Oddrey and the New Kid

PreS-Gr 2—Oddrey is sure she and the new girl will become great friends. Maybelline jumps right in, regaling her classmates with exciting escapades she claims to have experienced with her father and becoming a leader on the playground. On a class trip to the zoo, Oddrey reaches her limit and begins to question Maybelline's veracity. Maybelline decides to prove herself by swinging on a vine into an enclosure to save a monkey stuck in a tire. Oddrey quickly realizes that Maybelline is in trouble and jumps in to help her. The girls are successful but need to find a way to get back out. The illustrations show them climbing a giraffe, in the mud with hippos, and being chased by surprised warthogs. Once reunited with their class, Maybelline declares, "That was my best adventure yet." Oddrey concurs and doesn't object when Maybelline takes all the glory for herself. Savvy readers will get who the true hero of the story is, but may have a hard time understanding why Oddrey doesn't stick up for herself and why the other students don't tire of Maybelline's self-aggrandizing. Whamond's detailed illustrations are colorful and lively-much like the two main characters. Recommended for collections in which Oddrey (Owlkids, 2012) is popular.—Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY