The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester

by Barbara O'Connor

Overview

From Barbara O’Connor, the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Wish, comes a book about new friends, a frog, and an unforgettable summer. Perfect for fans of Katherine Applegate and Kate DiCamillo.


An amazing secret has tumbled off a freight train into Carter, Georgia, and Owen Jester is the only person who knows about it. If he can simply manage to evade his grandfather's snappish housekeeper, organize his two best friends, and keep his nosy neighbor, Viola, at bay, he just might be in for the summer of a lifetime. With her trademark wit and easy charm, Barbara O'Connor spins a fantastic fable of friends, enemies, and superbly slimy bullfrogs.

Don't miss Barbara O'Connor's other heartwarming middle-grade titles:
Wish
Wonderland
How to Steal a Dog
Greetings from Nowhere
Beethoven in Paradise
Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia
The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis
On the Road to Mr. Mineo's
Halfway to Harmony
and Dream, the standalone companion to Wish, coming to bookstores on 8/26/25!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781429994682
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	08/31/2010
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Lexile:	770L (what's this?)
File size:	162 KB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Barbara O'Connor is the author of numerous acclaimed books for children, including Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia; Me and Rupert Goody; Greetings from Nowhere and How to Steal a Dog. She has been awarded the Parents' Choice Gold and Silver Awards, the Massachusetts Book Award, and the Dolly Gray Award, among many honors. As a child, she loved dogs, salamanders, tap dancing, school, and even homework. Her favorite days were when the bookmobile came to town. She was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, and now lives in Duxbury, Massachusetts, a historic seaside village not far from Plymouth Rock.
Barbara O’Connor was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, and currently lives in Asheville, North Carolina. She has written many beloved and award-winning books for children, including Dream, Halfway to Harmony, How to Steal a Dog, and the #1 New York Times bestseller Wish.

Reading Group Guide

Reading Comprehension: Good readers make connections to what they are reading. This means they think about how the story relates to something from their own life or someone they know. It could also remind the reader of another book, movie, or television show in some way. Making these connections helps readers stay tuned in to the story instead of letting their mind drift away. As you read the book,
make at least two connections in each chapter. Write them on a sticky note and leave them on the pages where you connected. Then share the memories, connections, and ideas with a reading buddy.

Writing: In Chapter One, Owen writes about three good things and three bad things about moving in with his grandpa. Write your own list of three good things, three bad things about something in your own life. Examples: playing soccer, being in the sixth grade, or learning to play an instrument.

History: It was the ancient Egyptians who finally inspired the answer of how to move the sub. Learn more about the Egyptians and how they influenced the future with all the techniques they used to build the pyramids. Draw a picture and explain what you learned.

Art: Create some type of three-dimensional art inspired by the story. It can be any shape (realistic in form or from your imagination) and color. For full credit you need to write a paragraph about your art piece and why you made the choices that you did.

Science: Graham Pond is an example of a freshwater biome. Research the food chain in an ecosystem as small as a pond and then draw a food web that shows how each organism helps the other to survive.
Research exactly what it is that Tooley needed to survive. Would he have continued to survive if kept in captivity?

Editorial Reviews

O'Connor has perfect pitch in this comic adventure…
—The New York Times

Julie Just

O'Connor has perfect pitch with this comic adventure, which ends with a happy resolution everyone, even the frog, can live with.” —New York Times Book Review

“O'Connor masterfully twists the two plot threads—Owen's gradual realization that Tooley must be released, and the children's Fitzcarraldo-like mission to move the submarine through brush to pond—into a fully convincing tale pitched perfectly to the upper elementary grades.” —BCCB, Starred Review

“This well-crafted novel creates a charming mix of the commonplace and the extraordinary. . . . Appealing and authentic, this tale of summertime adventure will be a hit with readers year round.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review

“O'Connor has spun a lovely read that perfectly captures the schemes and plans of school-age kids in the long days of summer.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“With a quiet sensitivity, O'Connor explores the effects of unemployment and relocating and the joys of both longtime companions and new, unexpected friendships. Filled with charm and wonder, this finely crafted novel reminds readers of the mysteries to be found in childhood and the outdoors.” —BookPage

“. . . the story is smoothly written, the secret is ingenious and believable, and who can resist a frog named Tooley Graham?” —Booklist

“O'Connor's funny, triumphant tale reveals the wisdom of listening to one's inner voice over the noise of one's peers.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

"The short, sad life of Tooley Graham was over," doesn't sound like a happy conclusion but is pitch perfect in this short, simple and endearing middle-grade novel that follows on the heels of The Small Adeventure of Popeye and Elvis (2009). Owen Jester is focused on several things during his summer vacation: finding a way to keep his trapped "pet" bullfrog alive and happy, locating what fell off a train with a loud crash! one night and keeping annoying next-door neighbor Viola—who knows everything—out of their business as he schemes with his two best friends, Stumpy and Travis. The discovery of a sleek, red two-person submarine in the brush alongside the tracks changes everything. Can three young, girl-hating boys and a willing and very able—and tolerant--girl move a submarine to Graham Pond? If they manage that, will they ever be able to pilot it? In the heat of a languid Georgia summer vacation, in the dreams of irrepressible youth, anything is possible. O'Connor has spun a lovely read that perfectly captures the schemes and plans of school-age kids in the long days of summer. (Fiction. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews