About the Book
Toymaker Isaac Bodkins created the Oddkins, a group of living toys, for very special children who face difficulties in life and need true friends. There’s Amos, the brave stuffed bear; Skippy, the rabbit who dreams of being a superstar; Butterscotch, the gentle, floppy-eared pup; Burl the elephant; the wise and scholarly Gibbons; and Patch the cat. The Oddkins are given to children to inspire, support, and love them, especially during times of adversity. Only now, the toys themselves are the ones who need help. Before he dies, Mr. Bodkins delivers a dire warning to Amos the bear: Watch out for an evil toymaker and his dangerous creations! Locked up in the dark sub-basement, another group of toys is climbing out of boxes and crates and coming to life as well. These bad toys—like Rex and Lizzie, the puppets with no strings; Gear, the vicious robot; and Stinger, the horrid buzzing bumblebee with his knife-sharp stinger—were made to hurt children, not help them. Leering, laughing, and deadly, they are let loose into the world by a terrifying force. Frightening as it may be, the Oddkins must go on a journey to find Colleen Shannon, Mr. Bodkins’s chosen successor as a life-giving toymaker and the only person who can save them. The stormy night is perilous and the Oddkins face a danger that threatens not only their magic . . . but the magic in us all.
My Review
Let me start out by saying how excited I was to be able to read this on my new Kindle Fire HD because the illustrations really add a lot to the story. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this story, and to be honest, I am still not. I have been a fan of Dean Koontz’s for many years – to be honest he is one of my favorite authors. But, I have to say that I don’t really think the writing was up to par for me. I know that the story is geared more toward kids – at least I would think so – but I still think the writing lacked a little.
The premise of the story is something that I did love. To think of these “Oddkins” being created to help children through rough times in their life – I loved that! I have a favorite stuffed animal from my childhood that I took everywhere with me, and each of my girls have one…to think that these could have ‘magic’ to help see us through was a great idea. And, add in the Charon toys and you have a true good versus evil story. After the Oddkins maker, Uncle Isaac, dies in the beginning, the toys set out on a journey to bring in the next toymaker, a journey this is extremely important because the longer it takes, the better chance that something bad can happen in the toy factory, and evil forces are certainly at play. I loved the fact that two of the evil toys were marionettes…come on, who doesn’t think these are creepy?
Overall a good story and one I think I would have thought was better if I wasn’t such a diehard fan of his other work. Give it a shot though as I don’t think you will be disappointed.
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