Odd Gods

February 15, 2019
Middle school is never easy, especially when you're powerless and your brother's a perfect God.Oddonis, son of Zeus and Freya, has never resembled his twin, Adonis. Adonis was born with a six pack and a mane of beautiful, blond hair. Oddonis was born with an "old guy jelly belly." Elementary school was no fun, but Oddonis' hoping that Mount Olympus Middle School will be different. Ha. On the first day, he and his best friend, Gaseous, the flatulent son of Uranus and Chalupa, the Refried Bean Queen, are pranked by Adonis and his God friends on the bus and then refused entrance via the Gods' door. Yep, more of the same. They do make more friends, including tiny Puneous, smart Mathena, and contagious Germes, but the Gods rule the school, and the election for class president will soon make that official. Adonis runs unopposed until a fed-up Oddonis decides to try to beat his conceited brother. Can the Odds beat the Gods? This series opener sports in-line comics and spot illustrations as well as plenty of potty humor (Oddonis' dog's name is Trianus, and the name's appropriate). The whackadoodle mishmash of world mythologies and...other stuff (Germes' mom is Typhoid Mary--go figure) may bug both myth-heads and readers who appreciate consistency in worldbuilding, but even they will have to laugh.Newly minted fans will hope that future myth-adventures will be just as silly. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 7-11)

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April 10, 2006
This stimulating manifesto calls for a liberalism that battles Islamist totalitarianism as forthrightly as Cold War liberals opposed Communist totalitarianism. Former New Republic
editor Beinart assails both an anti-imperialist left that rejects the exercise of U.S. power and the Bush administration's assumption of America's moral infallibility. America shouldn't shrink from fighting terrorism, despite civilian casualties and moral compromises, he contends, but its antitotalitarian agenda must be restrained by world opinion, international institutions and liberal self-doubt, while bolstered by economic development aid abroad and economic equality at home. Beinart offers an incisive historical account of the conflicts straining postwar liberalism and of the contradictions, hubris and incompetence of Bush's actions. He's sketchier on what a liberal war on terror entails—perhaps a cross between Clinton's Balkan humanitarian interventions and the Afghanistan operation, with U.S. forces descending on Muslim backwaters to destroy jihadists and build nations. The tragic conundrum of a fighting liberalism that avoids enmeshment in a Vietnam or Iraq (the author now repudiates his early support of the Iraq war) is never adequately addressed. Still, Beinart's provocative analysis could stir much-needed debate on the direction of liberal foreign policy.

April 1, 2019

Gr 4-6-Everyone knows the gods, but most have never heard of the odd ones. Oddonis, brother of Adonis, is the misfit of his family. He has yet to have any godly powers like his brother, and isn't exactly good-looking like Adonis. When things seem to keep getting worse for him and his friends, Oddonis decides enough is enough and runs for class president. With the odds against him, can Oddonis win the election and bring change to Mt. Olympus Middle School? Oddonis and his friends are well developed, engaging, relatable characters who will draw readers into the story with ease. The plot is funny and will resonate well with fans of Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series. The illustrations are eye-catching, complementary to the text, and bring the characters to life. VERDICT Recommended for library collections where fantasy/humor mash-ups are popular.-Kira Moody, Salt Lake County Library Services

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 22, 2019
In this first in a planned series, Slavin (Young Dick Cheney) and newcomer Weitzman introduce Oddonis, twin of popular, handsome Adonis and imperfect son of deities Zeus and Freya. The opposite of most deities, Oddonis isn’t strong, athletic, or artistic, and he has no idea what his talent is. Oddonis’s similarly awkward cadre of friends includes pal Mathena, goddess of math and poultry, and best friend Gaseous (son of Uranus and Refried Bean Queen Chalupa), whose farts smell of “feta cheese, a wet ferret, and feet.” Running against his brother for class president, Oddonis seeks to become the voice for the “odds” of Mount Olympus Middle School, find his unique godly power, and impress his father. Oddonis’s transition from outsider to a leader who sees his individuality as a strength shines through the nonstop gross-out humor and silliness. Frequent nods to well-known mythological figures will draw in readers interested in the topic, and black-and-white illustrations by Lane (Stop Thief!), which amplify the comedy, will appeal to readers of graphic hybrids. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12.

April 15, 2019
Grades 3-5 Welcome to Mount Olympus Middle School, where the young gods rule and everyone else . . . gets dumpster-worthy leftovers for lunch and heaping helpings of humiliation in the hallways. That's what Oddonis, slightly younger twin brother of hunky Adonis, discovers in this not-quite-subtle Wimpy Kid-style riff. Reserving select incidents (and most of the punch lines) for Lane's frequent cartoon drawings, Slavin and Weitzman pit their underachieving narrator against his swaggering sib in a campaign for class president. Along with freely mixing mythologies (the twins are the offspring of Zeus and Freya, which makes for some gross Scandinavian-style fish breakfasts), the authors have great fun with names (Gaseous, son, naturally, of Uranus; Trianus, a dog with one head but three butts). Readers will end up admiring Oddonis for standing up for underdogs everywhere but may spare some sympathy for Adonis, too, who turns out to be a comically clumsy oaf pressured since birth into a win at any cost mentality by his all-powerful dad. Stay tuned for further mishaps and mythic misadventures.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2019
At Mt. Olympus Middle School, hapless Oddonis lives in the shadow of his perfect twin, Adonis, until he competes against Adonis for class president, aided by oddball friends. Humorous cartoon sketches decorate every page, breaking up the accessible slapstick text and adding to the fun. Despite casual treatment of the source mythologies, Slavin and Weitzman's over-the-top comedy truly captures the angst of middle school.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)