Theodora is irresistibly quirky. Her beige bunny slippers, laid out next to her bed, align with her webbed feet just so, when she wakes in the morning. She buys mango salsa for her Duck Food at the grocer's, and checks out dusty volumes from the library. Castellucci (The Year of the Beasts) and Varon (Robot Dreams) convey how much Theodora enjoys her life of solitude and order.
When a neighbor moves in next door, however, he ruffles her orderly life. Theodora bakes him a cake (that could have come right out of Varon's Bake Sale) and heads over to introduce herself. At first, she's put off by the artwork that litters his lawn, his dyed feathers and dirty dishes: "She and Chad would not be friends." But then Chad shows Theodora his telescope and the world it unveils, and they discover their shared love of the stars: "Even though they were very different, they felt the same way about most things."
Trouble hits paradise when they overhear three townsfolk whisper, "Odd duck"; Chad and Theodora each assume they're talking about the other and wind up arguing. They give each other the silent treatment until the standoff becomes too much, and they meet halfway between their yards. This is a gentle tale about learning that what other people think of you is their business, and that true friendship cannot be hijacked by the opinions of outsiders. Sometimes the little eccentricities are what attract us most about the people we love. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness