Ophie Out of Oz

by Kathleen O'Dell

Fourth-grader Ophelia Peeler has always felt that she was just like Dorothy in Oz, skipping down the yellow brick road, until a move to Oregon, away from her best friend, sends her on a different path. Reprint.

Genres: Middle Grade, Friendship, Childrens, Juvenile

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read a realistic fiction children's book for school and chose this because I love all things Oz! A very cute story of having to move as a kid, fit in and find new friends while missing your old ones. A little bit of an elementary Mean Girls vibe with the TV Girls, and knowing who your real friends are.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure I would have liked this book more had the main character been less...self-centered? ...unthinking?...annoying? Her name could have been MeMe since she didn't seem to think through how what she did or said made others feel. Just my personal quibble. Young readers probably like her.

[Jen Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with my 10 year old daughter. It’s a cute book about friendship, fitting in and being yourself.

[Penny McGill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ophie is a book for school-aged kids but could be read to younger kids with a little bit of conversation between adult and child. Poor Ophie is moving around the U.S. so often that she has developed a strategy for how to pack and unpack and by the time we meet her in this book she has a 'plan' for going to a new school and meeting new friends. That is a kid who is really comfortable in her own skin but things are a bit rocky as a result of her most recent move. The possible pool of friends is slim and she has to adjust her own expectations to make things work. Being a fly on the wall while she works through it is a wonderful chance to see inside the grade-school brain. Kathleen O'Dell has done a marvelous job.

The strength of Ophie's personality reminded me a tiny bit of Ramona but Ramona (despite the troubles she had when her father lost his job or her mother went back to work) had nothing on poor, sweet Ophie. It's a bit of a bittersweet book to read as she starts off at her new school because she has so much enthusiasm and a willingness to make new friends and you really want things to turn out better for her. It wouldn't have been such a powerful book though, and only about 2 chapters long, if she had just popped in to the new school and seamlessly joined in. It's a great book and the references to the rubie slippers of the Wizard of Oz are a great bonus. There is a happy ending but it takes quite a while to arrive there. It's worth it!

[Tracie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book turned sour for me in the first few chapters. One of the major characters is a former homeschooler who is portrayed as socially backward. It just seems that so many books with homeschoolers choose that angle and play it up -it is tiresome and certainly not the norm. It makes me feel an author is lazy or hasn't done their research.
On to the book: Ophie has moved many times in her life, but now her parents promise her this is it for the long haul. She has so many hopes for this new home including maybe a BFF like Lizzie from her previous school. Instead, after a serious social faux pas toward the "in" girls at her new school, Ophie seems stuck with awkward, just doesn't get it, Brittney Borg and her sister Tana (the aforementioned homeschoolers). As hard as she tries, Ophie seems to make mistake after mistake with the popular girls and when they do finally accept her, she realizes they really aren't friendly at all.
As an adult, the stock characters in this book were way too evident, but I think kids probably wouldn't think about it at that level. We listened on tape and this led to many discussions about friendship and what it means to be a friend/how you treat friends, etc.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose Ophie out of Oz by Kathleen O'Dell from the library for two reasons: the title and the cover. With that in mind, I went into reading it half expecting not to like it.

Oz is this case is California and Ophie sees herself as a Dorothy and loves to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Oregon, though, is no where as magical as California and Ophie will have to adapt or be miserable. Ophie out of Oz is a coming of age story written in a style similar to the Junie B. Jones books but for an older audience.

Ophie though takes most of the book to become a likeable character. She suffers from the same anger management issues as Andy in the Sea Shack or Venola in Catty-Cornered and any number of other 'tween protagonists but Ophie's growth as a character is nearly glacial; coming in at just slightly faster than Harry Potter in the 5th book.

Despite Ophie's problems as a lead character, I did still enjoy the book because of the supporting cast of characters. Brittany Borg who is set up as the school bully ends up being the most interesting and sympathetic character in the book. She and her sister made the book worth reading.

[Claire Hammack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked the audiobook up as something light to listen to while I fell asleep. I found myself up almost the whole night while listening to it.
It takes a little bit to get into the story, but after that period, it's a really cute story with a great message.
I'm not usually the type to read "the moral of the story is..." books, but I really liked this one. Ophie just moved to Oregon from California. California was the magical Oz. And to Ophie, Oregon is just... Blah. She has the make the adjustments from moving to a whole different state and a new school.
Ultimately, this book talks about how important friendship is and who your true friends are. It was presented in such a way where it didn't feel like I was getting smacked in the face with a life lesson. I enjoyed listening to it, and was definitely a good read.

[Natalie Baghdadlian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Ophie. Living in California, she is the most popular girl in the class who always gets what she wants being an only child. She soon finds out that her and her family are going to be moving to Oregon due to her father's job. She leaves behind the sunny weather, her best friend, and everything else she loved. She now has to put up with dreary weather and being able to fit in with the "new" crowd. She definitely misses everything that used to be. I recommend this book to people who have had a similar experience as Ophie did. If you can relate to a book like this, then I think you would like it.

[CoCoBug · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure you can tell why I picked this book up off the shelf - it just caught my eye one day at work and I grabbed it. It's a cute story about a girl that is constantly moving because of her father's job, and she always has to make new friends. She loves The Wizard of Oz and likes to fancy herself after Dorothy. This is her journey on what it is like to be the new kid where no one really likes you except the "uncool" kids, her foray into the clique and her journey back to her friends. Typical and predictable, but a nice story.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

My two-year old randomly pulled this book off of a library shelf and told me she picked it for me to read. Why not? I thought. And although I'm older than the intended audience, I enjoyed reading this book! I could relate to Ophie because we are also in the process of moving, and I'm about to be the new girl, well, mom, in the neighborhood. This book made me think about the balance between remaining true to who you are and being willing to be open-minded in your choice of friends.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up to see how the cute concept played out in a middle-grade novel. The story is fairly typical but the adorable obsession Ophie has with Dorothy of Oz adds a beautiful intertextual dimension. The characters are all delightfully over the top and the message is reasonable but not too preachy. The adults in the world seem mostly clueless but occasionally transcend the roles: a principal with particular insight stands out as a memorable touch.

[Salsabrarian]

Ophelia Peeler's family moves to Oregon where Ophie starts a new school sans her best friend. At her new school, Ophie locks on Merry and Rachel, the school's popular girls and featured stars of Merry's dad's auto dealership ads. She's as intent on being their friend as Brittany and Tana want to be Ophie's friends. Ophie's earnest but bumbling attempts to win Merry's attention finally get her into the inner circle but it proves less satisfying than the times she spent with Brittany and Tana.

[Cindy'qee :D · Rating 3 out of 5]

summary:
Ophie moved to Oregan and was going to start out school and living there fresh. her and toto,her dog, loved to move to new places and met new people that she can start being her friend. then when she starts going to school and she mets a new girl to. they start talking and got to know each other. they had a lot in commin and started being friends.

[Debrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth-grader Ophelia Peeler, singer and dancer, tries to make the best of her family’s move to Oregon. She’s left her best friend behind in California and wants badly to get in with the popular (and unfortunately snotty) drama girls, but discovers that the quirkily stolid and maddeningly literal Brittany makes a pretty good friend. Good characters.

[Ransom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ophie (short for Ophelia) has another new school, which she meets with a smile until her first day goes horribly. She makes a friend or two but thinks she wants to be in with the popular girls. Her quest to be with them teaches her about getting what she wants and being appreciative of what she has.

[Dana Grimes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't a huge fan of Ophie although she does redeem herself a lot at the end. The problem for me is that for most of this book she spends her time being kind of mean to the two girls who want to be her friends and idolizing the girls that are mean to her. She eventually learns a lesson about friendship but by then I just didn't like her character enough to care.

[Eleeza Morrison]

Ophie out of Oz is an amazing book. I'm nine and I loved this book. We read it in school as an assigned reading book! It sounded horrible and I wanted to get rid of it! Only till I figured out that this was the best book on earth! recommend this book for people who like adventure and The Wizard of Oz!

[Alvina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading this book. It tells a story about a 12 years old girl who moved into a new school. She tried to overcome 2 mean girls and befriends a big, carefree girl who is totally different from her.

[CLM · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sort of Ramona Quimby wannabe.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, but nothing special.

[Karley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and short book. good way to get AR points!!!!!!!

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this book 3 times thats how much i liked it it was fanastic<3

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I expected at all. This was on my tbr and I am not sure why I put it there. Cute story but elementary level.

[Madi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super cute. I reccomend it to anyone,

[Amrin · Rating 1 out of 5]

i did not like this book.

[Ki-aura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, I got an advanced copy years ago and ive been trying to find this book ever since.

[Chelsea Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sweet story about a girl who has just moved to a new town. It has some great themes that children could learn a lot from. It goes with The Wizard of Oz a little bit, which is fun!

[Areeba · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was okay.Not the best.

[Nana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is your typical Dorothy