Oddity

Zombie rabbits and tiny aliens?! What else do you need for a great read? Mystery sweepstakes and a missing twin sister added in make a fantastic and fun book. Ada’s twin sister Pearl one the Sweepstakes a year ago and Ada misses her sister and decides she needs to know what happened to Pearl. So with the new kid in town Cayden and her best friend Raymond the trio startes investigating Pearl’s sweepstakes win.The characters are interesting and different in a fun way. The town of Oddity has a host of different characters that make this book fun and quirky. There’s a home base which is invisible and the person who is “it” has to find the invisible home base. Aliens visit the town regularly and there’s definitely a reason the town has been named Oddity! I loved this book from the beginning chapter (gym class with leopards!) to the very last sentence. It has comedy, suspense and thrills! Wish more books had zombie rabbits 😂!

Take Neil Gaiman, add a dash of Douglas Adams, and blend with a hearty dollop of Welcome to Nightvale and you have this delightful, spooky, and madcap adventure for young readers. It seamlessly blends whacky zombie rabbits, semi-friendly Aliens, and sinister puppets into a group of young friends investigating the suspicious disappearance of one of their members’ sister. What they find threatens to unravel the very foundations of their town, Oddity, NM.

Oddity is a delightful romp from the first sentence to the very end. Cannon masterfully brings the readers on a wild ride through the town of Oddity, where zombie rabbits, aliens, a blur monster, and living puppets are totally normal, and combat training in school is a must. I laughed out loud too many times to count, and my kids all devoured this book. You'll root for Ada, for the zombie rabbits, and for a certain sentient bit of fermentation. Oddity is a must read for anyone who likes to dip their toes into the weird!

I love when a children's author respects their audience enough to engage them in the unusual or even frightening. The story is off-the-wall and silly in the best way. I'm excited to give it to my middle-schooler niece for Christmas!

I've never read a book quite like this. Zany, funny, quirky, and also creepy! A great mystery and adventure.

This was such a delightful read! I laughed out loud at Ada, Raymond, and Cayden's zany adventures. Aliens, zombie rabbits, a blurmonster, and puppets ... what's not to love? And if the weird setting isn't awesome enough, the characters are also very well developed, and the relationships between Ada and her family members are incredibly nuanced. An exceptional story.

Too young to know better and old enough to be resourceful, Ada and her friends come to the rescue in this fast-paced tale. The delightful mix of imaginary creatures, busy parents and ingenious eleven-year-olds entertains and satisfies. Thanks, Sarah - Great job.

Okay, full disclosure: I may have a cameo role in this book. That said, I would have enjoyed this novel regardless. It's a fun ride, inventive and adventurous. It also has emotional depth that I think most kids will appreciate. I would have loved this story as a kid, and I love it as an adult.