Elvis & Olive

by Stephanie Watson

This delightful middle-grade novel is now available in paperback!

Natalie and Annie become friends and decide to spend their summer spying on their neighbors. What begins as a game turns serious when their findings are revealed to the neighborhood, and when the girls discover unexpected things about each other. While the girls learn that it's sometimes helpful to reveal secrets, they also learn a lesson about the importance of privacy.

Genres: Middle Grade, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Mystery, Childrens, Juvenile, Fiction

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

About the author

There is more than one author by this name on Goodreads.

Reviews

[corinne]

This book was one of my childhood favorites! I figured since it’s summer and the book takes place in the summer, now is the perfect time for a reread. This book is such a gem of the middle grade genre. It’s a sweet, summery read that brought me back to memories I made when I first read the book as a little kid. I’m not going to give it a specific rating, since I feel that giving one of my childhood favorites a numerical rating would somehow alter my perception of the book. However, it’s good to know that I’ve always had great taste in books! 😌

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started out a little strange for me, but as I continued reading, I got swept along. "Elvis," or Annie, is a little strange, abandoned by her mother and raised by an uncle, she begins the summer roaming shirtless (at 10 or 11 years old) with dirty feet. Natalie, or "Olive," is part of an uptight family and the friendship between the two ends up working out really well. They balance each other out. The 'secrets' theme is also well-done, sort of Harriet-the-Spy-ish, but as a team.
Kids who are interested in spying and secrets, friends and the quirky relationships we sometimes get into might enjoy this book.
Topless tween. Spying on the neighbors.

[Grrrrr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of some of my favorites; Harriet the Spy, Ramona, etc. I think it will become a classic. Since it rarely, if ever, mentions TV, computers or video games, it feels timeless. It inspires its young (and not so young) readers to get off the screens and their cell phones and start living a creative, curious, and adventurous life, face-to-face with a real human.

Watson's writing reminds me of the wholesome, timeless books of 30 or 40 years ago. Her obvious respect and admiration for girls in this age group shows. I think this book will inspire girls (and boys) to ignore the noise of "modern" life long enough to hear their own hearts and minds and create their own fun.

The two main characters are complex, intelligent but otherwise totally opposite girls. I think it teaches kids to be open to friendships with people whom they wouldn't ordinarily befriend. But this book isn't preachy or moralistic.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two neighborhood girls who live in very different social circles become friends and begin a summer project of spying on their neighbors. It's a lot like Harriet the Spy - when someone writes down lots of secrets about other people, you know it's bound to fall into the wrong hands - but it has another serious component as well. In the course of their friendship, the girls deal with the issue of telling a good story vs. lying, and "Olive," who thinks she knows everything, learns important life lessons from "Elvis," a girl who goes out of her way to make a scene. My only complaint about the book is the cover. "Elvis," the blonde girl, is always mistaken for a boy. So why does she look like a stylish little beauty queen in the drawing?

[Ashlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute! It was well-written and had a great plot. Two girls, Natalie and Annie are pretty different from each other when they meet at the beginning of summer. But after spending a whole summer spying on neighbors together, they find out that it makes them even better friends. This is a great book for elementary school kids to read but I learned some things too. Overall, this book deserves to be better known than it is.

[Linda Klinedinst · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dearly love this Book. I own this Book. I have the hard Back Version of this.

This is a really cute story and funny at times about two young girls and their friends. I love this book.

This is a very good Middle Grade Book. I highly recommend this book if you love Middle Grade.

[Marissa Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute story, I love the plot and how accurate it was.

[Farida Bhuyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wanna read this one

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This heartwarming story of friendship between two very different girls was a great book to read together with my almost 9 year-old daughter. She absolutely loved it. This is the second book author Stephanie Watson writes about 9 year-old Annie Beckett and 10 year-old Nathalie Wallis, best friends who use the code names Elvis and Olive. Funny, a little mysterious and sometimes sad, it’s sure to please middle grade girls.

Annie is spontaneous, creative and in foster care since her mother left her, whereas Nathalie is shy, lacks self-confidence, and goes to a private academy. When Nathalie decides to run for Student Council Secretary and she needs to do a Helping Hands project, she and Annie decide to open the E & O Detective Agency to solve mysteries in their neighbourhood. We follow the girls’ adventures as they try to solve simple and difficult cases, and we are introduced to a colourful cast of neighbours whom they help out. The most pressing cases are their own, though, as Annie desperately wants to find her mother, and Nathalie wants to find a way to win the Student Council elections.

My only disappointment was that Nathalie’s parents were not prominent enough. They make but a brief appearance toward the end of the book. In a story where other adult characters play an important role, such as Mr. and Mrs. Warsaw, and Ms. Hatch, Annie’s foster grandmother, the absent relationship of Nathalie and her parents was too evident. Especially since Annie is dealing with parental abandonment. I found this ironic.

Wouldn’t a ten year old want to discuss the distressing situation of her best friend with her own mother? And running for Student Council Secretary was such a big deal for Nathalie, yet there’s no parental involvement whatsoever? Instead, she talks to a chip on her bed board. Granted, kids have imaginary friends, but my motherly instincts still felt Nathalie’s situation was too unrealistic. Her parents cared and loved her, therefore they should have been more involved in the story as the other adults were.

Apart from this, the book was an enjoyable read for both my daughter and I. True friendship, believing in yourself, and showing kindness are some of the themes that run through this story, making this a thought-provoking novel as well. From the way it ended, I see the possibility of a third book in the picture, which would make a delightful series for middle graders.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gr 4-6-Ten-year-old Natalie is resigned to a quiet summer of riding her bike around the neighborhood and entertaining herself. But when she almost crashes into the new kid on the block on the first day of vacation, she quickly realizes that this summer is going to be anything but ordinary. Annie is brash and outspoken, and adamant that the far-fetched stories she tells about herself are true. She lives with her uncle, who provides minimal supervision. Natalie's mother tries to steer her daughter away from this friend's questionable influence, but Annie's unpredictable nature calls to Natalie. In search of adventure, the girls form a spy club: Natalie becomes "Olive" and Annie, "Elvis." Spying on their neighbors seems harmless enough until private issues are brought to light during a block party, and both girls learn painful lessons. The characters are fairly two-dimensional, and the loose ends tied up too neatly, but fans of protagonists like Anne Mazer's Abby Hayes will enjoy the twists and turns the story takes as the two try to undo the damage they have caused. An additional purchase for large collections.-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

Natalie and Annie, nicknamed Elvis and Olive, are best friends. When Natalie decides to run for school secretary, she finds out she has to do a Helping Hands Project in order to run. The girls come up with the idea to start their own detective agency where they don't charge any money.

The campaign running is off to a rocky start, however, when the Principal says that their project isn't good enough. Between having to come up with a campaign slogan and a significant enough service project, Natalie and Annie start feeling the stress. Annie, however, starts feeling it worse when she starts questioning why her mother abandoned her.

Will Annie find a way to contact her mother? Will the girls solve an important enough mystery so that Annie can run for secretary?

A fun, humorous story about two girls and their adventures. The characters are entertaining and easy to relate to. The plot moves at a slower pace and isn't strictly a mystery story, but the author does a good job of keeping the reader's attention and interest. This book would be a good way to introduce detective stories or friendship in literature to young readers.

Readers who like realistic fiction and mystery stories will enjoy reading SUPER DETECTIVES.

[Nicole C.]

Natlie was a fourth grade perfect girl who went to a private school and always was nice, pleasent, and smart. When summer begain Natlie expected it to be a drag and just wanted school to start again. Untill she met Annie, the girl who just had moved in across the street. Natlie and Annie could not be more diffrent. Annie was nothing like Natlie, Annie liked to make up stories, lie, and yell. they relized that they liked the differences about each other and spied on the neighborhood together. I personally liked the book because it was interesting and it had a lot of warm heart felt moments. Annie helped Natlie loosen up and hav e fun over the summer. Also Natlie helped Annie with her mom issues and they spied on people to figure out their secrets, but they also found out even more secrets about each other. I would recommend this book to someone who likes interesting books with plot twists that bring out the true character, but also someone more mature because it has some harsh reality sad parts. Overall I would definitely recommend this book and maybe read it again.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

Natalie is living a life with prim parents. When summer starts, she meets a young girl named Annie who isn't wearing a shirt and insist on showing her a dead baby bird. Over time, Natalie gets used to hearing Annie's strange tales and the two become good friends.

