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Summary
Summary
When Nate woke up in the morning, The Opposite was standing on his ceiling staring down at him. From that moment on, Nate?s day turned upside down in the most extraordinary way.
When Nate poured milk on his cereal?something he is usually good at?The Opposite happened. Milk splashed everywhere and made a big mess. When he started to draw a very good picture of an elephant at school, The Opposite happened. Paint went everywhere, except on his paper. But when Nate comes up with a brilliant plan to beat The Opposite at its own game, things start looking up again.
Tom MacRae?s funny story about how a resourceful young protagonist cleverly triumphs over a nefarious nemesis will appeal to young readers. Illustrator Elena Odriozola?s distinctive line drawings capture the humor and simplicity of the story.
Author Notes
Tom MacRae is a writer for television, and the author of The Opposite. He lives in England.
Elena Odriozola is a highly acclaimed illustrator who has published over fifty books, including The Story Blanket, The Opposite, and Vegetable Glue, which was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Award. She lives in Spain.
Reviews (2)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-One morning, Nate wakes up to find an Opposite-a mischievous-looking, pointy-nosed individual with a transparent body-in his bedroom. Thanks to his unwanted visitor, whenever Nate tries to do things correctly, the opposite happens. For example, milk ends up on the ceiling instead of on his cereal. No one else can see the Opposite, and every time Nate points it out, it isn't there anymore. The boy finally figures out a solution to his problem, turning his phrases around to express the converse of his true intent. When he declares, "I mean-there isn't an Opposite standing right in front of me," the creature is finally exposed. Interesting patterns and colors surround the bright white faces and rosy cheeks of the characters in the stylized illustrations. The figures are starker and more sharply angled than those featured in John Burningham's work, but they possess the same air of tongue-in-cheek humor and sophistication. Though not a first purchase, this book would make an interesting choice for storytime or a discussion of opposites.-Genevieve Gallagher, Murray Elementary School, Charlottesville, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In MacRae's diverting debut, creepily illustrated by Odriozola (Vegetable Glue), an eerie, pale-faced "Opposite" haunts a boy and reverses all his attempts at neatness. Nate first encounters The Opposite when it pops into his room, attired from head to toe in footie pajamas that match the wallpaper. " `Dad!' cried Nate. `There's an Opposite on the ceiling!'... But then The Opposite happened, and it wasn't there anymore." The transparent Opposite reappears in the hall, its jumpsuit blending with the green walls. It lurks on the kitchen counter when Nate carefully tries to pour milk and overfills his cereal bowl. It sneaks under a desk when Nate aims his paintbrush at some paper and splashes his teacher with watercolor. Nate's protests ("It wasn't me!... It was The Opposite") fall on deaf ears, so he gives the trickster a taste of its own medicine ("there isn't an Opposite standing right in front of me... I do hope it will stay around forever"). Odriozola draws pliable, rosy-cheeked characters whose long noses, dot-eyes and fishlike, shoulderless torsos suggest Edward Gorey's signature style. Her watercolor palette is sunny, but the mood is spooky, especially when Nate summons and banishes The Opposite. MacRae never ventures that Nate might be crying wolf. Instead, he shows Nate cleverly dealing with opposition and growing less clumsy as a result. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved