When I heard that Amy Ignatow had a new series coming out, I was beyond excited. My fifth graders had been huge fans of her Popularity Papers series. Following the adventures of Lydia and Julie in their notebooks had become such an addiction, I preordered the next installment each time it became available. So when I heard about The Mighty Odds, it was only natural that I hit the "pre-order" button. Imagine my delight when I got the exciting gift of an ARC in the mail so that I could read this book just a bit early.
Flipping through The Mighty Odds, I immediately noticed that there weren't as many drawings as there was in Lydia and Julie's journal, otherwise know as The Popularity Papers. That being said, there are still many sketches scattered throughout that will delight my new grade level of middle school students.
The Mighty Odds follows the story of four classmates who are involved in a strange bus accident on the way back from the field trip. As a result, they each gain an odd superpower. One gets super strong thumbs, another can teleport a few inches to the left, another has their eyes change color unexpectedly, and a final student can hear your thoughts when you are thinking in directions. Odd, right? Also, it should be said, that three of the four are semi-outcasts. None of them associated together before this accident. Now they need to band together, form a group, and figure out what the heck is going on.
What follows is a humorous friendship story with fantasy and action thrown in for good measure. When I hit the last page, I groaned. I wanted more, now! Waiting for the next installment in a series is torture - even more so when you got the first book early - so the wait is even longer! That being said, I have a feeling that The Mighty Odds will be a hugely popular book in my 7th grade classroom this year. Look for it to be released on September 13th.