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Otis Dooda
Strange but True
HARDY-HAR-HAR!
Meet Otis Dooda. Yes, that's his name. Go on and have a good laugh. He's heard it all before. He's been called things like Otis Poopy Stink and Otis Toilet Twinkie. That's right, yuck it up and get it out of your system. We'll wait.
All right then. This is the story of Otis and the Dooda family (including their rat named Smoochie) moving to New York City, and the incredibly strange, but true, things that happened to them. It all started with Otis getting cursed by a guy in a potted plant in their apartment building lobby, and then meeting a bunch of their neighbors, including a farting pony named Peaches who was disguised as a dog. And that was just the first day.
Meet Otis Dooda. Yes, that's his name. Go on and have a good laugh. He's heard it all before. He's been called things like Otis Poopy Stink and Otis Toilet Twinkie. That's right, yuck it up and get it out of your system. We'll wait.
All right then. This is the story of Otis and the Dooda family (including their rat named Smoochie) moving to New York City, and the incredibly strange, but true, things that happened to them. It all started with Otis getting cursed by a guy in a potted plant in their apartment building lobby, and then meeting a bunch of their neighbors, including a farting pony named Peaches who was disguised as a dog. And that was just the first day.
256 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2013
3 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Potter
54 books257 followersEllen Potter is the author of many children's books, including the Olivia Kidney series, Pish Posh, SLOB, and The Kneebone Boy. Her non-fiction book, Spilling Ink; a Young Writer’s Handbook, was co-authored by Anne Mazer
Olivia Kidney was awarded Child magazine’s “Best Children’s Book Award” and was selected as one of the “Books of the Year” by Parenting magazine.
SLOB is on more than 10 state book award lists and was selected for the Junior Library Guild.
Spilling Ink; A Young Writer’s Handbook was a New York Public Library Top 100 Children’s Book for 2010 and a Children’s Literature Assembly 2011 Notable Book.
Her newest series is Piper Green and the Fairy Tree.
Olivia Kidney was awarded Child magazine’s “Best Children’s Book Award” and was selected as one of the “Books of the Year” by Parenting magazine.
SLOB is on more than 10 state book award lists and was selected for the Junior Library Guild.
Spilling Ink; A Young Writer’s Handbook was a New York Public Library Top 100 Children’s Book for 2010 and a Children’s Literature Assembly 2011 Notable Book.
Her newest series is Piper Green and the Fairy Tree.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
June 6, 2013
It’s a fairly well established fact that I am a lover of middle grade and that most of the middle grade I read transcends age with ease, but every so often when presented with a book that is unequivocally for kids, I can’t say no. Ellen Potter made my day by remembering how much I’d loved her previous book, The Humming Room (a fantabulous contemporary retelling of The Secret Garden which I highly recommend), and approached me with her newest book, Otis Dooda: Strange But True. She admitted up front that it was a bit of a departure from her usual middle grade novels, but that it was so because she sought to challenge herself to write a book that her 8-year-old son and “his merry band of hellraisers” (as she called them) would love. I was intrigued. I don’t usually read books for children that young, but as someone who’s continually keeping an eye out for good “boy” books (I love that all these young boys in my life love reading their non-fiction, but I like to see them read fiction too!), of course I wanted to read it.
Okay, so strait up, Otis Dooda is a book for kids. It’s not really a book for adults and kids to read together (although you totally could), but a book to be squirrled away and laughed at by kids in that way we all do when a book gets us and we know nobody else in the room would possibly understand. Because Ellen Potter well and truly does get kids–it’s a book so utterly ridiculous and full of that crude weird humor that is really at its height around 8 years old. It’s full of farting, and annoying siblings, and (attempted) elbow licking, legos, capers, and crazy neighbors. It’s inspired me to start saying “Well, butter my buns!” when I do anything particularly like the country bumpkin that I occasionally am in NYC.
No, there isn’t a great deal of depth or emotion in this short book, but sometimes we all need to just kick back and have a little fun. When Otis moves to NYC with his family in the summer, that’s precisely what he does! He makes friends with his neighbors, walks a French Gerbil Hound (that may or may not really be a miniature pony), shoots out of a cannon into marshmallow fluff, is most definitely be cursed. Okay…well the cursed part isn’t so much fun (for him), but I suppose it’s safe to say that things aren’t always what they seem.
Illustrated by David Heatley, I believe there isn’t a two-page spread throughout the entire book that lacks embellishment. All of the illustrations capture the feeling of the book and its characters perfectly, and I really think they’ll make what could be an intimidating book for some reluctant readers fly by.
Otis Dooda: Strange But True isn’t one I’ll be insisting the adults in my life pick up, but I do very much recommend it for the trouble-making 7-9 year-old kids in your life. It’s a book about an average kid having the sort of adventures any average kid out there could have. It is more than a little bit strange, but the humor and feeling are certainly true.
Except for my name, I’m pretty “sort of.” I’m sort of skinny and sort of short. I’m sort of good at soccer and sort of bad at math. In other words, I’m sort of average. I lived a sort of average life, too. But then, this summer, my father started a new job, which meant we all had to move to New York City. That’s when my life became sort of crazy.
Everything I’m about to tell you is true.
Strange but true.
Review originally posted at Bunbury in the Stacks.
Okay, so strait up, Otis Dooda is a book for kids. It’s not really a book for adults and kids to read together (although you totally could), but a book to be squirrled away and laughed at by kids in that way we all do when a book gets us and we know nobody else in the room would possibly understand. Because Ellen Potter well and truly does get kids–it’s a book so utterly ridiculous and full of that crude weird humor that is really at its height around 8 years old. It’s full of farting, and annoying siblings, and (attempted) elbow licking, legos, capers, and crazy neighbors. It’s inspired me to start saying “Well, butter my buns!” when I do anything particularly like the country bumpkin that I occasionally am in NYC.
No, there isn’t a great deal of depth or emotion in this short book, but sometimes we all need to just kick back and have a little fun. When Otis moves to NYC with his family in the summer, that’s precisely what he does! He makes friends with his neighbors, walks a French Gerbil Hound (that may or may not really be a miniature pony), shoots out of a cannon into marshmallow fluff, is most definitely be cursed. Okay…well the cursed part isn’t so much fun (for him), but I suppose it’s safe to say that things aren’t always what they seem.
Illustrated by David Heatley, I believe there isn’t a two-page spread throughout the entire book that lacks embellishment. All of the illustrations capture the feeling of the book and its characters perfectly, and I really think they’ll make what could be an intimidating book for some reluctant readers fly by.
Otis Dooda: Strange But True isn’t one I’ll be insisting the adults in my life pick up, but I do very much recommend it for the trouble-making 7-9 year-old kids in your life. It’s a book about an average kid having the sort of adventures any average kid out there could have. It is more than a little bit strange, but the humor and feeling are certainly true.
Except for my name, I’m pretty “sort of.” I’m sort of skinny and sort of short. I’m sort of good at soccer and sort of bad at math. In other words, I’m sort of average. I lived a sort of average life, too. But then, this summer, my father started a new job, which meant we all had to move to New York City. That’s when my life became sort of crazy.
Everything I’m about to tell you is true.
Strange but true.
Review originally posted at Bunbury in the Stacks.
August 29, 2013
My kids love Otis!
In general, I'm not a huge fan of potty jokes, but the thing is that this is ELLEN POTTER, so while the kids are snickering at the more scatalogical aspects of the text, there's this whole amazing world being built around the jokes... of eccentric characters, strange events, and unusual relationships.
My older son took Otis to school as his "favorite book" for share day. It was Otis or On the Banks of Plum Creek. He couldn't decide which, and finally opted for Otis.
Can't wait for number 2!
In general, I'm not a huge fan of potty jokes, but the thing is that this is ELLEN POTTER, so while the kids are snickering at the more scatalogical aspects of the text, there's this whole amazing world being built around the jokes... of eccentric characters, strange events, and unusual relationships.
My older son took Otis to school as his "favorite book" for share day. It was Otis or On the Banks of Plum Creek. He couldn't decide which, and finally opted for Otis.
Can't wait for number 2!
January 14, 2021
Read aloud to seven year old boy and neither of us could get enough of the bizarre humor and eccentricity. Only problem was that after book 2 he was super bummed not to find out the answer to a mystery in the book... seemed set up for more books in the series but appears it was abandoned. It shouldn’t have been. Excellent 'boy book'.
August 28, 2017
Students will love this hilarious book!
January 26, 2015
The story: Otis Dooda and his "hillbilly" family have just moved to the 35th floor of Tidwell Towers in New York City, and immediately, strange things start happening. He meets a guy with a miniature pony disguised as a dog that randomly lets off massive fart bombs. He's immediately cursed by Potted Plant Guy, who predicts he's going to break all his bones by the full moon. And it happens! Luckily, though...it doesn't hurt at all. Read this story and prepare to laugh out loud!
June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG (for farts and poo and that kind of stuff); everything else G.
Liz's comments: Okay, so it's kind of a stretch to say this one is for 3-6; Otis is probably a 4th grader at best. But the book is just so funny that even older kids will like it. I did, and I'm way older than any kid!
Annotation with spoilers: Otis tells the readers to go ahead and laugh it up right on page one: yes, his last name sounds like Doo-Doo: get over it. Even worse for him at the moment, the family is moving into Tidwell Towers on NYC. As they walk into the lobby, he encounters Potted Plant Guy, who demands a tribute: the Lego lie detector Otis built just last week. Otis refuses, of course, so PPG curses him, saying Otis will break all his bones by the next full moon (which is next week). Otis's zitty older brother, Gunther, thinks this is great.
