… but it’s not necessarily the truth.
Oddrey and the New Kid, by Dave Whamond
OwlKids, ISBN: 978 1 92697 390 6
I didn’t love the first Oddrey book all that much – but I’m quite enjoying her this time around! Oddrey is used to being the interesting, fun kid in every bunch, and quite enjoyed that status with friends and at school. When the new girl arrives in class, she is excited at first, but quickly has a change of heart when this girl starts to steal the spotlight that Oddrey has been so accustomed to.
Maybelline is full of tales of wild adventures, quick to rake over as leader, and seemed endlessly fascinating to her classmates. Oddrey, though, began to suspect that her tales may not be exactly true in the strictest sense… or maybe any sense at all. Finally, on a field trip, she tries to call her bluff – and it results in Maybelline putting herself in danger. Oddrey quickly leaps into the fray to rescue her – and the two have a pretty wild adventure themselves, before they are back on solid ground!
Oddrey’s suspicion and later acceptance are expressed perfectly in the quirky illustrations, while the new girl turns out, in the end, to feel more like a dramatic storyteller than a real attention-seeking brat – which is really very nice, because it could have gone either way. Here, it ends on a positive note, where Oddrey figures this out and can be quietly confident that everyone knows she really saved Maybelline and lets her have her moment. It’s a good resolution to the problem, without real conflict, and a nice example for kids who are frustrated by a similar classmate. The fact that the story is a great bit of fun (especially their romp through the zoo!) makes it not even feel like there is a little lesson here. Perfect!
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