Use the following reviews of the Odds1stOut book to help you as you practice writing your own book report.
9th grade level
Odds1sout: The First Sequel, consists of stories of James’ Rallison’s life and random facts. For instance, Rallison describes his first dog – and second dog- with an entertaining amount of detail, while mixing in factoids about Australia and different types of phobias.
This book is suited for teens, anyone who enjoys seeing funny comics and anyone who enjoys being taken on random adventures. This book is not for anyone wanting a more serious experience.
The First Sequel is an enjoyable read, with plenty of matching cartoons and the use of anything from different fonts, colors and font sizes as literary devices. My favorite part of the book was the chapter on the idea of robot life. I have always been fascinated with the idea of the “singularity”, and robots becoming sentient. Rallison’s take was a refreshing and optimistic take. I also enjoyed the funny cartoons and how well they coordinated with the rest of the story. I don’t have many criticisms of this book, but if I had to say anything, Rallison’s complaints about sports are not original and have been said many times before already.
Overall, this book was a funny and enjoyable book. It was a great change of pace, especially after reading a string of books that are trying to take themselves seriously and present themselves as grand theories. It’s great to read a book that is simply fun. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and wholeheartedly recommend it.
8th grade level / Focus Style
This book is about James Rallison’s life, along with random facts. For example, James talks about how he got and tried to train his second dog, Goldie and has a chapter explaining different types of phobias. The book also has pages meant to be a joke, such as a troll page for people who are color blind or an upside down page meant to represent Australia.
I like how this book has many funny cartoons that match the story. My favorite part of the book was the section of robot life, where Rallison argues that in the future, if robots take over, it wouldn’t be that bad.
Overall, this book is really funny and kept me entertained the whole time. I give the book 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it.