It's not long until Otis meets his neighbor Perry Hooper, who's getting ready to take his huge dog on a walk. Well, actually, it's a miniature horse named Peaches that lets off gaseous anomalies all the time. Turns out Perry's dad runs a party business, and uses Peaches to give the little kids horse rides.
Otis rides the subway for the first time and decides its denizens are zombies who eat kids. He's a kid who loves Legos and hates soy wieners, so he decides to both ingredients in creating a Psycho Wiener Blaster that's going to keep him safe from zombies (or his brother, whichever comes first).
Pretty soon, Perry invites him, a curly-haired, annoying kid named Boris, and a Vietnamese girl named Cat out into the hall to be shot out of a cannon into a vat of marshmallow fluff (a test-drive of a new party activity). He does, forgetting all about the soy wiener he's left in the toaster oven, which promptly catches fire. Otis goes right into the vat of fluff right as the fire alarm goes off and he has to hike down 35 flights of stairs covered in goo. Down in the lobby, PPG laughs at him, and once again, Otis and the other kids vow to find out who he is. They get together in Cat's really cool bedroom-in-a-box and plan how to do it.
They get their neighbor's dorky poodles and stage a dog fight in the lobby--just in time for Otis's mom to break it up by squirting the dogs with a can of Cheez Whiz. Next thing you know, she's running the Horrible Hounds Academy for dogs, and Otis and the gang are back to plotting to find out PPG's true identity. They put one of Cat's younger brothers in a animal crate and leave it in the lobby so Hobbes (her mother learned English by reading comics, so all four kids are named after cartoon characters: Linus, Lucy, Hobbes, and Cat Woman) can spy on PPG and figure out his true identity when he leaves the plant to go potty or something. But Hobbes is tricked into abandoning his post when PPG offers him some Extreme Sour Smarties. Foiled!
Because of a melee with one of the Horrible Hounds, Gunther's rat Smoochie falls off the balcony of their 35th floor apartment, and Otis feels terrible to have killed his brother's pet. (Little does he know that the chip bag Smoochie was hiding in, and had over its head when he ran off the edge, will be used as a parachute to save the undeserving rodent.)
When their final attempt to flush put PPG looks like it might work, Otis realizes the other kid must feel better for some reason as he hides amid the foliage (just like Otis used to feel better when hugging his stuffed chicken Mr. Clucky), so he jumps up on the plant to protect the kid's identity. He then asks if PPG will rescind his curse; the kid says no-but that it won't hurt when Otis breaks all his bones.
In the day of full moon, Otis decides that no matter what he does, if the curse is real he'll end up breaking all his bones--so he joins Perry's dad and all the rest of the gang at a birthday party featuring Peaches at his most odiferous. A melee ensues, Otis faints, and when he wakes up, all the bone-shaped dog biscuits in his pocket are broken...so the curse really did happen, and it really didn't hurt a but. Ta-da! Otis has survived his first week in NYC.
So if this summary sounds disjointed and a little weird, it's not surprising. But the story is full of laugh-out-loud moments...and even though Otis is probably a fourth grader, I might have to buy this book for my MS library because it is just so funny. So there!
June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG (for farts and poo and that kind of stuff); everything else G.
Liz's comments: Okay, so it's kind of a stretch to say this one is for 3-6; Otis is probably a 4th grader at best. But the book is just so funny that even older kids will like it. I did, and I'm way older than any kid!
Annotation with spoilers: Otis tells the readers to go ahead and laugh it up right on page one: yes, his last name sounds like Doo-Doo: get over it. Even worse for him at the moment, the family is moving into Tidwell Towers on NYC. As they walk into the lobby, he encounters Potted Plant Guy, who demands a tribute: the Lego lie detector Otis built just last week. Otis refuses, of course, so PPG curses him, saying Otis will break all his bones by the next full moon (which is next week). Otis's zitty older brother, Gunther, thinks this is great.
It's not long until Otis meets his neighbor Perry Hooper, who's getting ready to take his huge dog on a walk. Well, actually, it's a miniature horse named Peaches that lets off gaseous anomalies all the time. Turns out Perry's dad runs a party business, and uses Peaches to give the little kids horse rides.
Otis rides the subway for the first time and decides its denizens are zombies who eat kids. He's a kid who loves Legos and hates soy wieners, so he decides to both ingredients in creating a Psycho Wiener Blaster that's going to keep him safe from zombies (or his brother, whichever comes first).
Pretty soon, Perry invites him, a curly-haired, annoying kid named Boris, and a Vietnamese girl named Cat out into the hall to be shot out of a cannon into a vat of marshmallow fluff (a test-drive of a new party activity). He does, forgetting all about the soy wiener he's left in the toaster oven, which promptly catches fire. Otis goes right into the vat of fluff right as the fire alarm goes off and he has to hike down 35 flights of stairs covered in goo. Down in the lobby, PPG laughs at him, and once again, Otis and the other kids vow to find out who he is. They get together in Cat's really cool bedroom-in-a-box and plan how to do it.
