Miss Osborne-the-Mop

by Wilson Gage, Mary Q. Steele, Paul Galdone (Illustrator)

Jody and Dill took a dim view of having to spend a whole summer vacation with each other—until the day they stumbled onto Jody's unexpected magical powers. Who wouldn't admire a girl who could turn you into a squirrel just by saying: "Oh, shut up and be a squirrel will you?"
Jody rushed headlong into the excitement of witchery. A magazine made a luscious orange-frosted cake; a stick, a shiny red motorcycle.
But magic cannot always be controlled. When Jody brings a dust mop to life, it refuses to go back to the closet. Jody and Dill are faced with the problem of how to keep a mop busy, happy and out of sight of any adults!

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Middle Grade, Juvenile, Magic

161 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Wilson Gage is the pen name of Mary Q. Steele, the newest writer in a family of gifted and successful writers: her husband, William, her sister, and her mother, Christine Govan, are the authors of many popular books for children and young people.

Reviews

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Jody and Dill took a dim view of having to spend a whole summer vacation with each other-until the day they stumbled onto Jody's unexpected magical powers...When Jody brings a dust mop to life, it refuses to go back to the closet...Wacky and wonderful magic. "

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this from my brother when I was in fifth grade. I am now 26 and this still remains one of my favorite and most treasured books. It is a magical book and it will remain a favorite even when I am 80.

[Rachel Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was browsing through old books in a used bookstore, and I had a flashback when my eyes fell on this book. I remember that I read it, but couldn’t recall any details. So I bought it and reread it. It is a very cute story that I thoroughly enjoyed. There is a part of it that fits my current personality that I’m sure I thought nothing about fifty years ago. Haha!! Very happy to have rediscovered this book, and I’m curious to see if any of my grandkids will enjoy it.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another book that I remember my fourth grade teacher, Miss Boggan, reading aloud to our class after lunch. As I recall, it was a magical book, and the fact that I still remember it after soooooooo many years either attests to its being a great work of literature or that Miss Boggan did a wonderful job bringing the story to life (probably the latter).

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my absolute favorite book as a child. I have always wanted to own a copy, but couldn’t remember the name of the book. A few weeks ago on a family trip, I was telling my daughter and my son’s girlfriend about this book and how much I loved it, but didn’t know the name. They spent a couple hours of our car trip googling information about the book trying to find it. Finally, my son’s girlfriend found it! Then my daughter went on an online search and was able to purchase a copy for me. I was so excited to receive it! I just read it again for the first time in about 50 years, and I loved it just as much as I did as a child!! It was funny, fast paced, and a believable fantasy that warmed my heart and rekindled a little childhood joy and delight in reading.

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh!! I wanted to love this book, because HELLO, a dust mop gets turned into a person/mop hi-breed?? Yes please! But Miss Osborne the Mop did not live up to its crazy fever dream promise. Instead Jody, the eleven year old protagonist is introduced thus: “One sandwich is enough for me, she said drearily. Jody was inclined to be plump and was always making desperate resolves not to eat more than the barest minimum.” Umm, ok, that just annoys me, and it’s on page two.
I press on and when we FINALY get to the mop person all she wants to do is...wait for it...CLEAN.
A absolute reversal of the adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” because the cover is the BEST

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my students gave this to me as an "End of Year" present. Cute, huh? It was a fluffy harmless tale. Nothing amazing, nothing awful. So there it is.

[Kellie Cox Basden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a number of times as a child. When I found it upstairs on the shelf, I decided to reread it since it is nearing the end of summer and I loved remembering the times my mammaw would take me to the library. Googled and found out that Wilson Gage was a pen name and I had probably read other books by this author.

Growing up in the 60’s was a tumultuous time, similar to now. Our escape into books and the world of fiction was much more innocent than the escapes of today’s children. Miss Osborne the mop was created in the mind of 11 year old Jody Ransom to pass away her otherwise boring summer. By creating the mop that she grew to like, she found she liked herself and her cousin, Dill. It was a summer of coming to be someone else in her mind and body.

Loved it almost as much as 50 years ago.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another oldie I found on the Internet Archive. Another oldie I wasn't sure I hadn't imagined; I had picked it up in my fifth grade classroom back when it first came out, on a day that was too stormy to go outside to recess. I only remembered Miss Osborne herself, and a later scene, not how the Mop became a Miss. It's a light, fast, unbelievable little story spoiled by a soppy ending. Yes, I know it's a "magical fantasy" but the whole premise came to pretty much nothing after 160 pages.
Warning: the Internet Archive's scan of this book is missing pages 108-109 and two later pages are repeated.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jody turns a dust mop into an animated creature that reminds her of her teacher, Miss Osborne.

This was a delightful book! I've had this since I was a kid but never got around to reading it. It's a sweet tale of two kids, at their summer homes, who discover Jody can work magic. Obvious requests happen first - a chocolate cake! a motorbike! - then they spend the rest of the time learning to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors due to a magically animated mop.

[Patricia Rivero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical and I have remembered parts of this book for 50 years. Just now discovered the title.

I need to re-read it, but it seems to me that the girl in the story lost weight over the summer walking to the cabin where she found the mop (I remembered a broom, no wonder i couldn't find this book for ten years!). The girl lost weight and gained confidence. I was a sturdy girl myself and always hoped there would be a summer of magic where I'd lose weight...

[Toni Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was wonderful. It is about a girl spending the summer with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. She and her cousin cast an enchantment over a mop in order for it to clean their room, but the mop takes on the personality of the the girl's school teacher. She becomes hard to control, and they have a hard time concealing her from the adults. Great book!!

[Deanne Ruedemann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very creative and captures the imagination for children and all ages. I took my time reading it, like a bedtime storybook. My sister sent me a copy because she remembered it being in our elementary school library when we lived in Tigerville, South Carolina.

[Reader66 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read of a childhood favorite. The rating is for sheer nostalgia. This would probably get 4 stars if I read it today.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

C. fiction, children's fiction, grade 3, humor, from stash, keep

[Mellanie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was a kid.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the only non-abusive memories I have of my dad. If that doesn't convince you, nothing will

[Christopher Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that started my love of reading. When I was a little girl, I would read this book over and over again so I am so glad I found this book to re-read.

[Tammie Groeneman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book when I was growing up and I still had it so I read it to my granddaughters and we all enjoyed it!!

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Osborn the Mop is an older novel for children, first published in 1970. It is in the vein of E. Nesbit and Edward Eager, wherein ordinary children discover magic powers and use them to have wacky misadventures in and around the home. This outing involves Dill, who is kind of obnoxious, and his cousin Jody, who is kind of sullen. In this case, the magic happens to turn a kitchen mop into a living being, one that doesn’t know she is a mop, and the kids’ desperate attempts to keep her hidden and safe.

Both children are slightly annoying at first, but they aren’t too obnoxious to like. I appreciate that! The children also eventually figure out where the magic is coming from, and I liked that detail too. The titular character of Miss Osborn the Mop is amusingly prim.

It’s lighthearted and just a bit silly and just a bit thoughtful and the children learn to be better people in the end.

[Twyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

See I knew there was something redeemable in vintage children's literature. This was pretty good. Magic glasses not really used to their best potential by a timid girl and friend/cousin during a summer of disappointments that turned into something allright. I need to read more kids books and see what I missed out on. SO pretty much the same reason I read trashy romance novels too.
Auryn's Review
My favorite part was when Jody and dill started to get along with the Mop. My least favorite part was when Mr. Poteet got mad that they cleaned his house.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

My darling husband gave me this book for Christmas as I had often claimed it to be one of my childhood favorites. Okay, that was quite a long, long time ago and my memory isn't what it used to be. In fact, I can't believe I actually loved this at some point in my life. Meant for kids with good imaginations.

[Tammy O · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first chapter book and I absolutely loved it! Each page held new fun and adventures. I was thrilled to find a copy in a thrift store several years ago. I haven't read it as an adult--I don't want to spoil the good memories of such a great childhood book.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the summer going to the library to take out books was a highlight in my small town. I read this book when I was in maybe 2nd grade, circa 1967. I remember absolutely loving it. A fun and magical book. I am going to find a copy and buy it for my hoped for grandchildren.

[Cherlynn Womack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was in the 4th grade!

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always knew there was something odd about glasses...

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved loved loved this!

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A favorite when I was a child. Re-reading it now as an adult, I'm happy to say it still holds its own.