Otis Spofford (1953)

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. ( )

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! ( )

I enjoyed these books when I was in elementary school. Even though I was an older sibling, I think I related more to Ramona, as she was spunky, like I was. ( )

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.
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