Ophie Peeler has always considered herself to be a Dorothy-type, a girl destined for some kind of glamorous adventure…someday…somehow… somewhere. And her life in fun and sunny California seemed to have an Oz-like magic. She was in every play, she sang Somewhere Over the Rainbow to a packed school auditorium, and she had Lizzy, the best best friend ever.

But now Ophie has moved to Oregon. No glamour, no magic, and no Lizzy. Just this weird girl, this Brittany Borg, who seems to have stuck herself to Ophie (and who calls her “hey, Peeler”!).

Why-oh-why can’t life ever be like it is in the movies?

Dial Books for Young Readers
A member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
345 Hudson Street
New York , New York 10014
www.penguin.com

Cover Art & Illus. © 2004 Rosie Winstead, Ophie out of Oz

PRAISE FOR OPHIE OUT OF OZ

"Ophie's sparkle and depth of character at the author's hand make this an engaging look at the issue of pre-teen identity crisis." 
--Kirkus Reviews

"Thanks to O'Dell's sure and light touch, readers will hope to read more about Ophie in the future--in or out of Oz." 
-- Horn Book Review

"Readers will identify with this likable protagonist and her journey to self-discovery." 
--School Library Journal

Synopsis by reader Christina of Stormville, NY

OPHIE OUT OF OZ is a story about a girl named Ophie who is always moving. When she has to move from California to Oregon, she leaves her best friend Lizzie behind. When she is in Oregon she meets Brittany Borg who wants to always hang out with her. Ophie is tired of that so she tires hanging out with the coolest girls in the fourth grade. But she found out that they weren't so great after all and started hanging out with someone she really liked: Brittany.