When they decide to start their own spy business, they anger the neighbors, and Annie's unusual past starts coming to the surface. Who really is Annie, and what about her strange background? Are there really any secrets in the neighborhood to discover?

A fun, friendship-filled story that is easy to read. The characters are memorable and the plot is slow-paced but keeps the reader interested. Those who like realistic fiction and stories like HARRIET THE SPY will enjoy reading ELVIS & OLIVE.

[eRin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Natalie and Annie could not be more different. Natalie is a private school girl whose parents are orderly and neat. Annie lives with her uncle who works in a bar and is on the poor side. The two form an unlikely friendship over the summer and Natalie is taken aback by Annie's strange ways. But when Annie proposes that the two form a spying club to spy on the neighborhood, Annie agrees and becomes Olive (her secret spying name, of course). Annie, as Elvis, leads the spying and soon the two girls find out a lot about their neighbors. Everyone has a secret, it seems; even Elvis and Olive.

Cute book about friendship. Watson did a good job of getting into pre-teen character and the book has a lot of lessons about keeping secrets and loyalty to friends.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can you not like a character whose favorite shirt is a choir outfit found when dumpster diving? Annie has recently moved into 11 year old Natalie’s suburban neighborhood. Where Annie is eccentric and bold, Natalie is studious and shy. The two form a secret club with the codenames of Elvis and Olive. During the summer, they fastidiously gather their neighbors’ secrets. But when secrets of their own are revealed, they learn that some secrets are not meant to be shared by others. The two characters, especially Annie’s, are realistic, dynamic and engaging. The setting reminded me of my own shenanigans in my neighborhood during the summer. An enjoyable read for 3rd-5th graders interested in friendship with a dash of mystery.

[Eva Mitnick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned about this middle-grade book from my 10-year-old niece, of all people. She really liked it, and so do I. Opposites attract, so it's no wonder that straight-arrow, bookwormy Natalie is fascinated by eccentric Annie, who lies compulsively and goes around without a shirt when it gets too hot. They start a spying club and spy on all their neighbors - predictably, the secrets get out and everyone gets mad at the girls. What isn't predictable is the way the characters are described, with their small quirks making them seem very real indeed. A refreshing read for kids who love friendship stories. My only quibble - the awful jacket art, depicting the girls wearing what looks like lipstick and blush - bleah.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elvis and Olive
By Stephanie Watson.

In this Book if you enjoy books that have funny, exiting and that are about best friends. This book reminds me about another book called Clementine by Sarah PennyPacker. Even though olives mother does approve of them being friends and her family dose not realize that Elvis and Olive have a secret club house and they are spying, steeling and crushing on her neighbors. As the only clubhouse members Elvis and Olive do many interesting, weird, outgoing, yet different things that they come up with. This book is a good book for kids or teens because it shows that doesn’t matter what other people think about your friends it’s that at least your there friend.

[Rickiaissocute]

well they said no books is perfect..... there wrong. This book is just the one for me. I loved that they had cool detectives names. annie is elvis but why did she wanted to be called Elvis. actually natalie has a better detective name......olive. Cute and simple. How do you make these great books. Please send me a email at gfabulous4156@yahoo.com LOVE THE BOOKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



sincerrly, me a fan

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book to read. I really enjoyed reading about Annie and Natalie's exploits. The girls are sneaking around the neighborhood gathering secrets about their neighbors. Natalie's big secret is Steven. She loves him. Annie's big secret, her mother just up and left her one day. All of this comes to a head at the neighborhood cookout. Natalie and Annie have a big fight in front of the whole neighborhood. The secret of them spying comes out when Noah, Steven's brother, passes out all the index cards that they were keeping on the neighbors. Does this all work out? Do Natalie and Annie keep their friendship intact? You'll have to read the book to find out.

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of Elvis & Olive I've read. It's very well written and takes you back to your own childhood. When simple pleasures were the best. Like meeting under a porch, knowing your whole neighborhood, and playing with friends. Elvis & Olive are actually Natalie and Annie. They are best friends and like to solve mysteries. They take jobs among their neighbors to solve mysteries. Like the missing sandal, a missing sack of books and others. But the really big is finding out who or what is Zina Zeolite. I can't really tell you too much as it would give away the whole book. But let's just say she's a really famous comic book and is banned from the library in Mrs. Warsaw's time.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of their differences, Natalie Wallis and Annie Beckett become friends and decide to spend their summer spying on their neighbors.

