through the gauntlet of hardship and come out the other side stronger."
Think about all the things Fern might not know - computers, American history, money, the enjoyment of reading a fiction story, sweet treats like croissants, and that television is not dangerous. She also encounters lots of new words such as Amish, VIP, tag sale, marzipan, and bewildered. Thank goodness for Fern's new friend Eddie, for her wonderful science teacher and for library books and helpful librarians.
When Fern and her mother reach the other side of America, Fern begins to plan their return. In her mind life at the Ranch was good and that is the place where she felt cared for and supported. She knows there are no mobile phones (not true) at the Ranch and no computers so she decides she should write a letter to Dr Ben. The post office lady cannot help and of course stamps and envelopes require money. Then she realises she does not have an address. She is enrolled at school and another student reluctantly shows her how to search the internet. Fern finds the name of a local private detective but when she visits his office he asks for $300. How can Fern raise that much money? Luckily Mum didn't pick this town by chance - she knows a lady who lives there. Bab's is so kind. She offers Fern a job clearing out the old rooms above her tearooms. But all of this takes time. Fern is in a rush to get back to the Ranch but this time allows her to grow in her realisation that perhaps life was not quite so perfect and that Dr Ben was not trustworthy - but then she does post that letter, and her world comes tumbling down. I think I held my breath through the final chapters of this book I was so worried about Fern.
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. ... Fuse8 Betsy Bird - please read her whole review!
Betsy also says: 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.
A strong, emotionally intelligent story. Kirkus Star review
The Wrong Way Home is an unforgettable, propulsive story of a girl learning to trust her inner voice. With a fresh premise, compelling characters, and an atmospheric setting, this book is impossible to put down. It tackles cults, a rarely mentioned subject in children’s literature, with age-appropriate sensitivity and is sure to spark plenty of discussion in and out of the classroom. Reading Middle Grade
I learnt a new word in this book 'kasha' - it is a type of buckwheat.
Here is an interview with the author Kate O'Shaughnessy (note this page is full of advertising). And here is her web page where you can find her other books.
Publisher blurb: Twelve-year-old Fern believes she's living a noble life--but what if everything she's been told is a lie? This is a huge-hearted story about a girl learning to question everything—and to trust in herself. Fern’s lived at the Ranch, an off-the-grid, sustainable community in upstate New York, since she was six. The work is hard, but Fern admires the Ranch's leader, Dr. Ben. So when Fern’s mother sneaks them away in the middle of the night and says Dr. Ben is dangerous, Fern doesn't believe it. She wants desperately to go back, but her mom just keeps driving. Suddenly thrust into the treacherous, toxic, outside world, Fern can think only of how to get home. She has a plan, but it will take time. As that time goes by, though, Fern realizes there are things she will miss from this place—the library, a friend from school, the ocean—and there are things she learned at the Ranch that are just...not true. Now Fern will have to decide. How much is she willing to give up to return to the Ranch? Should she trust Dr. Ben’s vision for her life? Or listen to the growing feeling that she can live by her own rules?
I read an ebook copy of The Wrong Way Home. Here in Australia this book will be available in June [
9780593650769]. Watch this video where
Colby Sharp talks about his reaction to this amazing book. The wrong way home is a
2025 Newbery Honour book.
The most obvious companion book in my view is this very old Australian title:
