Odds Get Even

by Natale Ghent

Boney, Itchy and Squeak are the Odd Fellows, just a bit different from everybody else, and the best of friends. They hang out in their tree house in Boney’s backyard, where five lookout posts and three escape hatches allow them to keep an eye on (and get away from) their mortal bully Larry Harry. But after getting pelted with eggs, pummelled in gym class and sabotaged every year at their school’s Invention Convention, the Odds have had enough. They’re going to put an end to Larry’s reign of terror, and they’re going to use their knowledge of science and the local legend of a haunted mill to do so—if, that is, they don’t get tangled up in their own schemes first. Natale Ghent, award-winning and critically acclaimed author of No Small Thing and All the Way Home , returns with a hilarious story of friendship and comeuppance. The Odds Get Even perfectly captures the childhood spirit of secret plans and adventures while showing that being different isn’t such a bad thing.

Genres: Canada, Childrens

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2009

About the author

Natale Ghent has been writing stories since she was six. Her first books, written and illustrated, revolved around a family of circles: a momma circle, a papa circle and two baby circles. The momma circle wore a fur stole, distinguishing herself from the papa circle, who wore a fedora, naturally.



Natale graduated from writing about circles to writing and illustrating stories about a small fairy, and later, to stories about talking guinea pigs and eventually humans.


When Natale was very young, she wanted to be an archeologist, a ballerina, a veterinarian, a singer and a magician, but not necessarily in that order. Later in life, she realized she could be all these things and more through her writing. She says, "I never set out to be a novelist in the way that so many do these days. All I knew was that I had a voracious curiosity about life and that I loved telling stories. I simply stumbled along until writing took me by the hand and refused to let go, though I recognize now that there were many signposts guiding me along the way. I come from a long line of consummate story tellers. It just never occurred to me that I could tell stories for a living. And now I can’t imagine doing anything else."


Of NO SMALL THING she says, "The story is based on true events from my childhood. I carried it in my heart for years until it begged to be put on paper. I wrote the book for my family and for anyone, young or old, who has struggled for something they believe in. I never imagined the story would mean so much to so many children. I’m humbled by the letters and stories these children send to me."

Reviews

[roha · Rating 3 out of 5]

lmao I randomly remembered I read this book from the silver birch book club back in middle school and I just read it again and I just wanna know WHY I tortured myself, its confusing as hell but bc of the nostalgia I’m giving it a 3/5

[Andra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember really enjoying this book back when I was 10-12 years old. The details are a bit hazy now, but I do know that this book is a quirky adventure that highlights friendship and fun.

[Allie Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just remembered reading this in my grade 5 class and it was iconic

[Jennifer Rayment · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Good Stuff

* Wonderful story that boys in the 9 - 12 age will love, especially if they are not hockey obsessed stereotypical Canadian boys (Yup folks, Jake is going to love this one)
* Delightfully unusual characters
* There is a ghost story, its minor, but its still there and I LOVE ghost stories
* The friendship between the boys really rings true and is very honestly portrayed
* It reminded me of my youth as an "Odd kid"
* Very realistic portrayal of boys and some of the situations they find themselves in - especially with dealing with bullies
* Quirky good fun

The Not so Good Stuff

* Come on, must all parental figures come off as completely clueless morons

What I Learned

* That sometimes it really sucks to be a geeky young boy
* That I'm not such a bad cook after-all, at least I don't make only soup casseroles

Who should/shouldn't read

* Perfect for middle school age boys, especially those that are considered a little bit different
* A great book for kids who have been bullied
* Hockey obsessed Canadian boys probably won't get into this one

4 Dewey's

I got a signed copy for Jake at the Ontario Library Association conference last year and didn't have to review it, just felt like passing on a recommendation for a good book for middle school boys

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was interesting, but lacked character development. Larry was very one dimensional and, other than being bully, I didn't really know anything about him. Even though I liked Itchy, Boney, and Squeak, their nicknames didn't reflect their personalities so I kept getting confused. And I didn't really understand why Rufus/Charlie's was able to eat real food. Isn't he supposed to be a ghost?

That being said, I did like the quirkiness of this book. If the characters had been more developed, I would've given it 4/5 stars.

[Catherine Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great MG book about bullying. It's fun, realistic, very much from the kids' perspectives. The pace is good, the characters stay with you long after you put the book down (always a winner). There are some great sub-plots with a mystery at the old house. I love the ending, (sucker for endings)and by an amazing coincidence, just after I read it I caught up with Ishta Mercurio at Chapters and she had just met the author, how cool is that?!!!

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sure do love math books.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

So awesome and hilarious

[Ecila · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE OF THE SILVER BIRCH BOOKS!
THE CHARECTERS ARE NOT ODD A.T.A.L.L!

[Shreya=Drastically Random. Find the emoticon. · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is amazing....this guys are so cool!

[Girl Guides of Canada · Rating 5 out of 5]

We reviewed and recommended this book for our girls in Brownies and Guides, ages 7-11.

[afrah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was painful. So insanely painful.