It's not a classic by a long stretch, nor is it even that original. It seems to pull from a lot of favorite children's books, especially Harriet the Spy, but it's a sweet, engaging read that mixes quirky humor with a sense of realism: these girls and their neighborhood is instantly identifiable to the reader. This is a wonderful story of friendship for 3rd-4th graders, particularly girls, who are looking for a fun escapist read for the summer.

[Clover White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because my ten-year old daughter read it first and was adamant that I would love it. I did like it, although it stretched credibility a bit. While I liked that Natalie decides to become Annie's friend, would someone with such a restricted background so easily embrace sitting in the dirt under the porch with a shirtless, filthy girl? Hard to believe. The two main characters were fairly complex for a middle-school novel, and it was a quick, interesting read. I did quibble with the cover-- the characters, as drawn on the edition I read, looked about 17 instead of 9 and 10. Good illustrations overall.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I grabbed this one out of the galley pile at the store one day when I needed something to read at lunch. It’s solid realistic, opposites attract, friendship fiction, if somewhat exaggerated. Each of the girls is an extreme- the straight-A good girl from a health-food yuppie family, and the off-beat, free spirit, untruthful girl with a questionable history. There are plenty of morals, and you won’t miss them, but I’m sure kids will be amused by Annie’s antics, and may identify with her slice-of-life friendship with Natalie.

[Matthew Winner · Rating 3 out of 5]

NO for black-eyed susan.
YES for our library.

It's a tricky thing, finding books that will appeal to both boys and girls. Unfortunately, I think Elvis and Olive is a little too "girly" for our boys. It is very well-written, however, with a lot of humor.

On a side note, what's up with the cover?! In no way could I believe the pictured teenage, cutesy, scheming girls could possibly be our main characters (a 9-year-old tomboy and a 12-year-old private school smarty).

Oh well, inside the author's written a great story with enjoying.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my 7 year old and it was very enjoyable. In fact, I give a near perfect rating. It is reminiscent of both Because of Winn-Dixie and Walk Two Moons. The characters are both realistic and yet quite interesting. The reader enjoys the unraveling secrets of a normal neighborhood alongside the rather sad story of Annie and her family. I had the chance to meet the author at a local conference, which inspired me to buy the book, and it was one of those books that reads-aloud quite nicely.

[Laura (booksnob) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Natalie is a smart, conservative girl who always does what is right. Annie is a energetic mixture of truth and fiction. Annie has just moved into a house across the street and Natalie isn't sure how to handle this strange girl and her crazy ideas. It seems highly unlikely the girls will become friends until Annie concocts a wild plan to become neighborhood spies. Elvis and Olive are secret code names for two girls who are destined to become the best of friends in their search for adventure. To read the entire book review please visit my blog at http://www.booksnob-booksnob.blogspot...

[Children's Literature Project]

When Natalie Wallis moves to a new home, she quickly becomes friends with her neighbor Annie Beckett. They decide to spend their summer spying on their neighbors; they even create code names for themselves: Elvis & Olive. The girls have fun until they start to learn secrets about one another. They learn that it's sometimes helpful to reveal secrets and they also learn a lesson about the importance of privacy. The grade level is 4 and the lexile measure is 690L. This is great for an individual reading assignment where the students can study predictions.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful little book! It's perfect for my 3rd - 5th grade crowd. I love the relationship between the feisty Annie and the insecure Natalie, who grows and gains confidence with Annie's support. It's so much fun watching their friendship develop. There is also the dynamic of one being in public school while the other is in private school--great for my private school girls to examine. I will definitely be recommending this one.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good pick (by Reed) about a good girl (Natalie) and the ragamuffin new neighbor who befriends her (Annie). Annie stretches the truth quite a bit about a variety of things not the least of which are the circumstances that find her living with her uncle and his girlfriend. Annie and Natalie spend some time spying on neighbors and there are repercussions that are wide (for a child, that is) when their activities are discovered.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like spy books, this book would be great. This book is really realistic, it's like we are spying with them! My opinion on this book is 4/5 stars because it's not perfect, I read this because I like realistic or a diary-like books, not spying books. I hope you enjoy reading this book and thinking that this book is right for you!