They get their neighbor's dorky poodles and stage a dog fight in the lobby--just in time for Otis's mom to break it up by squirting the dogs with a can of Cheez Whiz. Next thing you know, she's running the Horrible Hounds Academy for dogs, and Otis and the gang are back to plotting to find out PPG's true identity. They put one of Cat's younger brothers in a animal crate and leave it in the lobby so Hobbes (her mother learned English by reading comics, so all four kids are named after cartoon characters: Linus, Lucy, Hobbes, and Cat Woman) can spy on PPG and figure out his true identity when he leaves the plant to go potty or something. But Hobbes is tricked into abandoning his post when PPG offers him some Extreme Sour Smarties. Foiled!
Because of a melee with one of the Horrible Hounds, Gunther's rat Smoochie falls off the balcony of their 35th floor apartment, and Otis feels terrible to have killed his brother's pet. (Little does he know that the chip bag Smoochie was hiding in, and had over its head when he ran off the edge, will be used as a parachute to save the undeserving rodent.)
When their final attempt to flush put PPG looks like it might work, Otis realizes the other kid must feel better for some reason as he hides amid the foliage (just like Otis used to feel better when hugging his stuffed chicken Mr. Clucky), so he jumps up on the plant to protect the kid's identity. He then asks if PPG will rescind his curse; the kid says no-but that it won't hurt when Otis breaks all his bones.
In the day of full moon, Otis decides that no matter what he does, if the curse is real he'll end up breaking all his bones--so he joins Perry's dad and all the rest of the gang at a birthday party featuring Peaches at his most odiferous. A melee ensues, Otis faints, and when he wakes up, all the bone-shaped dog biscuits in his pocket are broken...so the curse really did happen, and it really didn't hurt a but. Ta-da! Otis has survived his first week in NYC.
So if this summary sounds disjointed and a little weird, it's not surprising. But the story is full of laugh-out-loud moments...and even though Otis is probably a fourth grader, I might have to buy this book for my MS library because it is just so funny. So there!
September 10, 2014
I happen to know from personal experience that licking light sockets is not a good idea.
-----
Potter marvelously walks a number of fine lines in this book, finding just the right balance. Just enough scatological references shared matter-of-factly to be funny without letting them dominate the proceedings or descend into grossness. The characters and plot are just strangely ridiculous enough without complete absurdity that they can still be believed as odd and quirky. And Otis is just clueless and irreverent enough to come across as young while being smart, articulate, and observant enough to make a good narrator. While Otis is nine and about to start third grade, his story will easily entertain readers as old as sixth grade yet it's accessible enough to appeal to proficient second and third grade readers.
Oh, and an excellent balance text and illustrations. Heatley's art is an oddly appealing cross between cartoonish and vaguely creepy that complements and supplements Potter's writing on every page. I have to admit that I wasn't drawn in by the cover, but once I gave the drawings a chance I really came to appreciate them.
While Otis and his family--mother, father, and pimply older brother--have their own quirks and issues, they seem downright normal compared to the new neighbors they meet after moving from a small town to a 35-story apartment building in New York City. There's the guy who hides in the large potted plant in the lobby and demands tribute from everyone who enters, cursing those who deny him. Then there's the children next door who help their dad run a low-rate party entertainment business, pretending the grossly flatulent miniature pony is a rare breed of dog so they can keep it in the apartment and testing crazy games and contraptions he buys on the street. And that's just who he meets while moving in--things get much stranger from there.
-----
Mom examined Gunther and me before we went into the building. She mashed down my hair and she made Gunther put a cover over the cage of his pet rat, Smoochie. She's all excited about moving to the city, but she's worried that people will think we're a bunch of hillbillies. That's because we come from a dinky little town called Hog's Head. Plus, I think we may be hillbillies, because Gunther and I whiz off the back porch when the weather is nice.
-----
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Little kids are weird. If you asked a grown-up a question and they snickered and ran away, you'd probably think they escaped from a mental hospital.
-----
Mom made us all dress in black. We looked like a family of Applebee's waiters.
-----
Potter marvelously walks a number of fine lines in this book, finding just the right balance. Just enough scatological references shared matter-of-factly to be funny without letting them dominate the proceedings or descend into grossness. The characters and plot are just strangely ridiculous enough without complete absurdity that they can still be believed as odd and quirky. And Otis is just clueless and irreverent enough to come across as young while being smart, articulate, and observant enough to make a good narrator. While Otis is nine and about to start third grade, his story will easily entertain readers as old as sixth grade yet it's accessible enough to appeal to proficient second and third grade readers.
