Fantastic read

We liked the story very much. Good old fashioned humour. Perfect for my boys Glad we read it. Will continue our quest to read all cleary's works!

I loved this book as a kid. Jonas and I just finished reading it together and he loved it to. I think Beverly Cleary is a wonderful author!!!

A good story about a troublemaker that shows its age. Students are compared to "wild Indians." Cleary uses negative Native American stereotypes in the story.

I did not realize until just now that this book is the second "Ellen & Otis" book. I had heard of the book Ellen Tebbits, but assumed it was a standalone, and so didn't think it necessary to read it before this one. Not sure if that would have changed my (lack of?) enjoyment of this book or not...
I read this book to my son as his most recent bedtime book. He really did not care for the character of Otis S. at all (he's 11). My son was angered by Otis (called him a "jerk"), but also did not approve of Ellen and Austine's actions towards the end.
Personally, I was *shocked* when he cut off Ellen's hair - shocked! I could not believe he did that! All of the other antics he pulled (the bullfight scene, feeding the mouse, etc.) were kind of par for the course for this kid, it seemed, but that was a violation of her bodily autonomy and there were no consequences (from the adults) for his actions. I still don't understand why the principal called Ellen's mom about it and not Otis'. WHY would he not tell Otis' mom what he had done?? And of course, HE wasn't about to tell her. *sigh*
We were also very confused by how old everyone was supposed to be - some of the class assignments seemed maybe upper elementary level, but then the teacher was having them sing like The Itsy Bitsy Spider or whatever - so my son thought they must be in Kindergarten. Due to the variations in difficulty of the lessons, I felt the age of the children was unclear. Perhaps this would be more obvious if we had read the first book...
Lastly, yes, there is a whole offensive section about American Indians in the book immediately prior to him cutting off a chunk of Ellen's hair. I took this as a teachable moment to talk to my son about stereotypes (e.g., not all native peoples wore feathers), and I told him how we used to do that "war whoop" thing when I was a child, but we talked about how that's not okay to do. He already pretty much knew all that, but it's good to make sure your kid knows this and to not brush it off. That part of the book is a little rough, but it was written in like the '50s or something, so it's to be expected.
All in all, an ok book - can't really understand anyone giving it more than a three, though!

Otis Spofford is the "bad boy" in the neighborhood. His mother is a single parent, the ballet teacher of the town, and is not home much. He first appeared in Ellen Tebbits, where he was fond of tormenting Ellen.

In this volume he gets his own story and is introduced like this: "There was nothing Otis Spofford liked better than stirring up a little excitement." He proceeds to stir up trouble at school and in the neighborhood but always weasels his way out. He clearly is in need of attention.

Eventually he meets his match when one of Ellen's friends gets her to stand up to him. (Otis has been chasing Ellen on the way to school and indulging in other torments.) Ellen gets him good and he pays a mighty price, but in the end the balance of power shifts only a small amount.

The book left me feeling uneasy. In one way it was true to its times, because kids mainly had to work out their troubles with each other on their own in those days. These days with the huge amount of attention on bullying, Otis looks unrealistically innocent. But Cleary does present an example of how to fight back.

Aw, I guess Otis Spofford is alright. This is another book that I have clear memories of reading when I was a kid, but I'm not sure where it fits in in today's society.

In this follow-up to Ellen Tebbits, we get to know the troublemaker in Ellen's class, Otis Spofford. Surprisingly - and this is the genius of Beverly Cleary - I actually got to feel sorry for Otis. On the one hand, he purposely went looking for trouble - though he called it "excitement". He knew he was misbehaving, and he wanted to see how far he could push Ellen and his teacher, Mrs. Gitler. And, he didn't care whose toes he stepped on in order to get what he wanted. On the other hand, we don't know where his father is, but we know he lives in a small apartment with his busy working mother who doesn't seem to have much time for him. He has his "pals" in school, but they aren't really "friends"; Otis doesn't ever consider George or Stewy's feelings when he goes about his search for excitement, and they egg him on in his bad behavior, never having to face the consequences of Otis's actions.

Most striking to me, as an adult reader, is how Otis's bad behavior in school was disciplined in school, and his mother was never informed of his antics. I wonder if that was really the case in the 1950's - that school was considered a much more separate institution from home. These days, when many schools have a climate of hyper-awareness when it comes to bullying, it seems like Otis's mother would be frequently called into school to meet with the teacher or the principal or a child psychologist.

Anyway, in the end, there's a solid lesson about standing up for yourself against bullies, but even though Otis got his "come-uppance", I'm not really sure there was any real resolution for him. I find myself wishing there was a sequel to this book, to find out how Otis might have been made to shape up for real. Maybe it would have involved some big brotherly treatment from someone like Hack Battleson, the football player Otis looked up to.

This was so fun on audio with the boys!

Read as part of my Beverly Cleary author study. Illustrations by Louis Darling. I’ve already made the disclaimer that I love Henry and his friends most, but I’m trying to be fair to Otis and his friends as well. Otis was the antagonist in Ellen Tebbits, and Ellen and her friends appear in this book as well.
tIn his own book, Otis’s misfit behavior takes center stage. As an adult and a librarian who has worked in public schools, reading about some of his antics gave me PTSD. I think we all know kids who do things just to do them, not to cause trouble and not to be mean, but they’re disruptive and exhausting all the same. But I can see how kids would love to read about how Otis gets in trouble without getting in trouble themselves. A friend and I used to play Ellen and Otis (I was Otis, what does that say about me?) so I guess I liked them just fine when I was a kid!

Listened to this with Jane and Isaac and we all enjoyed it. Just over 2 hours and it's a cute story. One of the few Beverly Cleary books that we haven't read. She sure understood how to write kids.

I remember reading this book when I was in the fourth grade. It made me laugh, and the bullfight chapter had me laughing until tears ran out of my eyes. Many years later I bought a copy of the book and read it again. Reading it with an adult perspective made it much different. The parts I remembered as being funny were still delightful, but this time it left me saddened for Otis. I saw the loneliness of Otis and the confusion he felt as he tried to make friends and fit in. I realized then how brilliant Beverly Cleary had been. She was able to write a great children’s book but transcend that with adult motifs. As an educator I have met many Otis’s over the years. They are almost always delightful kids. They just need someone to come along beside them and help channel that energy, impulsiveness, and quick wit into a positive and productive course.

Otis Spofford is definitely not one of my favorite Cleary stories. If Otis were a kid of the 21st century, he would certainly be diagnosed with ADHD, with a 504 plan and likely medication. Instead, in this mid-1900s setting, he's allowed to get away with some really poor behavior simply because he's a boy.

In addition to my dislike of the main character, I also found this book to be on the slow side, and in addition the "fiesta" and the many unflattering references to Native Americans make this book quite dated. Stick with Cleary's Ramona Quimby books, unless, I suppose, you really liked Otis in Ellen Tebbits.

OMG BEVERLY CLEARY I LOVED THIS BOOK