Oggie Cooder

Im starting to think that Sarah Weeks has a thing for interesting character names and words. In So B. It, you had the word soof and in Oggie Cooder youve got Oggies name (how fun is that?), the thing hes good at (charving a combination of chewing and carving cheese into shapes), and even other character names (like Donnica).

Oggie is quite a character. His teachers have described him over the years as being unusual or marching to the beat of a different drummer and hes definitely an individual. He wears hand-me-down clothes from his parents thrift shop (and they never match). He crochets his own shoelaces. And, of course, he charves.

All the other kids (except for Amy, you gotta love the girl) pretty much think Oggie is a total dork and make fun of him. Happily, hes pretty oblivious to it, as he doesnt have a deceptive bone in his body. Donnica is one of the worst, the Queen Bee of the elementary school.

But she suddenly takes a mysterious interest in Oggies charving skills and asks him to teach her how to do it. Everyone but Oggie wonders what her sudden interest in him is, but hes just happy to have the attention. There is, of course, a motive behind Donnicas change of heart&the Hidden Talents TV Show is coming to town and they are looking for kids with weird and goofy hidden talents.

But its Oggie who winds up being discovered instead of Donnica. She recovers by insinuating herself into the situation as his manager. Soon Oggies life is crazy and everyone, it seems, knows who he is and wants to be like him. Hes the next big craze.

But is it enough? Is it too much? Is Oggies life his own anymore? How much can he take? Is this instant fame what Oggie really wants?

This is a cute little read appropriate for readers aged 7 and up. Oggie is pretty adorable and everyone (other than Donnica) winds up pretty sympathetic. Turk, his dog, is also a charmer. The message of being true to yourself is a good one and Oggie is a good kid and a good role model (though you know hes going to be teased about the seersucker pants and the plaid stuff he wears forever).