Oh, and an excellent balance text and illustrations. Heatley's art is an oddly appealing cross between cartoonish and vaguely creepy that complements and supplements Potter's writing on every page. I have to admit that I wasn't drawn in by the cover, but once I gave the drawings a chance I really came to appreciate them.
While Otis and his family--mother, father, and pimply older brother--have their own quirks and issues, they seem downright normal compared to the new neighbors they meet after moving from a small town to a 35-story apartment building in New York City. There's the guy who hides in the large potted plant in the lobby and demands tribute from everyone who enters, cursing those who deny him. Then there's the children next door who help their dad run a low-rate party entertainment business, pretending the grossly flatulent miniature pony is a rare breed of dog so they can keep it in the apartment and testing crazy games and contraptions he buys on the street. And that's just who he meets while moving in--things get much stranger from there.
-----
Mom examined Gunther and me before we went into the building. She mashed down my hair and she made Gunther put a cover over the cage of his pet rat, Smoochie. She's all excited about moving to the city, but she's worried that people will think we're a bunch of hillbillies. That's because we come from a dinky little town called Hog's Head. Plus, I think we may be hillbillies, because Gunther and I whiz off the back porch when the weather is nice.
-----
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Little kids are weird. If you asked a grown-up a question and they snickered and ran away, you'd probably think they escaped from a mental hospital.
-----
Mom made us all dress in black. We looked like a family of Applebee's waiters.
June 27, 2013
I love Manhattan. It is a magical city. We went earlier in the month for a mini vacation filled with shopping and eating. Waiting in line for a burger from the Shake Shack is so worth it!!! Walking through the neighborhoods I am still blown away by the density of people and everything that comes with that.
I love Lego. It is a magical invention. I played with it when I was a kid, and am amazed on all the choices today. I really want the Death Star kit!!! In my classroom is large tub of the remaining Lego of my youth. At the beginning of each year I explain that there aren’t figures etc., and each year students create the same type of things I did as a kid. Kids use imagination regardless.
Anyhow, combine Manhattan and Lego into one book and you have me. Otis Dooda Strange but True by Ellen Potter does just that. Otis and his family have to move to New York because his dad has a new job. At the start we are introduced to Otis’ family. His brother refers to him as “Lego Nerd”. Funny that reading that it is easy to figure out kids that fit that name! Moving to New York means living in an apartment.
Middle grade books that take place in apartment building are great because in a small space there are so many different types of characters. This is true in Otis Dooda. There is Julius the doorman (he is in control), the Plant Guy (more on him in a bit), Perry (soon to be best friend, and Cat (short for Cat Girl). In one short week Otis makes friends, and experiences some strange situations. I mean getting shot in to marshmallow fluff sound like fun! The one thing that bothers everyone in the building is the Plant Guy. Someone is hiding behind the large plant in the lobby and expects payment to get by. The three new friends decide they are going to figure out whom it is. They plan and plan, and well you have to read the book to find out.
I enjoyed reading Otis Dooda. I plan on getting a few copies to use in a guided group. It is a fatter book then most books at a low third grade level. This is good because kids will feel successful finishing a bigger book. It will also be useful for discussing setting.
I want to thank Ellen Potter for sending me a copy. I am sorry I couldn’t get it together to participate with your book tour. Packing up to move schools was more emotional than I anticipated.
I love Lego. It is a magical invention. I played with it when I was a kid, and am amazed on all the choices today. I really want the Death Star kit!!! In my classroom is large tub of the remaining Lego of my youth. At the beginning of each year I explain that there aren’t figures etc., and each year students create the same type of things I did as a kid. Kids use imagination regardless.
Anyhow, combine Manhattan and Lego into one book and you have me. Otis Dooda Strange but True by Ellen Potter does just that. Otis and his family have to move to New York because his dad has a new job. At the start we are introduced to Otis’ family. His brother refers to him as “Lego Nerd”. Funny that reading that it is easy to figure out kids that fit that name! Moving to New York means living in an apartment.
Middle grade books that take place in apartment building are great because in a small space there are so many different types of characters. This is true in Otis Dooda. There is Julius the doorman (he is in control), the Plant Guy (more on him in a bit), Perry (soon to be best friend, and Cat (short for Cat Girl). In one short week Otis makes friends, and experiences some strange situations. I mean getting shot in to marshmallow fluff sound like fun! The one thing that bothers everyone in the building is the Plant Guy. Someone is hiding behind the large plant in the lobby and expects payment to get by. The three new friends decide they are going to figure out whom it is. They plan and plan, and well you have to read the book to find out.
I enjoyed reading Otis Dooda. I plan on getting a few copies to use in a guided group. It is a fatter book then most books at a low third grade level. This is good because kids will feel successful finishing a bigger book. It will also be useful for discussing setting.
