02/01/2021
In an alternate 1822, the uneasy peace between America, the French-controlled Louisiana Territory, and the fictional Sehanna Confederation (inspired, a note clarifies, by the Haudenosaunee Confed-eracy) is on the verge of collapse. The U.S. military searches for oddities, strange and powerful objects and entities, a handful of which stalemated the Louisiana War 20 years prior. Just before bandits kill teenage Clover’s Russian country-doctor father in pursuit of one such item, he entrusts it to her with instructions to find a famed scholar of oddities in a distant city. Brown (Cinnamon & Gunpowder, for adults), making his children’s debut, writes a weird world filled with vividly depicted characters. Ruthless bandits contest with Clover and her allies—a “living oddity” known as the “Cockerel Colonel” and resilient Nessa Applewhite Branagan, a traveling cure-all tonic saleswoman—for control of a cache of oddities that could win the war or further ignite it. Carefully constructed settings, such as such as an intoxicating marsh derived from an endlessly refilling wine cup and the oddities at the tale’s center—a perpetually freezing ice hook, time-stopping matches—mix the mundane and the impossible, driving a memorable adventure studded with light historical references and Rytter’s woodcut-style illustrations. Ages 10–14. Author’s agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House. (Mar.)
A thrillingly original fusion of adventure, magic, and epic alternate history, Oddity zings with storytelling panache. Peopled by rich, strange, and delightful characters—both human and eerily otherwise—and featuring a superb heroine, it is inexhaustibly inventive, pouring forth new wonders with the marvelous ease of the magical Wineglass that never runs dry."
—Jonathan Stroud, author of the Lockwood & Co. series and the Bartimaeus Sequence
Set in an alternate version of early 19th-century America, where war is looming between a massive army led by Napoleon Bonaparte (the only actual historical figure mentioned in the book) and an assortment of fighters led by the ambitious Senator Auburn, this imaginative fantasy-adventure is packed with magical items. . . Rytter’s striking black-and-white linocuts add to the book’s dark, magical feel. This strikingly original, beautifully written fantasy novel will appeal to high-level readers seeking magical adventure.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
A determinedly offbeat historical American fantasy. Brown’s first entry into children’s literature preserves his peculiar brand of whimsy in an episodic, often perilous adventure enlivened by charming woodcut-style illustrations…a good choice for sophisticated readers.”
—Kirkus Reviews
...reads like a richly imagined blend of Lloyd Alexander’s The Black Cauldron and Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass, and it is fueled by Clover’s desire to better understand her family’s past and so herself. Matches that stop time, an evil witch, and a talking rooster are but a few of the wonders Brown has in store for his readers.
—Booklist
In an alternate 1822, the uneasy peace between America, the French-controlled Louisiana Territory, and the fictional Sehanna Confederation is on the verge of collapse....Carefully constructed settings, such as an intoxicating marsh derived from an endlessly refilling wine cup and the oddities at the tale’s center—a perpetually freezing ice hook, time-stopping matches—mix the mundane and the impossible, driving a memorable adventure studded with light historical references and Rytter’s woodcut-style illustrations.
—Publishers Weekly
From a dizzying allotment of intriguing pieces, Brown builds a strongly woven alt-history fantasy adventure that is equal parts violence and resilience, desperation and hope, with occasional doses of the grotesque. Clover makes for an admirable heroine, who builds strength through adversity and friendships through kindness. The richness of the imagined world shines through, a strength reinforced by detailed woodcut-style illustrations and a glossary of notable oddities at novel’s end.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Set in an alternate 19th century Unified States, this story begins with Clover discovering her first oddity. . . . Clover does what is needed to discover the truth. She is brave, smart, and loyal. The character's expressive dialogue, along with the vivid narration that establishes the setting, immerses the reader in this alternate 19th century world. The swift pace captures and draws the reader along. This first book in a planned duology will leave the reader longing to hear the conclusion to Clover's story.
—School Library Connection
Written with insouciant charm and ornamented by Karin Rytter’s pleasantly severe woodcut-style pictures, ‘Oddity’ offers eccentric adventure that is true to its name.
—The Wall Street Journal
In this strange yet somehow familiar landscape, Brown offers a sweeping political backdrop of ambition, greed and the thread of endless war as his action-packed narrative races along.
—The Buffalo News
This is the rare book for young readers that balances philosophy with action, and individual bravery with the need to rely on allies.
—Historical Novel Society
★ 04/23/2021
Gr 6 Up—Twelve-year-old Clover Elkin has always longed to find an Oddity, one of several magical items hidden all over the world. Her father warns her that Oddities are dangerous; they were somehow responsible her mother's death. But when her father is attacked by a gang of bandits, he tells her to run—throwing her his medical bag, he reveals that he kept one Oddity, and that she must find the head of the Society of Anomalogists. Lost and hunted, Clover's escape soon leads her to encounters with a bizarre assortment of new acquaintances, including a talking rooster who happens to be a famous general, a girl who sells fake elixirs, and a murderous doll with incredible strength. Along the way she discovers the shocking truth about her mother and about her own mysterious past. Set in an alternate version of early 19th-century America, where war is looming between a massive army led by Napoleon Bonaparte (the only actual historical figure mentioned in the book) and an assortment of fighters led by the ambitious Senator Auburn, this imaginative fantasy-adventure is packed with magical items, like a pistol that always hits its target, a hat that steals people's secrets, and matches that stop time while they are burning. The descriptions are lyrical and richly detailed, and the story full of unexpected twists. Most of the main characters, including Clover and her family and the major villains, are white, but her family friend, the Widow Henshaw, is a former enslaved person, and she is also aided by members of a local tribe (the author's note mentions that all of the tribes are fictional, to avoid any inaccuracy in representation). Rytter's striking black-and-white linocuts add to the book's dark, magical feel. VERDICT This strikingly original, beautifully written fantasy novel will appeal to high-level readers seeking magical adventure.—Ashley Larsen, Pacifica Libraries, CA
2021-01-12
A determinedly offbeat historical American fantasy.
Brown’s first entry into children’s literature preserves his peculiar brand of whimsy in an episodic, often perilous adventure enlivened by charming woodcut-style illustrations. In an alternate 19th century, the Louisiana Purchase failed, leading to war, and now three powers—France, the 11 Unified States, and the Sehanna Confederation—exist in uneasy balance. Thirteen-year-old Clover’s obsession with oddities, strange things that are somehow more—the Wineglass that never runs dry, the Ice Hook that creates its own ice—seems harmless, but oddities killed her mother and attract the bandits who kill her Russian father and precipitate the plot. What follows is a journey through a world with elements both familiar (slavery, rotten politicians, and eager warmongers) and strange. Along the way to the climax, Clover makes friends and enemies and grows up quickly. The vivid sense of place, even pacing, and memorable characterization—including multiple strong girl characters—are real strengths. However, the alternate history narrative may be better appreciated by readers familiar with actual events and therefore able to place the fantasy-world Native nations (inspired by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy) and the history of European colonization in context. The advanced vocabulary makes this a good choice for sophisticated readers. Main characters are White; Clover’s neighbor and mother figure is a formerly enslaved Black woman. Clover’s village of Salamander Lake is a place where, in contrast to other locations in this world, people of different ethnicities mingle as equals.
Intriguing. (map, catalog of oddities) (Historical fantasy. 11-14)