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Sidekick Super Review: Best of All Worlds (2025) by Kenneth Oppel
- 18 hours ago
- 7 min read
The Basics
Page Length: 256
Audiobook Length: ~9 hours
Grade Reading Level: 7+
Target Audience Age: 12-18+
Goodreads Score: 3.65 out of 5
Buy it HERE
Setting: Mysterious dome in an unknown location with no way out
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian/Sci-Fi Mystery
Topics: Survival, Isolation, Imprisonment, Farming, Family, Hope, Conspiracy Theories
Plot: Xavier Oaks thinks he’s heading to his family’s cottage for a quick weekend trip away with his dad and his new stepmom—but he couldn’t be more wrong. When he wakes up after their first night, everything has changed. The cottage looks the same, but it’s been transported to a farm, complete with old tools and goats, and it’s all enclosed inside an inescapable dome. No matter what the Oaks family tries, they can’t get out.
Just days after arriving, Xavier’s pregnant stepmother goes into labor, and the birth does not go well. Somehow, though, the baby is mysteriously healed—by someone or something. Their captors. It begs two questions. Who took them? And are they enemies or friends?
Three years pass before another family suddenly appears inside the dome. The Jacksons have a teenage girl Xavier’s age, but the two families couldn’t be more different. Their views on politics, their captors, race, and more sharply conflict. What begins as cooperation in a desperate survival situation slowly turns confrontational as their worldviews collide.
Will they be able to repair their fractured relationship and find a way to escape? Or will their differences—and the desperation and competition of human nature—win out in the end?
Themes: How to work together with people of conflicting worldviews, community and division, isolation and survival, fear of the unknown, control vs. freedom, human nature under pressure
You might like this book if you like:
Camping/hiking/survival skills
Gardening and farming
Playing Dungeons and Dragons
Books like: Red Rising, The Darkest Minds, The Declaration, Shade's Children, The Eye of Minds, Pendragon series
Shows like: The 100, Lost, Black Mirror, Utopia Falls, The Wilds, Silo
Movies like: The Truman Show, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Oblivion
Books/Movies like: The Maze Runner, The Hunger Games, Divergent, The 5th Wave, The Giver
Other books written by this author: Airborn (Matt Cruse series #1), Silverwing (series #1), This Dark Endeavor (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein series #1), Half Brother, The Boundless
Teaching Best of All Worlds in Class
Content
Language: some mature language, not frequent but present
Sex/Romance: a few sexual encounters between teenagers, kissing. Allusions to adults having sex. One character describes taking a past pregnancy test
Violence/Scariness: One character death, a baby almost dies in childbirth, animals are killed with guns, two families are stuck somewhere unknown with unknown captors, so there is a general sense of fear and unease throughout.
Drinking/Smoking/Drugs: adults drink alcohol, and at times, parents share small amounts of alcohol with teenagers
Class Novel-ability:
I don’t think this one would be the best fit for a whole-class novel. Some of the content feels a bit too mature, and the subject matter might not work as well for a group read. That said, I think it would be a GREAT choice for independent reading—it’s interesting enough to hook even reluctant readers. The mysterious, dystopian sci-fi vibe and fast-moving storyline would definitely grab students’ attention.
The Star Qualities
The storyline is incredibly engaging—definitely one that will hook reluctant readers. The characters are trapped inside a mysterious dome with no way out, surrounded by what seem to be nonhuman materials, and they never even catch a glimpse of whoever put them there. When someone gets injured, they’re mysteriously healed or given gifts to help them. They remain trapped for years—until another family suddenly appears. The entire time, the reader is trying to piece together what’s really going on. It’s the kind of book that keeps students turning pages, especially those who typically struggle to finish a novel.
The protagonist is a relatable teen boy, which is a huge plus. Male students, in particular, will likely connect with him. In my experience, it can be challenging to find a YA novel with a male lead that truly resonates with students—this one does. Xavier is funny, intelligent, and hardworking. He longs for friendship, a girlfriend, and to be reunited with his family—wherever they may be. His character feels authentic and compelling.
