| 9781250123282 |
| (hardcover) |
| 1250123283 |
Available:*
Library | Material Type | Call Number | Shelf Location | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... East Library | Children's Book | CANN | Children's-J-Fiction | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... East Library | Children's Book | CANN | Children's-J-Fiction | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
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Summary
Summary
Join a tough eleven-year-old as she faces down zombie rabbits, alien mobs, and Puppet Cartels while trying to find her missing twin in Sarah Cannon's imaginative middle-grade debut, Oddity.Welcome to Oddity, New Mexico, where normal is odd and odd is normal. Ada Roundtree is no stranger to dodging carnivorous dumpsters, distracting zombie rabbits with marshmallows, and 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 new-kid-from-Chicago Cayden (whose inability to accept being locked in the gym with live leopards is honestly quite laughable), Ada leads a self-given quest to discover Oddity's secrets, even evading the invisible Blurmonster terrorizing the outskirts of town.But one of their missions goes sideways, revealing something hinky with the Sweepstakes . . . and Ada can't let it go. Because, if the Sweepstakes is bad, then what happened to Pearl?
Author Notes
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.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Growing up beset by zombie rabbits, assorted aliens, creepy puppets, unsafe safety drills, and all kinds of unusual threats in the isolated town of Oddity, NM, is not for the faint of heart. But this is the town "where odd is normal." After her twin sister Pearl disappears in the last annual town "sweepstakes," fifth-grader Ada Roundtree marches straight off into mischief, mayhem, and no small amount of intrigue. Together with new kid Cayden and her best friend Raymond, Ada sets out to uncover the town's mysteries and find her sister. The playful language keeps pace with the madcap zaniness of the setting ("Daddy doesn't go all the way up Havasu Hill. And when you're only halfway up, you're neither up nor down-you're at Oddity Middle School."). Crammed full of imaginative and threatening obstacles and opportunities, readers will be hooked from the first page. Despite the fantastical elements, the cast is a realistic representation of an inclusive community: the protagonist is African American, her right-hand man is Latino, and there is a bevy of empowered female characters including a formidable aunt who uses a wheelchair, lesbian parents, and Ada's mom, who deals with depression. Like Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, Cannon's work takes a sardonic tone, blending humor, darkness, suspense, and the enduring metaphorical battle of good vs. evil. The overall picture is chillingly creepy but cut with the bright tang of capable kids taking action. VERDICT Featuring a diverse cast of characters, this fantasy is chock-full of adventure and agency, making it a must-buy and a must-read for most -middle graders.-Erin Reilly-Sanders, -University of Wisconsin-Madison © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
This world building adventure begins in a bizarre town where the very strange is very normal. Ada's family is struggling to adjust after the disappearance of her twin sister, Pearl, who won the town's annual sweepstakes last year. Ada teams up with a new kid from the incredibly normal city of Chicago, her best friend Raymond, and occasionally her cousin Mason to figure out her sister's disappearance. Along the way, they dodge invisible monsters, pacify zombie rabbits addicted to marshmallows, and make friends with an unusual purple alien. Cannon's debut features an inclusive cast of characters, which makes the setting of Ada's town extremely vibrant and less like a murkily written checklist of diverse characteristics. While the pacing can seem a bit slow and sometimes cluttered, this oddball town is utterly endearing. A charming, enjoyable thrill ride with memorable characters, crazy creatures, and a theme about the importance of family.--Bratt, Jessica Anne Copyright 2017 Booklist
