Otherwise Known as Possum

by Maria D. Laso

Overview

A heart-expanding debut that introduces the most charming, mischievous, unforgettable heroine since Scout Finch.

Possum Porter has had it with change. First she lost Mama, leaving a hole nothing can fill. And now, instead of trying to return to some kind of normal, Daddy's sending Possum to school. A real school, where you have to wear SHOES. Where some Yankee teacher will try to erase all the useful things Mama taught Possum during their lessons at home.So Possum comes up with a plan. If she can prove that she already knows everything worth knowing, Daddy will let her quit school and stay where she belongs. She won't have to deal with snooty classmates, or worry about tarnishing Mama's memory. But unfortunately, Possum doesn't shoot to the top of the class like she expected. Even worse, the unmarried Yankee teacher seems to have her eyes on someone . . . Possum's Daddy. With time running out, Possum decides to do something drastic to get away from school-and get Daddy out of Ms. Arthington's clutches-or risk losing everything that's keeping her broken heart glued together.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545931946
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/28/2017
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Lexile:	890L (what's this?)
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

A former journalist, Maria D. Laso was a beloved creative writing teacher in Orange County, California, where she helped people from teens to senior citizens find their voices. She completed her debut novel, Otherwise Known as Possum, shortly before her death in 2015.

Read an Excerpt

Every change, even tiny ones like being woken early on a Sunday, could be trouble. I did not want one more freckle to fall off my knee for fifty years. At least.“We're going to church.” “Why come, Daddy?” I’m partial to the singing and rainbow windows though not the wearing of shoes.Daddy wiped his damp brow with one of the kerchiefs I washed for him weekly and finally answered my why come. “Let’s say we’re going to thank God for autumn and pray for cooler weather. Plus, you can thank Him that I haven’t found wherever you had Traveler put those shoes of yours.” I’m of no mind about people’s feet one way or another, but GrandNam made sure I had shoes in church. Though I reckon God knew what my toes looked like, and so did Preacher, as he saw ’em plenty when I helped Daddy build the choir risers. On that sweltery September Sunday, Daddy and me and my bare feet walked up the silent, hot, country road with no more words needed between us. I felt that we would present a united front to the Town Ladies in front of God and all, and they would see how things are. That he and I were doin’ just fine and didn’t need anymore of their fixing.

Editorial Reviews

2016-10-19
The passage of time, a contest, and good friends help a grieving 11-year-old move on from the death of her mother and baby brother. In the autumn of 1932, bowing to community pressure, Possum's father sends her to school for the first time. This likable, capable child has been home-schooled well. She's sure she already knows enough. Besides, she wants no more changes in her life. At school, she must share a desk with a jealous fellow student who suggests that her father is sweet on the new Yankee teacher, who insists on calling her LizBetty. It's almost intolerable—but there's an essay contest. Winning will not only get her the beautiful book of fairy tales she covets, it will prove she knows enough to stay home. Possum's first-person voice is convincing, full of metaphors reflecting her rural Southern mountain background. Interspersed with the narrative covering the three months up to the end of the contest and Christmas are essays written by Possum, her rival, Mary Grace, and her friends Tully and June May. With distinctive, fleshed-out, mostly white characters, awkward beginning romances, and a satisfying resolution, this growing-up story seems both familiar and fresh. Laso's posthumously published first novel goes down smooth as sweet tea. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews