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    Otis Spofford
    Otis Spofford
    Otis Spofford
    Ebook120 pages1 hour

    Otis Spofford

    By Beverly Cleary and Tracy Dockray

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Newbery Medal-winning author Beverly Cleary brings her understanding and warmth to every page of this wonderful story of a "bad boy."

    When it comes to stirring up a little excitement in class, Otis Spofford knows just what to do. He can turn a folk dance fiesta into a three-ring circus . . . or an arithmetic lesson into a spitball marathon.

    Best of all, Otis likes teasing neat, well-behaved Ellen Tebbits—until the day his teasing goes too far. Now Otis is nervous, because Ellen isn't just mad . . . she's planning something!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 6, 2009
    ISBN9780061972294
    Author

    Beverly Cleary

    Beverly Cleary is one of America's most beloved authors. As a child, she struggled with reading and writing. But by third grade, after spending much time in her public library in Portland, Oregon, she found her skills had greatly improved. Before long, her school librarian was saying that she should write children's books when she grew up. Instead she became a librarian. When a young boy asked her, "Where are the books about kids like us?" she remembered her teacher's encouragement and was inspired to write the books she'd longed to read but couldn't find when she was younger. She based her funny stories on her own neighborhood experiences and the sort of children she knew. And so, the Klickitat Street gang was born! Mrs. Cleary's books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the American Library Association's Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, presented to her in recognition of her lasting contribution to children's literature. Dear Mr. Henshaw won the Newbery Medal, and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and Ramona and Her Father have been named Newbery Honor Books. Her characters, including Beezus and Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ralph, the motorcycle-riding mouse, have delighted children for generations.

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    Reviews for Otis Spofford

    3.5/5

    98 ratings7 reviews

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    • 5/5
      The genre of this book is realistic fiction. A boy named Otis Spofford is the protagonist of this story, and he is nothing short of mischief and devilry. He is always yearning for excitement, whether it's making mischief in school, or teasing Ellen Tebbits, a neighbor girl. Otis never feels sorry for the trouble he causes, until one of his tricks goes too far, and he has to truly apologize to Ellen.
    • 3/5
      Otis Spofford likes to stir up things at school, on the playground, just about everywhere. And his favorite person to tease is his classmate, Ellen Tebbits!Beverly Cleary takes us back, again, to life as an eight year old. Another fun read from the author of the "Ramona" books.
    • 4/5
      I think Otis is so mischievious that some of the kids in today's society really relateto, especially when Otis talks about how boring school is because a lot of students feel that way and are not interested in school. I was shocked and couldn't believe the stuff he pulled on his teacher, I would have been extremely frustrated!! My favorite part int he book was the hair cutting incident. I couldn't believe he actually cut a girl's hair. Wow, what some student's will do for attention!
    • 5/5
      Summary: Otis Spofford is a mischievous little boy who is constantly causing problems in his class, especially to little Ellen. This story tells of the many misbehaviors Otis partakes in. His reputation one day gets him in trouble when his classmate Ellen gets him back for cutting her hair. Her revenge makes him realize that he probably goes a little too far with his teasing. Critique: The characters in this book are given great descriptions and it is easy to picture how the character might look and act. For instance, Otis is portrayed as a naughty little boy who even looks like he is constantly searching for trouble. All the main characters in this book have unique personalities that are very vivid throughout this story. Teacher Use: A teacher could use this book as a read aloud for their class. It would easily grab the attention of a 3rd grade class through the stories told by Otis. This book would also be good for troublemaker children to hear during a read aloud. It might have some kind of an influence that could show the results of being mischievous during class. No Media
    • 5/5
      The delightful tale of a rowdy, imaginative little boy who loves to stir up trouble... and how he gets his comeuppance. I simply adore the characters Beverly Cleary creates. They are a little bit of sugar, a little bit of spice, just a touch of vinegar, and positively bursting with personality. This was so much fun to read aloud to my own little boy, who I have a feeling is going to be in future an Otis Spofford/Henry Huggins hybrid. I'm okay with this, though, since I tended to take a page or two out of Ramona Quimby's book and I'm pretty sure it didn't cause any long-term damage :) I always said I would rather have an extremely creative (albeit somewhat naughty) child than a boring one, and it appears, especially with the help of Beverly Cleary, I will be getting my wish. I look forward to sharing the adventures of Henry, Beezus, Ramona, Emily and Ralph S. Mouse with my son... just to make sure he's as resourceful and full of personality as possible.
    • 4/5
      10. [Otis Spofford] by Beverly ClearyFirst, it made me so happy to learn that Beverly Cleary is still alive. So many of her books have been a treasure to read to my kids. Otis Spofford is no different. Otis Spofford isn't quite up there with the Ramona or Henry and Ribsy books on my children's list, but it's still so much better than 90% of the books coming out today for pre-teens. That said, this was written in a different time so there are a couple of spots that don't ring right in today's culture - use of the word "indian" and Otis pretending he's going to scalp someone is one example that jumps out. Still, even that can be a learning opportunity, a chance to explain to kids that people used to accept things years ago which aren't acceptable today and how we take steps forward.
    • 2/5
      Six short stories about Otis Spofford. Although Otis is not hateful and cruel, he is sufficiently mean in some of his pranks to make him an unlikable protagonist. In the stories where his is more mischievous, they're all right. But the couple where he is truly mean spoiled the book a bit for me.

    Book preview

    Otis Spofford - Beverly Cleary

    1

    Otis Gets His Man

    There was nothing Otis Spofford liked better than stirring up a little excitement. Otis was a medium-sized boy with reddish-brown hair, freckles, and ears that stuck out. He often wore a leather jacket with a rabbit’s foot tied to the zipper, and he always laced his shoes with the kind of laces that glow in the dark—pink for the right shoe and green for the left.

    Otis found it hard to stir up any excitement around home. He was sure it would be easier if he lived in a house with a yard to play in, like the other boys and girls in Room Eleven at Rosemont School. Instead, he lived with his mother, Valerie Todd Spofford, in an apartment. Mrs. Spofford was away from home most of the time teaching ballet and tap-dancing lessons at the Spofford School of the Dance over the Payless Drugstore.

    Otis wished his mother had more time to spend at home, so that Mrs. Brewster, the manager of the apartment house, would not have to keep her eye on him. Mrs. Spofford was never very cross with Otis for wanting to stir up a little excitement, but Mrs. Brewster made it plain that she did not like dirt, dogs, or noise, and that she stood for no nonsense from boys.

    School, however, was different. Except for learning things, Otis liked school. He could find so many ways to stir up excitement.

    Once a week Otis’s teacher, Mrs. Gitler, took her class to the auditorium for folk dancing. Otis was the only member of the class who did not like this period.

    I’d rather play dodgeball any day, he always thought as they marched down the hall. I see enough dancing at the Spofford School of the Dance.

    The class had learned several dances, like Stupid One Hopping on One Foot and I Lost My Way in the Gooseberry Bushes, but for the past few weeks they had been practicing a Mexican folk dance for the fiesta Rosemont School was planning for a Parent Teacher Association meeting. Each class in the school was to give a Mexican dance. Afterward, the mothers in the P.T.A. would sell cookies and punch to raise money for visual aids for the school.

    Otis was not the least bit excited about the fiesta. He was sure the P.T.A. would rather see a good ball game.

    There were three more boys than girls in the class. This meant that two boys had to dance together, one of them, against his wishes, taking the part of a girl. The third boy danced alone. Otis was usually the third boy. No one wanted him for a partner, because he liked to hop on his right foot when he was supposed to hop on his left. This was hard on his partner’s toes. He didn’t care if no one wanted to dance with him, and today as he went through the steps alone, he amused himself by dancing stiff-legged.

    Mrs. Gitler stopped the phonograph. Otis, be a gentleman, she said.

    "Mrs. Gitler, I don’t see why I have to be in the old fiesta, complained Otis. There are too many boys in the class anyway."

    Me, too, said Stewy Hicks promptly.

    Leave it to old Stewy, thought Otis. That was the trouble with Stewy. He liked to get in on whatever excitement Otis was stirring up.

    To Otis’s surprise, Mrs. Gitler smiled and said, I have a different plan for the three extra boys.

    Now what? wondered Otis, thinking he might get into something worse than folk dancing.

    We are going to have a bullfight in the center of the circle of dancers. One boy will be a toreador and the other two will wear a bull costume. Mrs. Gitler paused while the class laughed at the thought of two boys dressed up like a bull. At the end of the dance, when the toreador wins and the bull falls down, the girls will all take flowers out of their hair and toss them at the toreador.

    Otis was pleased with this idea. He could see himself dressed up like a bullfighter, waving his red cape in front of the bull and stepping nimbly aside when the bull charged at him. He would bow to the crowd while the girls showered him with flowers and the audience cheered. Maybe he was going to like the fiesta after all.

    Mrs. Gitler spoiled his daydream by saying, Otis, since you do not care about folk dancing, you may be half the bull.

    The class laughed. The front half or the back half? Otis wanted to know.

    The front half, answered Mrs. Gitler. Stewart, you may be the other half. George, you may be the toreador.

    Otis could see that George felt pretty good about being the toreador. Oh, well, thought Otis, being the front half of the bull was not so bad. It was better than folk dancing, and he and Stewy ought to have fun.

    Then Mrs. Gitler had the three boys practice bullfighting. Stewy put his hands on Otis’s hips and the two boys charged at George, who twirled an imaginary cape in front of them. When George pretended to stab the bull with a sword, Otis and Stewy fell to the floor.

    All right, Otis, said Mrs. Gitler. I don’t think it is necessary for the bull to die with his front feet in the air. Falling to the floor is enough.

    Otis lay on the floor and watched George bow, as the girls pretended to throw flowers at him. He thought George looked very pleased with himself.

    When the bell rang for recess, Otis followed George around, singing:

    "Toreador-a,

    Don’t spit on the floor-a.

    Use the cuspidor-a,

    That’s what it’s for-a."

    Of course Stewy joined in. Otis was a little disappointed when George only grinned and said, Aw, keep quiet.

    When the afternoon of the fiesta finally arrived, all Rosemont School bustled with excitement. The teachers wore white blouses, long full skirts, and flowers in their hair. Even Mr. Howe, the principal, wore a Mexican hat and a red sash. While the ladies of the P.T.A. worked to get the cookie and punch booths ready on the playground, the teachers worked to get the children ready inside the classrooms.

    Mrs. Gitler’s face was flushed. She was hurriedly fastening paper stripes down the legs of the boys’ jeans with Scotch tape. Otis and Stewy already wore the leg parts of their costume, which looked like pajama pants made out of gunny sacks. They were practicing walking like a bull. Otis had worked out a few variations, like skipping backward. He could hardly wait to get the top part of the costume.

    The girls, who were wearing white blouses and full skirts with crepe-paper ruffles basted around the hems, were busy pinning flowers in their hair.

    Now, Otis, I want you to behave yourself, said Mrs. Gitler, as she started to tie crepe-paper sashes around the boys’ waists.

    Otis, who had not done a thing yet, felt a little guilty. How did Mrs. Gitler know that he was looking around for a little excitement to stir up?

    Otis watched Ellen Tebbits tug at a lock of her hair, and he heard her say to Austine Allen, I wish my hair would hurry up and grow long enough for pigtails. Then she tipped her head back and shook her hair so it brushed against the back of her neck. It feels longer when I do this, she explained.

    Otis enjoyed teasing Ellen more than anybody. He did not know what it was about her that made him feel that way. Maybe it was because she was so neat and clean and well behaved. Or maybe it was because he

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