The themes are incredibly discussion-worthy—especially right now. The most compelling aspect of the story is the conflict between the two families in isolation. Their worldviews couldn’t be more different, and it’s fascinating to see how their desperate survival situation both forces cooperation and fuels conflict. They clash over conspiracy theories about their captors, food choices, beliefs about race and interracial relationships, views on guns—you name it. In the end, the author seems to make a powerful statement about human nature and competition, and how differences can overshadow similarities and cooperation. These are the kinds of issues students need to talk about—and learn from—through literature.
Book Talk Read Aloud Section
If you have the physical book, read the prologue (pages
If you don't, read the same pages (locations 50-58) in the Kindle reading sample here.
"Reading Like a Writer" Mentor Texts
This passage is effective for many reasons. First, it shows students that they can experiment with structure. Instead of using traditional dialogue, the author incorporates text messages, which feels modern and authentic. The lack of punctuation and capitalization makes the messages feel realistic—just like actual texts. The repetition of “Not delivered” builds tension and desperation, especially alongside the urgency of the messages themselves. The drama and suspense in these few lines are palpable, all because of the author’s deliberate choice to present the scene in this format. I love that message for students! Play with structure and create SO much meaning.
This passage does a really cool job with figurative language and subtext. The crib becomes a strong symbol, and the way it’s personified—especially with the repeated “It said”—makes it feel like it’s actually delivering a message. I also like the structural choice of putting the crib’s “message” in italics. It makes the moment stand out and feel more intense, almost like a final decision being handed down. The repetition adds to that intensity, and there’s a lot of emotional contrast packed into just a few lines. No captors show up, and no one actually speaks, but the message is completely clear. It's a great passage for students to learn from, with TONS of moves to imitate.
This passage is rich. I love the metaphor comparing the protagonist’s thoughts to a playlist in his mind—it’s such an effective and modern way to show how his brain is working. The thoughts feel dramatic and emphasized because they’re written as fragments, each given its own line and paragraph break. That structure really slows the reader down and highlights what matters most. The repeated return to “the girl” stands out, too. No matter what else crosses his mind, he always circles back to her. The structure makes it clear that she’s his dominant thought, even in the middle of everything else going on. SO many moves here for students to try and imitate on their own.
Sentences for Combining and Imitation
Sentence sets for combining:
"In the family room, I dropped into my favorite green chair and checked my music while waiting for the router to reboot." (Best of All Worlds, p. 5)
I was in the family room.
I dropped into a chair.
It was my favorite green chair.
I checked my music.
I am waiting for the router to reboot.
"I collected stray batteries, found a couple flashlights, a jittery plastic compass that I didn’t trust, and a pair of cheap walkie-talkies." (p. 27)
I collected stray batteries.
I found a couple flashlights.
I found a compass.
It was plastic and jittery.
I didn't trust it.
I found a pair of cheap walkie-talkies.
"I was the only one seated, with a glass of juice and a plate of cookies in front of me, like a six-year-old who was about to lose his treats." (p. 94)
I was the only one seated.
There is a glass of juice in front of me.
There's a plate of cookies too.
I'm like a six-year-old.
One who was about to lose his treats.
Sentences for Imitation:
The first sentence I included is one that really resonated with me. It reflects a central theme in the book—one that I think students should reflect on. That being said, I still believe the structure could be imitated, especially so students can learn how to write fragments effectively. I also like the other sentences because of their structural elements: listing, colons, and em dashes. Each contributes to meaning and craft, and all are worth students’ imitation.
"All we know is what we grow up with, what's put into us. By our parents, friends, teachers, what we read and watch." (p. 106)
"I felt it now, too: a first jab of fear. Whatever was out there–a farm or a bunch of video screens–was unquestionably weird." (p. 8)
"I felt like a contestant on one of those survival shows–except no one had asked my permission." (p. 11)
"It was like watching microscopic footage of one cell fusing to another: the membrane between ship and globe dissolved." (p. 235)
Used this book in your classroom? Tell us how in the comments!
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