Lee and Victoria weren’t the only ones to love The Odds by Matt Stanton… Here is what the QBD crew thought:
In the delightfully strange world that’s the setting for The Odds – the new graphic novel by best-selling Australian children’s author and illustrator Matt Stanton – worlds collide both literally and figuratively, resulting in an explosion of delight where the only thing limiting what may or may not happen is the imagination itself!
Kip is gliding through life as an introverted school kid in the big city, striving to remain firmly in the margins and delighted by the fact that nobody in her daily life pays her but the scantest of attention. All the friends she’s ever needed can be found in books, or on her favourite TV shows, or even in the kaleidoscopic caverns of her most vivid inner dreamscapes.
But what happens when the divide between these two worlds blurs, and the myriad characters in Kip’s mind become real? When they’re not just alive, but they’re threatening to derail Kip’s life in ‘the real world’ (especially that one dinosaur who’s been causing her nightmares)? This oddball clan of weirdos are The Odds, and Kip’s previously quiet existence will never be the same again!
Veteran kids’ storyteller Stanton is at the top of his game here, experimenting with form, colour and narrative structure in a novel manner that really helps by the story’s flow and its light, irreverent tone.
But ultimately it’s The Odds’ underlying message about identity that packs the real punch, showing via Kip’s upheaval and her heroic quest to return these invaders back where they belong that the most important thing in life is staying true to yourself, as well as reinforcing the importance of both family and friendship for a fulfilling existence.
