Best of All Worlds – The Times Children's Book of the Year 2025 - Kenneth Oppel

When Xavier wakes up on the first morning of an enforced family weekend away with his pregnant stepmum and dad, he doesnt recognise where they are - its as if the house has inexplicably been transported to the set of a video game, inside an impenetrable dome where the family have been donated chickens, goats, wheat to help them survive. There is no trace of their mysterious captors and no way to escape. Three years later, hes sixteen and resigned to life without the internet, other people, let alone a girlfriend... when suddenly another family appears, one with vastly contrasting political ideologies and priorities. In the confines of this strange world, Xavier and 17-year-old gorgeous Mackenzie are thrown together, Mackenzies erratic father becomes obsessively fixated on escape, and tensions between the two families begin to rise with devastating and tragic consequences... Kenneth Oppels most thrilling novel to date is challenging, provocative and unforgettable.