The Books: “Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great” (Judy Blume)

Moving along with my book excerpt project. I am now actually done with my history/american biography bookshelf, sniff, sniff. It didn’t take me as long to get through as the first bookshelf – because the first bookshelf is mostly plays, and those are much smaller, so you can fit more of them on the shelves!!

So the NEXT bookshelf I’m going to tackle (I’m so obsessive) is my shelf of all my beloved children’s books! I am so excited! Many of these books I have had since I was literally 6 years old. Others I tracked down, once I was an adult – and there are still more that I need to find – I love children’s books, and my young adult books … They are more treasured to me than any other of the books in my library. Because I have loved them longest.

I hope those of you who read these excerpts find some of your favorites here, too!

So to start off? We’ve got some Judy Blume. JUDY BLUME. I read them all when I was a kid … and I was particularly excited, as a child, because one of her heroines was named after me. My 4th grade teacher Miss Rogers (who was, in general, a bitch, who shamed me for not understanding fractions, and I credit HER with my mental block towards mathematics – BITCH – I will never forgive her for that) read Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great outloud to the class – this was my first introduction to Judy Blume’s books. I LOVE Sheila the Great. She’s such a great character.

So that’s the first book on the shelf: Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume.

Sheila Tubman is in 5th grade. She lives in New York City with her family. She has an older sister Libby who is VERY condescending. The book takes place during summer vacation when the family leaves the city for the summer and lives in Tarrytown … right down the street from Sleepy Hollow. Sheila is kind of a scaredy-cat – she is terrified of the Headless Horseman, terrified of swimming (she has never learned how), terrified of s’s (that’s my girl), scared of dogs – she will go out of her way to avoid dogs – and has a whole catalog of secret fears. But on the other hand, she acts like a superhero, she has a huge ego, and she refers to herself as Sheila the Great. She doesn’t know who she is. Is she the scaredy cat? Or is she the brave bossy hero? Which side of her personality will win out? Over the course of the summer, she has all of these learning experiences – makes new friends, she takes swimming lessons (some of the best parts of the book) – and, in general, learns to conquer some of her fears.

I love this book. Judy Blume is awesome awesome awesome.

Here’s an excerpt from the first chapter. It’s funny – I haven’t read this book in years, since I was a little kid!! But all the details came back to me when I looked over this chapter this morning: Sheila gulping down orange juice, forgetting the milk, Libby’s ballet shoes…

(Also, my copy – which I just ordered – appears to have been updated. There is reference to a CD player. There was, recently, a brou-haha because Judy Blume updated Are You There God – which is about getting your first period. That original book had reference to pads with belts – which, of course, are no longer in use. I don’t believe there was any reference to tampons. It was a different time. Judy Blume went through and updated it, for girls of this generation – so that it would be relevant to their first-menstruation experiences. So anyway, back to Sheila the Great; It probably said “turntable” or “record player” in the original)

The goodness of Judy Blume’s books, for me, is in the DETAILS. Notice all the details she gets in here. It’s good writing – yes, for a 10 year old reader – but good writing. It’s also very funny.

Excerpt From Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume

Henry was right. Ten flights up is a long walk. By the time I got to my floor I was huffing and puffing so hard I had to sit down on the landing and rest. Little drips of sweat ran from my face down to my neck. Still, I think it’s pretty smart of me to pretend that I hate Turtle because he smells. I always hold my nose when I see Peter coming with him. That way Peter will never know the truth!

After a few minutes I wiped my face with the back of my hand and walked down the hall to our apartment. Mrs. Reese is the only person on our floor with a dog. And I don’t worry too much about her. Because her dog is so small she carries him around in her arms. She calls him Baby and knits him little sweaters to wear.

I pushed open our apartment door and went straight into the kitchen to get something to drink.

“Is that you, Sheila?” my mother called.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Did you have fun at Laurie’s?”

“Yes,” I said, gulping down a whole can of apple juice.

“Is it still hot out?” Mom asked.

“Yes.”

“Did you remember to bring home a quart of milk?”

Oh oh! I knew I forgot something.

“Sheila … did you bring home the milk?” Mom called again.

“No … I forgot.”

I went into the living room then. My mother was reading a book. The CD player was on and my sister Libby was twirling around in her pink toe slippers. She is thirteen and thinks she’s a great ballerina. I could hold my nose for the way Libby dances, but I’d get into big trouble if I did.

My mother said, “You better go back down and get the milk, Sheila.”

I flipped into the big chair that tilts back and said, “I can’t, Mom. I’m dead. I just walked up the stairs.”

“Don’t tell me the elevatory is out of order!” Mom said.

“No.”

“Then why did you walk up ten flights of stairs?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I just felt like it.”

“Sheila, that was a very foolish thing to do in this heat,” Mom told me. “Now go into your room and lie down for a while before supper.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes, you do. Libby will go to the store and get the milk.”

Libby did three flying leaps before she said, “Can’t you see I’m in the middle of a routine?”

“Your routine can wait,” Mom said. “I need the milk for supper and Daddy will be home soon.”

“But, Mother! I’m in my leotard,” Libby said.

Libby used to say Mom, like me. But since she started junior high, it’s Mother this and Mother that. She is very strange.

Mom told Libby, “You can put a skirt over your leotard and nobody will notice.” Then she looked at me. “Sheila, what are you waiting for? I said go and lie down.”

“Okay … okay,” I said. “I’m going.” I took off my shoes and arranged them on the floor so that the toes pointed toward my bedroom.

I line them up every day before my father comes home. It’s part of a private game Daddy and I play. I am always hiding somewhere and Daddy has to find me. His only clue is my shoes. I invented this game when I was seven and we’ve been playing it ever since.

Libby said when she was ten she acted a lot more grown-up than me. I think she missed out on some good fun. Anyway, Daddy would be disappointed if I stopped playing our game.

Libby and I share a bedroom. I stretched out on my bed while Libby turned the closet upside down looking for a skirt.

“You are a pain!” she said to me. “You know that, Sheila? You are a real live pain!”

I didn’t answer her.

“Why’d you walk up the stairs … huh?”

I still didn’t answer.

“Did you see a dog in the elevator? I’ll bet that’s it. I’ll bet Mrs. Reese was in the elevator with Baby.”

“Wrong!” I said.

Libby finally found a skirt and pulled it on over her leotard. “Then I’ll bet it was Peter Hatcher and Turtle.”

“Maybe it was and maybe it wasn’t,” I said.

“Chicken chicken chicken,” Libby called as she left.

I put my hands over my ears to show I wasn’t even listening.