I want to thank Ellen Potter for sending me a copy. I am sorry I couldn’t get it together to participate with your book tour. Packing up to move schools was more emotional than I anticipated.
November 4, 2013
Otis Dooda and his family have moved from the small town of Hog’s Head, to the big city of New York. They live on the top floor of Tidwell Towers, neighboring a girl whose bedroom is on the ceiling, a boy who has a rare “French Gerbil Hound” (It’s really a miniature horse/pony, but the apartment doesn’t take horses, but it takes dogs), and some weird old lady. And it doesn’t help that there is some strange lady named “Ms. Yabby” who writes news that goes on in the Towers, called the Tidwell Tidbits – and, the fact is, most of it isn’t true, just rumors and gossip. That’s a problem, especially when it targets a new family in the Towers… The Doodas! And, apparently, Otis is cursed by a guy hiding in a potted plant, saying that Otis will break all of his bones before the next full-moon. Otis finds out that the weird potted plant guy’s predictions ALWAYS come true. What can a kid do?
I will say that I am a fan of Ellen Potter. I have read Spilling Ink and Slob. Ms. Potter didn’t disappoint me with Otis Dooda! It is a hilarious book! I really like the unrealistic (but possible) things that happen – it actually makes the story even more hilarious! I like the cannon that shoots you into a giant vat of marshmallow fluff, and Peaches (the horse/dog/rodent :) ). The illustrations are pretty funny, realistic, and they are incorporated into the text, similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or Big Nate. The illustration style of the book makes it more fun to read. Otis Dooda is great character and I LOVED reading about him. He makes some really dumb decisions in the book (but what kid doesn’t) that leads to hilarious outcomes! This is a great story that is guaranteed to make young boys (and girls) laugh out loud (I’m a BIG boy, and I sure laughed out loud! :D )! I am already waiting for Book 2.
*NOTE I Got A Free Copy Of This Book In Exchange For An Honest Review.
I will say that I am a fan of Ellen Potter. I have read Spilling Ink and Slob. Ms. Potter didn’t disappoint me with Otis Dooda! It is a hilarious book! I really like the unrealistic (but possible) things that happen – it actually makes the story even more hilarious! I like the cannon that shoots you into a giant vat of marshmallow fluff, and Peaches (the horse/dog/rodent :) ). The illustrations are pretty funny, realistic, and they are incorporated into the text, similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, or Big Nate. The illustration style of the book makes it more fun to read. Otis Dooda is great character and I LOVED reading about him. He makes some really dumb decisions in the book (but what kid doesn’t) that leads to hilarious outcomes! This is a great story that is guaranteed to make young boys (and girls) laugh out loud (I’m a BIG boy, and I sure laughed out loud! :D )! I am already waiting for Book 2.
*NOTE I Got A Free Copy Of This Book In Exchange For An Honest Review.
July 1, 2013
This book was my first Advanced Reader Copy from an author that I admire. I've loved the other Ellen Potter books I read and was excited to read this one. She includes her usual extremely quirky characters with a crazy storyline. I admit I didn't enjoy this as much as her others, but that is only because I don't really appreciate young boy humor. She hit her intended audience perfectly--my sons will attest to that. This is a perfect middle elementary age book for boys, with out being as painfully stupid as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid variety. This is the review I included on my website:
Ellen Potter introduces a new story filled with quirky characters and strange events, but this new book is boy humor in the extreme. Otis Dooda and his family move from the small town of Hog’s Head to a high-rise apartment building in the middle of New York City. Within minutes of their arrival, Otis makes an enemy and is cursed by a kid hiding in a potted plant. Otis also makes some friends who try to help break the curse, but their efforts lead to a series of crazy events that include burning soy wieners, fighting poodles, and flying from a human cannon into a wading pool of marshmallow fluff.
Otis Dooda: Strange But True is filled with boy craziness, but also reveals surprising lessons about friendship and understanding. The fun illustrations add to the humor and give the book a slight graphic novel feel. The reading level is best for middle elementary aged readers, but the story engaged my eleven-year-old as well as my five-year-old. The book is written with boys in mind, but my daughter read and enjoyed it also.
Ellen Potter introduces a new story filled with quirky characters and strange events, but this new book is boy humor in the extreme. Otis Dooda and his family move from the small town of Hog’s Head to a high-rise apartment building in the middle of New York City. Within minutes of their arrival, Otis makes an enemy and is cursed by a kid hiding in a potted plant. Otis also makes some friends who try to help break the curse, but their efforts lead to a series of crazy events that include burning soy wieners, fighting poodles, and flying from a human cannon into a wading pool of marshmallow fluff.
Otis Dooda: Strange But True is filled with boy craziness, but also reveals surprising lessons about friendship and understanding. The fun illustrations add to the humor and give the book a slight graphic novel feel. The reading level is best for middle elementary aged readers, but the story engaged my eleven-year-old as well as my five-year-old. The book is written with boys in mind, but my daughter read and enjoyed it also.
