The Odd Ones

by Wendy M. Fedan

"The Odd Ones" is a 30-page picture book appropriate for the preschool through kindergarten age group.

"The Odd Ones" is a book themed to support children who undergo the common frustration of not fitting into the various "groups" around them.

This story uses three animal characters who don't feel they "fit in" with their animal groups:

Tuffy is an aggressive turtle who refuses to hide in his shell.
Pitter is a contemplative mouse who prefers daydreaming over productive nest-building.
Polly is a grown frog who never lost her pollywog tail.
The three friends find each other through conflicts which reveal their odd traits, and together they decide to search for a place where they can just be themselves. When they finally reach their dreamland together, the characters realize from their experiences that their oddities are actually their strengths (difference is what makes them special). With new self-confidence, they decide to return back to their homes. The story ends with a poem: "One the other side the grass was greener, but the peace they found inside was sweeter."

64 pages, Hardcover

Published April 12, 2020

About the author

I’m a freelance illustrator and product designer living in Amherst, Ohio. I worked for 10+ years at American Greetings until 2008. After that I’ve concentrated on growing my freelance business as an illustrator and designer.

I’ve self-published eight books so far, and am a huge proponent for indie publishing. In 2021 I launched my own publishing/book shepherding biz called Create A Way Design & Publishing, LLC.
I’ve had a passion for writing and illustration since I first wrote and shared my stories in the 2nd grade. It’s a passion that will forever be with me!

Reviews

[Kym McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being in the field of metaphysics (I too am a medium), I was very interested in reading this latest book by an author who attempts to handle the usually misunderstood, ghost dimension, which is very real.

I have a personal pet peeve that writers and specifically Hollywood uses ghosts in a startling inaccurate—titillating way. So my interest was to check this author's understanding of ghosts and what she is teaching children. And to my delight, I thought she did a very interesting and accurate portrayal of what I have experienced with real ghosts in my work.

Her main character, Max and his effect on interacting with a young Medium, Lizzie, is very accurate, as is Lizzie’s unfounded fear of being a natural medium. And I particularly liked the demonstration of the internal struggle that Lizzie felt as her mediumship abilities showed up spontaneously in her life. In the real world, this does happen to many a person; both adults and children alike. My personal view is that many people diagnosed with mental illness might very well be that is having a psychic awakening like the character Lizzie, in the story. (Over the years, I have met about 10 people stuck in this dilemma, including a client that I wrote a book with.)

I enjoyed the sprinkling in of humor. I felt it was appropriate for teens to react this way to finding out about being a ghost. Even though Max was dead, he wasn’t and that can be funny and a bit of a mind twist.

I think that many topics the author addressed are also situations that my clients bring to me as problems and concerns; such as the grief of Lizzie over the death of her father and how he is still ‘protecting her.’ Our loved ones never leave us. They might not be protecting us the way Lizzie’s dad is in the book, but they are in constant contact with us in a variety of ways.

One chapter that I thought was handled well was the attempted suicide in the girls' bathroom. I’m sure that was a very hard chapter to write in a children's book. But it’s very accurate. Ghosts DO attach to humans. There is no playbook given to a soul when they die and find themselves as ghosts. Many are just attempting to get back to things they find familiar, which is having a body plus to have energy (feed), they need to draw it from the living. So yes, an already sad and depressed teen (or anyone) can be overcome by a needy ghost. And yes, this can cause a person to do things that they might not of done if they were not being influenced by ghosts that are also scared and depressed. I think the author was wise to keep this chapter in, if only to try and address this very possible situation for the readership. (Even as a ‘professional’ I have been affected by ghosts)

To give a well-rounded review, I have to say, I’m not able to validate the ‘shadows hiding in the corners’ waiting to jump on the young medium. I know that this is a kids book and the author needs is first to entertain vs inform, but I hope if this book becomes a series, which I think is the intent, that the author explores this aspect more.

From my experience, yes, there is a ton of interference from ghosts. That are needing a mediums attention and assistance. And yes, they can be very intrusive and can wake one up at all hours. And yes, some appear intense and somewhat scary, but they are that way due to some pain they find themselves in, not to harm us in anyway—it’s all just perspective.

I really liked that Max displayed an important aspect of all dimensions—Free Will to choose. So many people think that some long bearded white man is making all the decisions, and Max is showing that —that is not the case. We never lose our Free Will.

I really enjoy the growth that both Max and Lizzie have in the book. Near the end, I also liked the interesting twist with his little sister and the teen in the graveyard.

Overall I have to give this author a big thumbs up on this novel. I look forward to book 2.

[Yennie Fer · Rating 3 out of 5]

For "Somewhere In Between", I will be as honest with the review as much as possible. I'll list the pros and cons of this story.

Pros:
-I love the cover art! Eye-catching! The text is perfectly placed and not distracting. (Which a lot of indie authors do as a mistake). Good job!
-This story I can see a lot of kids loving, especially toward supernatural stuff. I like the interactions between living and nonliving.
-I like Lizzie. Her character interests me more than Max does. I think it's because I relate to her more.

Cons:
-Within the first pages of the book, I have spotted 11+ grammar errors. This was consistent throughout the book. Please, don't take it the wrong way. It's just grammar errors I used to make and have been corrected by several of my editors. If it means anything, I used to do a lot WORSE. Haha! So you're on your way there!
-I've caught typos. A lot. Of. Typos.
-Formatting issues with dialogue meshed in with writing descriptions, making it difficult for a reading structure. It is too dialogue-heavy, which makes it hard for me to stay engaged.

Overall:

I think I'd like this more as if it were a movie or series. When it comes to reading books, I like a little "show not tell". I stopped reading on page 151. I feel like if I were in the age group, I'd enjoy it more. I do recommend this book for children. Please don't take this negatively. Just because I couldn't get into it doesn't mean other people can't enjoy it. :'D