Barbara O’Connor Books In Order

Me and Rupert Goody

Things at Jennalee’s house are just plain crazy, which is why she loves her predictable days helping Uncle Beau who isn’t really her uncle at his general store. But then Rupert Goody shows up, claiming to be Uncle Beau’s son. Jennalee can’t believe it, because Rupert is black and Uncle Beau is white. But Uncle Beau tells her it is true and incorporates Rupert into his life, ruining Jennalee’s routine. Although Rupert is slow, he is kind hearted and tries hard to please. When more unforeseen events this time frightening ones further interrupt life at the store, Jennalee comes to see that Rupert Goody, odd though he may be, is certainly not the worst unexpected thing that could come along, and that he belongs with Uncle Beau as much as she does. With a vividly depicted setting, emotional truth, and a distinctly Southern voice, Barbara O’Connor shows that there is love enough to go around.

Moonpie and Ivy

When Pearl’s mother, Ruby, leaves her at Aunt Ivy’s house, at first Pearl thinks that she’ll be back soon. But as the days stretch on, Pearl wonders if she’ll ever return. It seems a pretty sorry state of affairs to Pearl. There’s no one around except for Moonpie, the neighbor boy whose mother doesn’t want him, either. But even so, Moonpie seems to have a kind of family. Ruby is the only family Pearl has ever known. Available only in The Literacy Bridge 5.

Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia

Will a spelling bee be the answer to all of Bird’s problems?All her life, all Bird has ever wanted is to be noticed in her small town and to get to Disney World. As it turns out, Bird just might have a chance to realize at least one of her goals because of a state spelling bee, and she might get to make a friend along the way a boy named Harlem Tate who has just moved to Freedom. Harlem seems like a kindred spirit someone like Bird, whom people don t usually take the time to find the good in. Unless it s someone like Miss Delphine, who always makes Bird feel special. But as much as Bird tries to get his attention, Harlem is not easily won over. Then Harlem agrees to be her partner in the spelling bee, and if they study hard enough, the two might just win everything Bird s always wanted. In Barbara O Connor s funny new novel, a spunky young girl discovers that sometimes all it takes to feel famous is a little recognition from true friends. Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia is a 2004 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year.

How to Steal a Dog

Half of me was thinking, Georgina, don t do this. Stealing a dog is just plain wrong. The other half of me was thinking, Georgina, you re in a bad fix and you got to do whatever it takes to get yourself out of it.

Georgina Hayes is desperate. Ever since her father left and they were evicted from their apartment, her family has been living in their car. With her mama juggling two jobs and trying to make enough money to find a place to live, Georgina is stuck looking after her younger brother, Toby. And she has her heart set on improving their situation. When Georgina spots a missing dog poster with a reward of five hundred dollars, the solution to all her problems suddenly seems within reach. All she has to do is borrow the right dog and its owners are sure to offer a reward. What happens next is the last thing she expected.

With unmistakable sympathy, Barbara O Connor tells the story of a young girl struggling to see what’s right when everything else seems wrong.

Greetings from Nowhere

Aggie isn t expecting visitors at the Sleepy Time Motel in the Great Smoky Mountains. Since her husband died, she is all alone with her cat, Ugly, and keeping up with the bills and repairs has become next to impossible. The pool is empty, the garden is overgrown, and not a soul has come to stay in nearly three months. When she reluctantly places a For Sale ad in the newspaper, Aggie doesn t know that Kirby and his mom will need a room when their car breaks down on the way to Kirby’s new reform school. Or that Loretta and her parents will arrive in her dad s plumbing company van on a trip meant to honor the memory of Loretta s birth mother. Or that Clyde Dover will answer the For Sale ad in such a hurry and move in with his daughter, Willow, looking for a brand new life to replace the one that was fractured when Willow s mom left. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is that Aggie and her guests find just the friends they need at the shabby motel in the middle of nowhere. From an author long recognized for her true Southern voice and heartfelt characters, Greetings from Nowhere, with its four intertwining stories, brings Barbara O Connor s work to a new level of sophistication.

The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis

Nothing ever happens in Fayette, South Carolina. That’s what Popeye thinks, anyway. His whole life, everything has just been boring, boring, boring. But things start to look up when the Jewells Holiday Rambler makes a wrong turn and gets stuck in the mud, trapping Elvis and his five rowdy siblings in Fayette for who knows how long. Popeye has never met anyone like Elvis Jewell. He s so good at swearing he makes Uncle Dooley look like a harp strumming angel, and he says So what? like he really means it. Then something curious comes floating down the creek a series of boats with secret messages and it sends Popeye and Elvis into the big world on the hunt for a small adventure. With a healthy helping of humor and the signature Southern charm that has captivated children and critics alike, Barbara O Connor s newest tale is a heartwarming look at the joy that can come out of being a Royal Rule Breaker, and learning to find one s own adventures.

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester

Owen Jester wishes his family hadn t moved to his grandfather’s house after his dad lost his job. For one thing, his grandfather s live in nurse sure knows how to ruin anyone s idea of a good time. And then there s Viola, the girl next door, who can t ever mind her own business. She even thinks Owen should put his freshly captured bullfrog back into the pond. Then late one night, Owen hears a curious noise when the train pas*ses by his grandfather s house. Something mysterious and wonderful has fallen off the train. When Owen finally discovers what it is, he realizes he just might need a know it all after all. But can he trust Viola keep the most fantastic secret to ever tumble into Carter, Georgia?

Mammolina

Describes the life and achievements of the Italian woman doctor who developed a revolutionary method of educating children.

Barefoot Dancer

Describes the life of the modern dancer who created a spontaneous, free form dance style accompanied by literary readings and non dance music.

Beethoven in Paradise

Set in a trailer park called Paradise’You’re just wasting your God given talents if you don’t get yourself something besides a little ole harmonica to play.’ Wylene made it sound so easy. Martin had always like music liked to listen to it, liked to make up tunes in his head. But all he had to do was say the word ‘piano’ to his father and all hell would break loose. His father thought music was for sissies, and was always mad at Martin for not being good at baseball. But with a lot of help from his friends Wylene and Sybil and his grandmother, Hazeline, Martin learns that, although he can’t change his father, he can learn to stick up for himself. With humor, pathos, and a colorful cast of offbeat characters, Barbara O’Connor shows that there’s room for genius wherever there’s a place for compassion even in Paradise.

The World At His Fingertips

A biography of the nineteenth century Frenchman, accidentally blinded as a child, who created the dot system of reading and writing that is now used by the blind throughout the world.

Katherine Dunham

A biography of Katherine Dunham, emphasizing her childhood, her love of anthropology and dance, and the creation of her unique dance style.