August 2, 2013
Funny books for middle grade readers are, like scary stories, often asked for and hard to come by. Well, at least GOOD ones are hard to come by. So hooray for Otis Dooda! This is a fast-paced and hilarious story about an unfortunately named kid (see title) who moves into a New York City apartment building and is immediately cursed by a mysterious character who lives in a potted plant. Otis spends most of the book trying to get out from under this curse while making new friends and, in turns, embarrassing and being embarrassed by his family.
Most of the book's hilarity comes from Otis's voice. Here he is, talking about his teenaged brother, Gunther, and Gunther's girlfriend: "She picks at her scalp. Gunther picks at his pimples. They're like Romeo and Juliet, only more disgusting." And here, as he meets a neighbor for the first time: "I sort of liked this kid. I'm not sure why. Maybe because he had red hair. My favorite Lego Minifigure is this ninja guy with red hair. Only I lost his bottom half so now he has Lego Intergalactic Girl legs."
Another thing I liked is that there were a few sweet moments in the book. For all of Otis's snide comments, he does exhibit compassion for his potted plant archenemy and also for his older brother when things go wrong. I'm going to recommend this to all of my Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate fans. I'm also hoping that it can act as a jumping-off point for young readers to Slob, one of my all time favorite books, which happens to be by this author.
Most of the book's hilarity comes from Otis's voice. Here he is, talking about his teenaged brother, Gunther, and Gunther's girlfriend: "She picks at her scalp. Gunther picks at his pimples. They're like Romeo and Juliet, only more disgusting." And here, as he meets a neighbor for the first time: "I sort of liked this kid. I'm not sure why. Maybe because he had red hair. My favorite Lego Minifigure is this ninja guy with red hair. Only I lost his bottom half so now he has Lego Intergalactic Girl legs."
Another thing I liked is that there were a few sweet moments in the book. For all of Otis's snide comments, he does exhibit compassion for his potted plant archenemy and also for his older brother when things go wrong. I'm going to recommend this to all of my Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate fans. I'm also hoping that it can act as a jumping-off point for young readers to Slob, one of my all time favorite books, which happens to be by this author.
April 16, 2013
Last week the mailman surprised me with a package from Ellen Potter with a copy of her newest chapter book, OTIS DOODA: STRANGE BUT TRUE, for review. Had to finish the book I was already reading; however, once I started this one I couldn't put it down. Granted, it's written to appeal to ages 7-10 or grades 2-5, but I loved it! My 9 1/2 year old daughter and I laughed our way through the last few pages this afternoon, and she agrees that it was well worth the read.
Otis Dooda is a young boy, no different than other, who is uprooted from his country life and moved to the big city. Once there, Otis quickly realizes there's more than meets the eye when it comes to the tall, shining building he's to now call home. Because from almost the very moment he sets foot inside the lobby of Tidwell Towers, Otis finds himself confronted by some of the most bizarre things & people he's ever encountered. I mean, really, who's ever heard of a potted plant kid? What about a "dog" horse? Or maybe marshmallow fluff diving? No? Well, Otis now has, and it's a story and a half!
Between the charmingly funny story and the equally humorous illustrations, this is a book I can see being read and reread time and again. Initially intended for boys, I'd say this one still holds a lot of appeal for girls too. Mine certainly enjoyed it.
**NOTE: OTIS DOODA WILL BE PUBLISHED JUNE 4, 2013.**
Otis Dooda is a young boy, no different than other, who is uprooted from his country life and moved to the big city. Once there, Otis quickly realizes there's more than meets the eye when it comes to the tall, shining building he's to now call home. Because from almost the very moment he sets foot inside the lobby of Tidwell Towers, Otis finds himself confronted by some of the most bizarre things & people he's ever encountered. I mean, really, who's ever heard of a potted plant kid? What about a "dog" horse? Or maybe marshmallow fluff diving? No? Well, Otis now has, and it's a story and a half!
Between the charmingly funny story and the equally humorous illustrations, this is a book I can see being read and reread time and again. Initially intended for boys, I'd say this one still holds a lot of appeal for girls too. Mine certainly enjoyed it.
**NOTE: OTIS DOODA WILL BE PUBLISHED JUNE 4, 2013.**
August 29, 2013
Beloved author Ellen Potter does it again! Her latest book, "Otis Dooda: Strange but True" was one of my nine-year-old son's favorite reads of the summer. He laughed out loud and read it in one several-hour sitting. Most notably, he started reading it a second time once he finished! Adults sometimes take a dim view of humor for kids, but I can attest to the fact that it is in no way "easier" to write a hilarious page-turner for young kids than it is to write a tear-jerker for older readers. We simply regard "serious" books with more serious reviews. We need to keep boys (and all kids) interested and self-motivated, and this is a book to keep on the shelves to that end!
