Oddrey and the New Kid

by Dave Whamond

Overview

Ever since she averted disaster in the class production of The Wizard of Oz, Oddrey has been making new friends at school. Her classmates have come to appreciate her irrepressible charm and Oddrey, in turn, encourages them to be their own unique selves. So when Oddrey's teacher introduces a new girl, Maybelline, to the class, Oddrey, ever the optimist, is sure that they'll become the best of friends.

But Maybelline's elaborate storytelling habits and bossy playground personality soon force Oddrey to reconsider. Fed up with Maybelline's tall tales, and her classmates’ fascination with Maybelline’s stories, Oddrey challenges Maybelline during a class trip to the zoo. The adventure that ensues is Maybelline's — and Oddrey's — best adventure yet!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771472463
Publisher:	Owlkids Books
Publication date:	03/15/2018
Series:	Oddrey
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	AD660L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

DAVE WHAMOND is the award-winning author of the Oddrey series and My Think-a-ma-Jink. He also has a syndicated cartoon strip called “Reality Check,” which appears daily in a number of North American newspapers. He lives in Calgary, Alberta.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Oddrey and the New Kid

"Whamond's detailed illustrations are colorful and lively - much like the two main characters."
School Library Journal, August 1, 2013

"In Whamond's Oddrey's return, she must contend with a little touch of competition for the limelight."
Kirkus Reviews, June 16, 2013

"Gives cartoonist Whammond lots of creative opportunities that will delight readers."
Booklist, February 26, 2014

"Whamond's engaging and imaginative watercolor illustrations once again steal the show in this story about the ups and downs of friendship, and the importance of loving your friends for exactly who they are."
Christian Library Journal, March/April 2014

Praise for Oddrey

"There's nothing wrong with being a little bit different, as shelves of children's books on the subject can attest. Fittingly, Dave Whamond's contribution to the genre of not-fitting-in celebrates the unusual in its own colourful and charming way."
The National Post, November 24, 2012

"In a fun riff on the tried-and-true "weird girl finds acceptance" trope, Oddrey's grateful classmates decide not just to tolerate her uniqueness but to let her actions inspire their own creativity."
Katherine Pedersen , Quill & Quire, STARRED REVIEW, November 1, 2012

"A quick-paced, comical read."
Lynn Vanca , School Library Journal, December 10, 2012

"A fast-paced, inspiring tale about a one-of-a-kind girl who overcomes obstacles by believing in herself and helping others believe in herself, too."
Christian Library Journal, March/April 2014

From the Publisher

PreS-Gr 2—Oddrey is sure she and the new girl will become great friends. Maybelline jumps right in, regaling her classmates with exciting escapades she claims to have experienced with her father and becoming a leader on the playground. On a class trip to the zoo, Oddrey reaches her limit and begins to question Maybelline's veracity. Maybelline decides to prove herself by swinging on a vine into an enclosure to save a monkey stuck in a tire. Oddrey quickly realizes that Maybelline is in trouble and jumps in to help her. The girls are successful but need to find a way to get back out. The illustrations show them climbing a giraffe, in the mud with hippos, and being chased by surprised warthogs. Once reunited with their class, Maybelline declares, "That was my best adventure yet." Oddrey concurs and doesn't object when Maybelline takes all the glory for herself. Savvy readers will get who the true hero of the story is, but may have a hard time understanding why Oddrey doesn't stick up for herself and why the other students don't tire of Maybelline's self-aggrandizing. Whamond's detailed illustrations are colorful and lively-much like the two main characters. Recommended for collections in which Oddrey (Owlkids, 2012) is popular.—Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY

School Library Journal

In Whamond's Oddrey's return, she must contend with a little touch of competition for the limelight. Oddrey is not so much a fruitcake as an original. She takes the path less traveled. Sometimes it feels a bit like attention-seeking behavior, though, to her credit, she seeks attention for all her friends and classmates, too. In this story, she comes up against not exactly a nemesis, but a serious rival: Maybelline. Maybelline has lots of wild tales--she and her father traveled the four corners to find ancient artifacts in dangerous situations--to wow her classmates. She has so many wild tales that Oddrey gets suspicious, and she isn't happy with Maybelline's bossy ways on the playground. Then comes a school visit to the zoo, and Oddrey is able to reassert her not only strange, but now heroic character. Although Whamond's artwork is a pleasing welter of colorful dabs and active lines, his story is achingly black and white. Readers know from the outset that poor Maybelline's comeuppance is a done deal--she is too snooty by half--so there will be no surprises here. And Oddrey is too self-conscious about being the maverick, which doesn't make her much of one; she is not a bohemian, she is a prima donna. For Oddrey to remain odd, she is going to have to hear the beat of a far different drummer. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews