From the author that gave us THE GLASS WITCH comes a whimsical exploration of disability that is equal parts SCOOBY-DOO and A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. Begonia has waited her whole life to be adequately odd. Sure, she’s the only child resident of a floundering nursing home, has fifty-three magical grandparents, and suffers from debilitating chronic pain, but Begonia doesn’t have an Oddity yet—her magical quirk—which makes her an outsider even among the oddballs. Worst of all, if her powers don’t arrive by her eleventh birthday, she’ll be exiled, losing the only home and family she’s ever known. When Begonia learns there’s a magical object that can reveal her Oddity, she’ll lie, sneak, steal, and even brave the soul-sucking ghoul attacking the residents one by one to find it. But along her quest, she might discover more than she bargained for: the dangers of letting abilities—and disabilities—define her.
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Your rating:
5 star
Cover 5; Characters 5; Plot 4; Pace 5; Engagement 5; Worldbuilding 5; Readability 5; Theme 5; Enjoyment 5; cry*
First let me throw in the disclaimer that the author is a friend, as always feel free to take my review however you wish.
Y'all. This book. I am in tears. The beauty behind the theme of this one really hit me hard. Being odd, being *enough* is definitely something most of us struggle with and somehow it's always the mid-grade books that really pack a punch when it comes to helping you figure out that you're worth something.
The plot twist of this book had me so upset I cried. Like, not the villain reveal (though that too was A+) but the plot twist? I nearly fell out of my chair. Literally yelled out loud "Lindsay, how you going to do me dirty like this?"
This book was fun in all of the best ways. Full of adventure and weirdness and growing up. If you know me, you know one of my favorite parts of book is when they include old people with pizzazz and this book had like 50 of them. All of Bug's grandparents were so much fun to read!
And don't even get me started on Bus and Bug. They were the most ridiculously fun characters. Begonia is definitely prickly, but she's still a fun character. Bus is kind and helpful and really seems to be going through it but is still willing to help Bug save her home.
The narration style? Loved every second of it. This book reads like someone reading you a story aloud and adding in their own commentary throughout and it was one of the must fun things I've read in a long time.
This book also deals with Begonia's chronic disability and I think it's great for children who have a chronic disability to be able to see themselves in a story. The way Bug's family loves her no matter her condition and how they handle others who treat her poorly is just an absolutely beautiful thing.
If I could give this book a thousand stars I would.
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