The Odds

De: Lindsay Puckett

Narrado por: Deva Marie

If you have found this book, then you are probably a lover of the dark and twisty. You did pull this book from a cold dead corpse, after all.

This is the story of Begonia, who was abandoned at a retirement home when she was a baby. You might think that’s the worst thing that could happen to someone, but for Bug, the worst is yet to come.

You see, Swamp Root Manor isn’t just any old house. It’s alive, it’s haunted, and everyone in it is…a little bit Odd. Everyone except Begonia. And while she’s waiting for her Oddity to arrive, the manor is running out of money, thanks in no small part to all of Bug’s hospital bills.

But Begonia refuses to let Swamp Root close. If she could just tap into her Oddity, she could use its power to save the manor and all fifty-two of her grandparents. But she is only days away from her 11th birthday and if she doesn’t get it by then, it will never come.

She will be removed from her home and sent to the normal world.

Her memory will be wiped.

And her family will be gone.

So, Bug has to do the unthinkable… join forces with the most annoying boy in the world to track down their Oddities. Together they battle humans, ghosts, their own self-doubt, and sometimes even each other in order to save the only family she’s ever known.

©2023 Lindsay Puckett. (P)2023 Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. SCHOLASTIC, SCHOLASTIC AUDIOBOOKS, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

Odd-acious! In the BEST way!

Lindsay Puckett takes oddness to new and glorious heights. Begonia, the main character, is immediately lovable in spite of herself. Also, there is no question in my mind that she and Coraline* would be fast friends. The nursing home setting sounds a bit, well, odd, but in this world it is perfect. The Odds speaks directly about family, disability, and empowerment with all of it navigated using a sense of fun and twisted humor that will charm you throughout. Plus, there are dust bunnies.

I highly recommend The Odds to absolutely anyone who finds they are carrying too much of whatever they may be carrying. This book will lighten your load.

* The eponymous character in Neil Gaiman’s much beloved book.