January 3, 2014
Otis Dooda: Strange But True by Ellen Potter, illustrated by David Heatley
Feiwel & Friends, 2013
Humorous
225 pages
Recommended for grades 3-5
For some reason this book struck me in just the right way. A little bit weird, a little bit unexpected, but a big bit humorous!
Otis Dooda's family moves to the big city with his family and soon meets some very unusual apartment neighbors. Otis and his new friends have one episode after another of strange-but true- fun!
The verdict is still out on what the story is with Potted Plant Guy, but I'm sure there are more Dooda adventures to follow!
Feiwel & Friends, 2013
Humorous
225 pages
Recommended for grades 3-5
For some reason this book struck me in just the right way. A little bit weird, a little bit unexpected, but a big bit humorous!
Otis Dooda's family moves to the big city with his family and soon meets some very unusual apartment neighbors. Otis and his new friends have one episode after another of strange-but true- fun!
The verdict is still out on what the story is with Potted Plant Guy, but I'm sure there are more Dooda adventures to follow!
April 7, 2013
Poor Otis, cursed first with a bad name, then by Potted Plant Guy. This is serious Wimpy Kid territory, filled with an interesting cast of characters and situations (the building's "newsletter" is pretty funny). Otis himself is at times definitely a kid and at others preternaturally capable of adult wit. This will definitely appeal to the boys who love Wimpy Kid and David Lubar.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
May 22, 2013
I got Otis Dooda as an ARC from Ellen Potter and Macmillan Publishing (thanks for that).
I started reading yesterday during our DEAR time and nearly finished the book in one sitting. It is and easy, but enjoyable read. I did a few book talks and read the bit about Peaches the "French Gerbil Hound."
That hooked a lot of my students. I even have a few reluctant readers, asking me to borrow my ARC when I'm finished. So well done Mrs. Potter, you have done your job.
I started reading yesterday during our DEAR time and nearly finished the book in one sitting. It is and easy, but enjoyable read. I did a few book talks and read the bit about Peaches the "French Gerbil Hound."
That hooked a lot of my students. I even have a few reluctant readers, asking me to borrow my ARC when I'm finished. So well done Mrs. Potter, you have done your job.
Read
February 4, 2015Otis Dooda, a kid with an unfortunate name. Living with his parents and his older brother, Gunther, who picks at his pimples and picks on his brother. Just moving to New York City. What could be better? this book was pretty funny, with a kid owning dog that’s actually a horse, a kid who hides in a pot of flowers and curses people, etc. You know, the usual.
January 8, 2013
Hilarious. . . a great read aloud. My son thought it was one chuckle after the next. If you are looking for zany humor with some really entertaining characters, this is a very entertaining read. I hope there are going to be more tales featuring our hapless hero Otis.
June 14, 2013
Hilarious and SMART. Otis and his pals -- Perry, Peachies, Smoochie, Potted Plant Guy - had my 7 & 9 yo rolling! Ellen Potter and David Heatley get kids in a way that most grown-ups don't. Sure to be savored by Wimpy Kid fans. * Advise multiple copies to avoid fist fights.
January 23, 2021
I liked it, mainly because I know my students will like it. So many references to poo, how could it go wrong? As an adult p.o.v, I thought some of the plot was farfetched, but overall it was smartly-written. Otis was hilarious!
August 29, 2013
I can't even count how many times Cam laughed while we read this. It was just right for him - filled with pictures, birds pooping on heads, a guy who lives in a potted plant, and a lot of things that were right up Cam's alley.
June 28, 2014
I think Otis Dooda was a pretty enjoyable book, but the the whole book has an underlying sense of death and is gruesome. Think about it. All the bones are broken (death). This affected how I enjoyed the book. It should have been a bone and not all of them.
October 26, 2014
Loved reading this aloud with Quinn. I didn't like it because of its amazing literary elements or deep well rounded characters. I loved it because Quinn loved it. This book will appeal to young 3rd, 4th grade readers that are scared off by bigger novels. It is funny and fast moving.
January 21, 2015
Standard emergent reader book on the shelves today. Nothing spectacular happening, but a solid story with a mysterious plot, some clever characters and a bit of over the top humor. Would definitely keep any kid just starting to dabble in the longer chapter book realm intrigued.
August 27, 2016
One Sentence Review: Sort of quirks for quirks' sake, the book has its moments but sadly they don't all add up by the end.
March 24, 2013
I know a lot of 8 year olds who are going to really enjoy this one. A review to follow.
August 15, 2013
I know who I can suggest it to (DoWK fans) but it was not my favorite.
August 19, 2013
Wimpy Kid for a bit younger set...
December 19, 2013
What an absurd story line - I think my students will love it!
November 17, 2014
Great for boys and reluctant readers
June 4, 2016
Really funny with the stinky horse
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews