Oddkins - Hardcover

Koontz, Dean

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0747201129 ISBN 13: 9780747201120

Publisher: Headline Book Publishing, 1988

Synopsis

Blockbuster author Dean Koontz’s first novel for young listeners, a beautifully illustrated and visually stunning story about a magical band of living toys who learn to overcome the fears we all face in the dark

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.

About this title

About the Author

Dean Koontz is the author of fifty-six New York Times bestsellers, including Odd Thomas, From the Corner of His Eye, and Watchers. His books are published in thirty-six languages and his worldwide sales top 450 million copies. With Oddkins, his first book for young readers, Koontz introduces a magical and dazzling world of toys and terror, good versus evil. Oddkins is a fable for our time, a deeply moving story for all ages.

From Publishers Weekly

Though it looks and reads like a children's book, the latest work by bestselling novelist Koontz ( Watchers , Lightning ) is being marketed for adult audiences. As such, it falls far short of even adequate: both stylistically and in terms of characterization, it lacks the complexity that would engage an adult reader's interest. The living toys Isaac Bodkins makes in his magic workshop are designed to be sent out into the world to befriend troubled or mistreated children. As the book opens, Bodkins has just died, and the toys must attempt a long trek across town to tell young Colleen Shannon that she is the new magic toymaker. Now that Bodkin's benign spirit has departed, however, the evil toys in the sub-basement are coming to life, and they are intent on destroying their benevolent counterparts and installing their own dark-souled creator to spread sorrow and fear among children. The trip across town becomes a harrowing adventure, providing enough excitement and humor to hold a child's attention but not enough to motivate an adult to appropriate the work for the family bookcase. Parks's illustrations are excellent.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Headline Book Publishing
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0747201129
• ISBN 13: 9780747201120
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 192