How I Became a Writer and Oggie Learned to Drive
Publisher
Philomel Books
Publication Year
2002
ISBN
9780399233944
Pages
155 pages
Genre
realism/fantasy
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
A young writer's fantasy world becomes dangerously entangled with reality. Eleven-year-old Archie and his six-year-old brother, Oggie, are constantly going back and forth between their mother's home and the apartment that their father shares with his girlfriend. To distract Oggie from the turbulence of endlessly bouncing from "Saturn" to "Jupiter" and back again, Archie invents a fantastic story about the Mysterious Mole People. When Oggie's wallet is stolen by kids from a local gang, Archie tries to retrieve it and becomes increasingly ensnared in the gang's dangerous activities. Even worse, he soon finds that his fictitious mole story is merging with the darkness of real life in a very frightening way.
Grade Level
3-5; 6-8
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Separation; separated parents; two homes
Main Character
boy
Race/Ethnicities
White
Family Formation
divorced parents
Awards
Maine Student Book Award, 2003-2004
Nominee
The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
Keywords
brothers; gang; stories; danger; adventure; writing; father dating
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Lisle, Janet Taylor, "How I Became a Writer and Oggie Learned to Drive" (2002). Diverse Families. 1125.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1125