Oddity
Sarah Cannon, Author
Feiwel & Friends, Fiction, Nov. 28, 2017
Pages: 310
Suitable for Ages: 8-12
Themes: Friendship, Fantasy, Missing Children, Twin Sisters, Humor
Book Jacket Synopsis: Welcome to Oddity, New Mexico, where everything normal is odd and everything odd is normal.
Ada Roundtree is no stranger to dodging carnivorous dumpsters, distracting zombie rabbits with marshmallows, or instigating games of alien punkball. But things haven’t been the same since her twin sister, Pearl, won the town’s yearly Sweepstakes and disappeared…
Along with her best friend, Raymond, and a new-kid-from-Chicago Cayden (whose inability to accept being locked in the gym with live leopards is honestly laughable). Ada leads a self-given quest to discover Oddity’s secrets while evading the invisible Blurmonster terrorizing the outskirts of town.
But when one of their missions goes sideways, revealing something hinky with the Sweepstakes, Ada can’t let it go. Because if the Sweepstakes is bad, then what happened to Pearl?
Why I like this book:
Sarah Cannon is an original voice in children’s literature with her debut novel, Oddity. Her impressively crafted story is clever, imaginative, quirky, and beckoning. I have never read anything like Oddity. Readers who enjoy weird, spooky and wacky, will be wild about this offbeat adventure and revel in its dark humor. Cannon’s world building is exceptional. And check out the gorgeous cover!
The characters are diverse, wacky and believable. Ada, Raymond and Cayden are devoted friends who conspire with zombie rabbits in pajamas and aliens, to investigate the suspicious disappearance of Ada’s twin sister. The zombie rabbits and aliens are pranksters. They create a lot of chaos and crazy humor that provide comic relief and keep readers turning pages.
The plot is multi-layered, complicated and courageous. There is danger and the tension is palpable. With sinister puppets running the town, an invisible monster terrorizing the community, and another Sweepstakes approaching, the three friends and their sidekicks have a hefty mission to uncover the dark secrets Oddity is hiding and find Pearl. The ending is epic!
Sarah Cannon, author of Oddity, has lived all over the U.S., but right now she calls Indiana home. She has a husband, three kids and a misguided dog. Sarah holds a B.S. in Education. She’s a nerdy knitting gardener who drinks a lot of coffee, and eats a lot of raspberries. She is probably human. Visit Sarah Cannon at her website.
Greg Pattridge is the new host for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday posts on his wonderful Always in the Middle website. Check out the links to see all of the wonderful reviews by KidLit bloggers and authors.
Another great review of a fun, quirky book, Patricia! Thanks for sharing this one. My latest venture is a historical MG novel so I’m especially interested in MG novels at this moment.
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It is full of quirky fun. Always best to read a wide variety of books when you’re writing in a new genre. Fun to study author’s styles.
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Just from the description, this sounds like a different story with a great main character voice. Hadn’t heard of this debut. Thanks for sharing it!
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Ada is a great narrator with a very strong voice and determined character. This is a wild read.
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I have this one staring at me from the top of my TBR pile. Your thoughts make me more eager to begin the story. A bizarre sounding plot that will appeal to the MG audience.
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It is a bizarre, wacky plot. But, Cannon is a tight writer and each word is creatively selected. What I failed to mention that the story is also about family. I look forward to your review!
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Sounds really interesting. I like weird.
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That surprises me. I wouldn’t connect you with weird when I think about what your books!
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This sounds truly delightful, and has me instantly intrigued! Thanks so much for putting it on my radar, and happy MMGM!
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Happy MMGM! It is delightful and I think many teens will love Sarah’s humorous style.
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This book sounds like a fun and unique blend of ideas. Unfortunately, no libraries near me have a copy yet. 😦
I will keep an eye out for it and this new author. Thanks for the suggestion.
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It was just released. You can certainly put in a request. In fact, I should check my library. I look forward to reading her next novel.
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I LOVE that cover, it totally shows what a badass the protagonist is!
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Me too! You really get a sense of the story in the cover. Sarah chooses her words well and makes up a lot along the way. Very unique read for me.
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This book sounds so cute!!!!! Oh my gosh I love the setting. It sounds amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!
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I think that you’d like this Sue! The cover gives you a peek at what the story is about.
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Another New Mexico story! It sounds zany and fun.
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It is an original and zany story! And yes, New Mexico. Wonder what Amanda would think?
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I think she would like it!!
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Carnivorous dumpsters? Zombie rabbits? Alien punkball?? This MG book sounds amazing and unique — I love books with detailed world-building, and this book sounds like it has just that. Great review! 😊
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After reading your post, I think you’d enjoy creepy and wacky. Sarah’s world building is brilliant!
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This sounds quite interesting! 🙂
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If you get a chance to read Oddity, I would really appreciate your thoughts in a review! I’m curious how teens respond to this zany tale.
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This book sounds such fun, Patricia. Sounds perfect to read aloud to a group of young children. I imagine they’d be in fits of laughter. There’s not many sounds better than that.
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This is a great classroom read! It is weird, wacky, original, and very entertaining!
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Sounds like my type of book! 🙂
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It sounds like an interesting, fun book.
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It’s very unique and I enjoyed spending time it Oddity!
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