When Life Gives You O.J. (review)

Ten-year-old Zelly wants a dog more than anything, so her grandfather, Ace, creates a “practice dog” made out of an orange-juice carton that Zelly must feed, walk, and clean up after, so that Zelly can prove to her parents that she’d be a responsible pet owner. Zelly is wholly unenthused by this ridiculous proposition, particularly because she has just begun caring what people, particularly peers, think about her, but desperation forces her to agree to Ace’s proposal. The result is a wholly engaging novel about intergenerational family dynamics featuring two extremely likable and relatable characters. Ace is a character of sitcom proportions; his speech, printed in all caps as an indicator of his constant volume, is heavily sprinkled with Yiddish expletives and demanding turns of phrase. Yet he also has a softer side, which Zelly, who was much closer to her recently deceased grandmother, is just learning to see. In addition to the dog storyline, Zelly is developing a friendship with a new boy in town, Jeremy Fagel, who helps her both with her confidence and her handling of family situations, and this friendship shows readers a different side of Zelly as well. The believable resolution finds all members of Zelly’s family a little better off than they were in the beginning, particularly Zelly, who is all too happy to retire O.J. to a place of honor on her top shelf upon the arrival of her brand-new pup.