Call Me Oklahoma!

February 11, 2013
Paige Turner has the kind of name that encourages bad, punny jokes. She wants to start fourth grade as a new person, someone brash and brave, who would never be pushed around by the likes of snooty Viveca Frye. So Paige announces her new name, “Oklahoma” (“a name with guts”), and hopes the new person will follow. Paige’s older brother, Conrad, mocks her new name, as does Viveca, but Paige’s best friend Gavi has her back—until a book fair, a stuffed monkey, and Paige’s unexpected alliance with Viveca come between the two girls. Glassman (Box Top Dreams) has a solid handle on the desire for reinvention that drives Paige’s name change—she is hardly the first fourth-grader who has wished to be called by a different name. Although ever-annoying Conrad often comes across like a younger—not older—brother, the sparring between the siblings will be familiar to many a put-upon reader. Filled with humorous and believable details and dialogue, Paige’s journey of self-discovery should keep readers hooked. Ages 7–10. Agent: Ann Tobias, A Literary Agency for Children’s Books

March 1, 2013
Nine-year-old Paige Turner is tired of being timid--but she needs a new name to go with her new identity. The beginning of fourth-grade seems like the ideal time to change. Paige is determined to be brave this year: do flips on the high bar at recess, stand up to the class bully, Viveca Frye, and maybe, just maybe, even eat cauliflower. The name Oklahoma feels perfect for her new, gutsy personality. After all, at the end of the musical Oklahoma! everyone comes out on stage and yells, "Yee-haw!" A person who yells yee-haw is precisely who Paige wants to be. But changing names is not easy. And neither, as Paige learns, is fourth grade. Questions of popularity and loyalty test her friendships, and the annual talent show has her terrified. But with the help of an inspired teacher and a trusty piano on which to bang and clang out her frustrations, Paige realizes that she doesn't need to change herself entirely. She can keep a little Oklahoma inside, just in case. Glassman's spot illustrations have the same energy as her swift prose; Paige's symbolic lassos are swinging all over the pages. Though it's not quite as layered as some other beginning chapter books, young readers who are searching for their own selves will certainly appreciate this new heroine. (Fiction. 7-10)

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April 1, 2013

Gr 2-4-A humorous and encouraging tale about standing up to bullies of all shapes and sizes and remaining true to oneself. When Paige Turner announces to her family at breakfast that she's going to be a new person in the fourth grade, she really means it: from her new red clogs, to her matching bandana, all the way up to her name. Paige insists that she be called "Oklahoma," sure that the courageous moniker will pave the way for a brave, new Paige. As she deals with high monkey bars, asserting herself, and the class talent show, she learns that being brave is about more than just a name. The story also highlights the importance of being a good friend and acting responsibly. Paige is an inspiring and lighthearted character whom kids will like. Recommend this one to fans of Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones and Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy.-Terry Ann Lawler, Burton Barr Library, Phoenix, AZ

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