Odie - Mary Tsoga

I enter the room, pull myself straight into my corner, fold myself in half, and immediately slide under the desk. What
Should we have a first class?
– Odysseus? The same thing again? Please come out!
I close my eyes. My balaclava will save me. I cover every last crack. I disappear. I'm not going anywhere. I will
I'm staying here.
– Odysseus! I have spoken! Get off the desk, I said. It is night. The same absolute night of my life. I am sinking into it again and I like it. Here, in my darkness, I do not see, I do not feel, I do not remember.
– Odysseus! Get out now because I'm going to notify the director! With all my might I manage not to hit as I retreat
towards my chair. I collapse on it. There you go! Can I have my peace now?
– So well done. And now to our lesson. From the desk he gives me another look. He smiles. Because he beat me? I take a sheet of paper and start drawing!

Imagine being 13 years old, not fitting in anywhere, and resorting to a life of invisibility with a hood and balaclava.
Imagine having classmates who push you further and further to the sidelines and having nowhere to lean on.
Think of a teacher who wants to squeeze you into boxes and, while trying to change you, changes herself when she listens to the sound of your silence.

Imagine suddenly and unexpectedly finding yourself working abroad with your father, who has been absent for years!

Is there any hope for a better life for Odi?
And how does one find one's true identity and place in the world?

Author: Mary Tsoga
Illustrator: Maria Bacha
Pages: 210
Book dimensions: 14 x 21 cm.
ISBN: 9789604712793
Ages: 11 years+