Amy Ignatow’s The Mighty Odds Features Kids with Super (Sort of) Powers
If I had a superpower back when I was in middle school, I would have picked “Super-Strength Witty Comebacks” as my defining attribute. Unfortunately, I wasn’t given the opportunity to have a superpower, the way the four main characters in Amy Ignatow’s The Mighty Odds were given (after a mysterious bus accident changed their lives forever). However, I may not have missed out on too much by being superpower-less, since despite their amazing abilities, these four sixth graders still go through the same insecurities and alarming new changes that all middle school students face.
The Mighty Odds is reminiscent of the 1980’s cult classic movie, The Breakfast Club. There’s the brainiac nerd boy, the popular mean girl, the misunderstood guy, and the young female artist who goes unnoticed by the world. Four misfits from varying backgrounds, brought together for one common purpose—to figure out why a bus accident suddenly gave them all very peculiar superpowers. Powers which include teleporting (but only four inches to the left), super strength (but only in his thumbs), mind reading (but only when someone is thinking of directions), and the ability to change appearance (but only eye color). Together, these four must break cultural norms, fight racism, and battle adolescent judgments to work together to figure out what and why this oddity has occurred to each of them.
As the four sixth graders, Nick, Farshad, Martina, and Cookie work together to figure out what’s happening to them, the reader gets a glimpse into what life in this Pennsylvania town is like for these four pre-teens. And what we see isn’t nice or pretty. There are bigoted comments, snap judgements are made about different lifestyles, kids must cope (or try to) with a parent’s death, and students are bullied and separated by social class and background. And as hard as these events are to read about, Ignatow makes sure to approach them seriously, but with enough gentle humor to keep things light.
And the humor pairs perfectly with the quirkiness of the plot. Are there aliens in their town? Where is the missing bus driver? Why does Martina have antennas on her head in the pictures? All these questions keep you turning pages in the hope of finding answers.
Fans of Ignatow’s previous series, The Popularity Papers, will also love the comic book-style illustrations. In addition to the pictures, we get to see the story unfold even more through the chapters that start with an article from the possibly-true-but-probably-not online gossip magazine, The Daily Whut?, which uses a smart wit and sarcastic approach to journalism that isn’t lost on the reader and only adds to the book’s levity.
A word of warning though: This book is the first in a series. That means you should brace yourself to not have all your questions answered and things wrapped up in a pretty bow. You’ll say “Aha!” to some things, but will be left with bated breath for the next book to be released. But don’t fret, your middle grade reader will still close the book glad they read it—and eager for the next one.
Ingatow hits it out of the park doing what she does best—weaving a relatable story with fantastical elements and filled with characters you either love or love to hate. Either way, it makes for a read that will leave you laughing (and will definitely lead to debates about what superpower you wish you’d had in middle school).