The Owlympic Games: A Branches Book

Owl Diaries #20

by Rebecca Elliott

In the next installment of this New York Times bestselling early chapter book series, Eva competes in the Owlympic Games!



Pick a book. Grow a Reader!

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!





The Owlympic Games are about to begin at Treetop Elementary School! It's going to be a flaptastic week full of games, races, and owlmazing obstacle courses. Eva wants to be excited like all her other classmates--who wouldn't want to compete for a gold medal, after all? But as the Games begin, and the pressure to win starts to build, Eva is afraid of letting her team down. Will she be able to overcome her fears to compete for first place?





With speech bubbles, easy-to-read text, and adorable characters, this New York Times bestselling series is perfect for newly independent readers!

Genres: Chapter Books, Childrens, Animals, Fantasy

80 pages, Hardcover

Published September 17, 2024

About the author

Rebecca Elliott is the author and illustrator of the best-selling Owl Diaries series (Scholastic US) & over 20 picture books including Just Because, Sometimes, Naked Trevor and Zoo Girl, for which she was nominated for the 2012 Kate Greenaway Medal.
Her new series The Unicorn Diaries (Scholastic US) & her first YA novel 'Pretty Funny ' (Penguin Random House) are out now.

Reviews

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this to my three youngest sons.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s that time of year again for the Owlympic games at her school, but Eve the Owlet is afraid of messing up or failing. Trying to help her prepare, her brother trains with her using a strict regimen designed specifically to help her for the games. But Eva isn’t the greatest at physical activities and doesn’t want to let her team down, especially with her best friend Lucy on her team. Can she pull it together and help lead her team to a win or mess up?

THE OWLYMPIC GAMES is all about being a good sport and leaning on your friends and family when you need it. The illustrations are vibrant with simple details. The diary/notebook layout with prominent speech bubbles makes it more engaging for children and easy for them to follow. I love the dynamic between Eva and her brother and how he has her back, even in the games. I also like how Lucy is there for her and isn’t bothered by Eva’s lack of physical capabilities. Instead, they both support her and I love how Eva is kind enough to help when others are in need too.


Final Verdict: I would recommend this to early readers aged six and older who enjoy owls, graphic novels and stories about friendship and competitions. Eva’s strength and courage may even help other children overcome their fear of competitions at their schools.

[Ashley Urquhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is a fun way to introduce a diary to kids (or epistolary type novels). It was hard to tell the owls apart at times, but I probably could have paid more attention to as well. I liked that the book focused on being a good sport and trying your best.

Note: I received a finished copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun installment to this series. I kind of like how the author has been including relevant stories based on what's happening in real life, but she doesn't put her own opinions on events in there. It's very refreshing!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard making decisions under pressure, and easy to get in your own head. But Eva learns what's best about being on a team.

[Awjtf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book in this series

[Olivia Garrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

👍

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love the owl diaries books!

[Autumn Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read only took 16 minutes! But, it was awesome book.

[Kay Stunts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and enjoyable read!

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A timely release after the 2024 Summer Olympics, Eva, her brother (we see him a bit more in this one), and friends compete in their own Owlympics. The overall message was of good sportsmanship and the fun of the game, but I mostly enjoyed the brother-sister dynamic.