The Mighty Odds (The Odds Series #1) - Softcover

Amy Ignatow is a cartoonist and the author of the Popularity Papers series of scrapbook-style illustrated novels. She is a graduate of Moore College of Art and Design and lives in Philadelphia with her husband and two kids. On rare occasions, she enjoys sleeping.

Gr 5–8—Martina, Nick, Farshad, and Cookie are classmates who barely know one another. After a field trip to Philadelphia, the four students end up on the same bus back to school. Disaster strikes when the bus gets in a bad accident. Nick is flung from the vehicle while Martina, Farshad, and Cookie are trapped. The tweens manage to save one another and their substitute teacher, Mr. Friend, in the nick of time, with the help of a local Amish boy. Unfortunately, the accident is only the beginning of trouble for this quartet. After getting out of the hospital, each notices that something is different. Martina's eyes change colors. Cookie can read minds when it involves directions. Farshad has incredible strength...in his thumbs. Nick can teleport but only four inches to the left. What actually happened in the crash, and why is their substitute teacher after them? Ignatow brings humor and a big dose of silliness to this new series. Superpowers always seem tempting, but, as these four tweens discover, there's a downside that comes with their new abilities. This is also the case for the book itself. The cast is diverse, but some of the language is troublesome. Cookie is referred to as a "beautiful black pearl" and a "dearest chocolate-skinned empress" by Nick's best friend, Jay. Farshad is nicknamed "Terror Boy" throughout most of the story. Though Ignatow works to unpack the language, and Farshad's nickname in particular, the descriptions of Cookie remain problematic. VERDICT This offering has plenty of reader appeal, with an ending designed to hook kids into the next installment. However, the microaggressions will be an issue for any librarian.—Sarah Wethern, Douglas County Library, Alexandria, MN