It's no secret we're fans of James Kennedy fantastic young adult novel The Order of Odd Fish. As we said last year, the novel is "a rollicking tale in the fashion of Roald Dahl and Douglas Adams," using a surreal sense of humor that appeals to adults as well as younger readers. But we're also fans of the way Kennedy has engaged with his fans. Rather than politely accepting fan letters and moving on, Kennedy has used his blog as a means to not only communicate with fans of the book, but to share their love of the book as well, including fan art. In a time when it's so easy to be cynical about things, Kennedy's attitude and enthusiasm has been refreshing. Check out this great interview he did with WBEZ's . more ›

Forget those Twilight vampires. The real joy of Young Adult novels can be found in local writer James Kennedy's delightfully surreal The Order of Odd Fish. And now Kennedy is asking for readers' help in further celebrating the uniqueness of this fantastic book. more ›

Local writer James Kennedy has created a fantastical universe in his Young Adult novel, The Order of Odd-Fish. Thirteen-year-old Jo Larouche has been living a rather mundane life with her unique Aunt Lily. But that all changes in a flash upon the appearance of a talking cockroach, a Russian Colonel who converses with his digestion, and a box that falls out of the sky addressed to Jo from a group known as The Order of Odd-Fish. more ›