Otis Spofford, Beverly Cleary
Otis Spofford, Beverly Cleary
2 Rating(s)
List: $11.99 | Sale: $8.40
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Otis Spofford

Author: Beverly Cleary

Narrator: Johnny Heller

Unabridged: 2 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 03/17/2009


Synopsis

Newbery Medal-winning author Beverly Cleary brings her understanding and warmth to every page of this wonderful story of a ""bad boy.""When it comes to stirring up a little excitement in class, Otis Spofford knows just what to do. He can turn a folk dance fiesta into a three-ring circus . . . or an arithmetic lesson into a spitball marathon.Best of all, Otis likes teasing neat, well-behaved Ellen Tebbits—until the day his teasing goes too far. Now Otis is nervous, because Ellen isn't just mad . . . she's planning something!

About Beverly Cleary

Beverly Cleary is one of America's most beloved authors. As a child, she struggled with reading and writing. But by third grade, after spending much time in her public library in Portland, Oregon, she found her skills had greatly improved. Before long, her school librarian was saying that she should write children's books when she grew up.Instead she became a librarian. When a young boy asked her, ""Where are the books about kids like us?"" she remembered her teacher's encouragement and was inspired to write the books she'd longed to read but couldn't find when she was younger. She based her funny stories on her own neighborhood experiences and the sort of children she knew. And so, the Klickitat Street gang was born!Mrs. Cleary's books have earned her many prestigious awards, including the American Library Association's Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, presented to her in recognition of her lasting contribution to children's literature. Dear Mr. Henshaw won the Newbery Medal, and Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and Ramona and Her Father have been named Newbery Honor Books. Her characters, including Beezus and Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Ralph, the motorcycle-riding mouse, have delighted children for generations.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Manny

Jared Diamond looks at several societies that have collapsed as a result of misusing their natural resources, plus a couple (Tokugawa period Japan is the star example) that miraculously managed to pull back from the brink. At the end, he also talks about some present-day cases where we still don't k......more

Goodreads review by Kevin

5-star topic. Minus 1 for tragic presentation of materialism in the first half. Minus 2 for farcical political economy in the second half. The Tragic: --The first half surveys a handful of historical collapses and a few survivals; frankly, I do not think there is need to give too much credit for a go......more

Terrifying how often the pattern of exploitation of nature and decline of cultures has repeated itself. The fitting additional book to Diamonds work "Guns Germs and Steel" offers past and present scenarios of various environmental conditions and the mastery or miserable failure of the peoples trying......more

Goodreads review by Will

This is a major work. Diamond looks in detail at the factors at play in the demise of civilizations in human history, using a wide range of examples. He offers a framework in which to structure the analysis and looks in great detail at possible (and in many cases certain) reasons why various societi......more