When Life Gives You O. J.

May 2, 2011
In this warm novel about family, friendship, and fitting in, 10-year-old Zelly and her family move from Brooklyn to Vermont to live with her recently widowed grandfather, Ace. An eccentric and vociferous retired judge who spouts Yiddish sayings and outlandish fish tales, Ace devises a plan for Zelly to prove to her parents that she's responsible enough to get a dog. He gives her a "practice dog"âan orange juice jug "named" O.J.âthat she must care for as she would a real dog. After Zelly's insightful new friend Jeremy (the only other Jewish peer she's met) advises her to start a dog-walking business, she drags her ersatz pet along. Perl (Vintage Veronica) offers a refreshing take on the grandparent-grandchild rapport. Ace's bossiness and brashness irk Zelly (he may have this effect on readers, too, as his speech is unfortunately rendered in all caps for most of the novel), yet there is a poignant undercurrent of love between them, as well as shared grieving for Zelly's grandmother. The novel strikes an admirable balance of humor and pathosâat times in the same scene. Ages 8â12.

May 15, 2011

Be careful what you wish for is the premise of this mildly amusing novel about a girl who aches for a dog.

Zelly Fried, Jewish and entering sixth grade, lives in Vermont, where she doesn't feel she fits in. Understanding her yearnings, Grandpa (a.k.a. "Ace") ropes Zelly into using an orange-juice jug as a "practice dog" to convince her parents she's capable of caring for a real one. Because she loves Ace—and because he's an unstoppable force of nature (whose booming voice is rendered in large uppercase letters)—Zelly gives in. Taking care of "O.J." isn't easy, particularly cleaning up "fake poop." Schlepping a jug on a leash and including it in various activities is especially humiliating. Why Zelly embarks on this scheme, let alone keeps on, will strain readers' credulity, as will the delayed entry into the novel of sensible ideas, courtesy of a new friend, for showing that Zelly's ready for dog ownership. Zelly does rebel at one point but then returns to "O.J." in a predictable, maudlin plot twist. Characterizations are superficial, though Zelly is likable, and kids will relate to her predicament. Too many subplots also make for uneven storytelling.

Yiddish words and phrases and various Jewish customs are sprinkled liberally throughout and defined in a glossary, which might help the novel reach more than a niche audience. (Fiction. 9-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

September 1, 2011

Gr 4-6-Zelda Fried's grandfather, Ace, comes up with the perfect plan to help convince her parents to get her the dog she so desperately wants: the 10-year-old will take care of a "practice dog" (actually an old orange juice jug), including feeding, walking, and cleaning up after it, until they give in. This is totally embarrassing, and to make matters worse, although Zelly moved from Brooklyn, NY, to Vermont a while ago, she still feels like the new kid in town. Her only friend will be spending the summer at camp, leaving her all alone to deal with her annoying little brother and the neighborhood bullies (who no doubt will have a lot to say about her plastic companion). By the end of the summer, she has made another friend, learned to stand up for herself, and begun to appreciate her "pet." Despite the novel's forced secondary story line about Zelly's Jewish family fitting in with the new neighborhood and Ace's unfortunate trip to the hospital near the end of the book, readers will enjoy the main character's liveliness and resilience.-Amanda Moss Struckmeyer, Middleton Public Library, WI

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2011
Grades 4-6 Ten-year-old Zelly Fried has recently moved to Vermont from Brooklyn and longs for a dog. Her eccentric grandfather, Ace, develops the idea of a practice dog (in the form of an orange-juice container) and challenges Zelly to walk, feed, and clean it everyday to show her parents that she is responsible enough for the real thing. Zelly's desire for a dog collides head-on with her desire not to stick out, and her attitude toward the practice dog (dubbed O.J.) and her combative relationship with Ace are complicated by her raw grief following the recent death of her grandmother. Zelly is a sympathetic, believably flawed character. The fact that she has as much to teach Ace as he has to teach her is just one satisfying element of this funny, often wise novel, which touches on issues of anti-Semitism and middle-school malice and includes a glossary of Yiddish words used throughout the text. In the end, Zelly's triumph isn't the dog she eventually gains, but the steps she takes to reach him.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)