CSD Reviews: The Mighty Odds

The Mighty Odds
Written and illustrated by Amy Ignatow
Review by Taylor Worley

Amy Ignatow — of Popularity Papers fame — is back with a brand new crew in The Mighty Odds. The story begins like many sixth grade tales, on a field trip. The characters are both unique and familiar — a contemporary Breakfast Club sans detention — abounding in diversity and personality. The class is just large enough to require two buses, a large and a small. One thing leads to another and a popular girl and a small group of “outcasts” end up with a single teacher on the small bus on the way home from a field trip. When the weather gets rough, the small bus violently crashes and those involved find that they now have very peculiar super powers. Very. Peculiar. 

Ignatow does a phenomenal job in this first book introducing her readers to the highly amusing cast of characters. The diversity is refreshing and issues are handled deftly and in a way that should make perfect sense to middle grade readers and adult alike. The issues raised are very important but don't feel heavy handed at all, which is a note difficult to hit. The pace is quite fast, making for an easy and enjoyable read. Ignatow’s signature illustrations supplement the text and look just like many a sixth grader’s notebook. The only glaring issue with the book is a very abrupt ending, but it’s clear the author is setting the scene for many more stories, so it’s likely that readers will ultimately forgive the cliff at the end of this first story. Here’s hoping for much more from The Mighty Odds!

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