The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis

Written by Barbara O'Connor

Narrated by Scott Sowers

For her work in children's literature, Barbara O'Connor has received numerous accolades, including several Parents' Choice honors. Life in Fayette, South Carolina, is nothing but boring for Popeye. Then an RV crashes in front of his house, depositing Elvis Jewell and his five rowdy siblings on the scene. Elvis likes to make his own adventures and doesn't have much time for rules. This excites Popeye to no end, and soon he befriends this strange visitor. One day while playing by the river, the two witness miniature boats carrying secret messages floating with the current, thus inspiring an epic tiny adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 15, 2010
• ISBN: 9781440774287

Barbara O'Connor

Barbara O’Connor was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. She has written many award-winning books for children, including the New York Times–bestselling Wish, Wonderland, How to Steal a Dog, Greetings from Nowhere, and Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia.

Reviews for The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis

[scote23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2010 Maine Student Book Award Nominee

Cute, but not life-changing. I enjoyed all the vocabulary words.

[abbylibrarian_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Popeye's summer stretches out before him, stuck in the house with his grandmother and his no-account uncle while the rain pours outside. But when the rain clears and Popeye discovers a motor home stuck in the mud outside his house, Popeye meets Elvis and they decide to have a small adventure together. It's very well-written, made me laugh out loud in parts, and managed to pull off serious bits without veering into Depressing. The story's a quiet one and it reminded me of The Penderwicks for boys.

[stephxsu · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nothing against the writing, or whatever. I just didn't feel like there was much going on at all, even though there was a small adventure and boats with cryptic notes inside. The "small Southern town in America" setting and feel of the book was difficult for my EL410 students to digest. However, even though at first my students thought the book was boring, they soon became interested in the "adventure," some of them going so far as to finish reading the book early.

[dms02 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh good gracious - this is one of the loveliest and most wonderful children's books I have had the pleasure to read aloud to my daughter. I want to recommend this book to everyone I know with kids - especially if you have boys. Sublime! I dreaded the turn of the last page.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

already ordered... look at all those awards, but no Newbery... Newbery surely does emphasize historical fiction... If I ever finish the Newbery project in the Childrens' Books group, I'll have to choose another award to cover....

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A small book, a small adventure... but a big impact. The other reviewers are speaking from the heart - I won't try to convince you to read this but refer you to them, instead. I will comment only on the wonderful way O'Connor gives word nerds their fix. The very first vocabulary word, vicissitude, is one I've never bothered to look up, and so didn't realize until now just what it means. And there are insults, cussing, rhymes, puzzles, and metaphors galore. Not to mention plot, setting, characters, etc. How O'Connor manages to get so much accomplished in such a short book astounds me. I'll look for more by her.

[Her] wrath still hovered in the air like a swarm of hornets.""

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Small-town South Carolina life is pretty routine for Popeye until he discovers the silver RV camper stuck in the ditch, and meets the family living there: Elvis and all his brothers and sisters. Popeye and Elvis seek a "small adventure" apart from the little ones and find it in the mysterious Yoo-Hoo carton boats floating down the stream. Who's making these boats, where do they come from, and what's the meaning of the strange notes attached? Barbara O'Connor brings the rural South alive on the page once again.

[librarian1204 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Perfect little gem of a book. Rural south with dysfunctional families and wonderful vocabulary words dropped into the story. Never knew why I wanted to know English royalty in order!

[a2libraryann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book will be one of my best summer-reading suggestions! Set in a small town, the story reminds me of growing up without every hour of my little-kid day scheduled with play dates and camps and organized activities. These 2 oddly named boys break the rules of "staying close to home" and find marvelous adventures. I hope the same for all kids this summer!

[karilibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Fayette, South Carolina, the highlight of Popeye's summer is learning vocabulary words with his grandmother until a motor home gets stuck nearby and Elvis, the oldest boy living inside, joins Popeye in finding the source of strange boats floating down the creek.

[khusser_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis A humorous and folksy, Tom Sawyer-like tale, about one-eyed Popeye growing up in South Carolina and his adventures with the new kid, Elvis, (Henry) who comes into town in his parent’s Holiday Rambler motor home. Yoo-hoo boats with mysterious words aboard intrigue the boys’ and their new “Spit and Swear” club. Southern dialect throughout the story, along with “vocabulary words” (ie: divert, qualm, and livid) help young readers learn new words and help propel this adventure tale of where the “dead dogs live.”

[skstiles612 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Popeye, so named because his uncle Dooley had accidently shot his eye out with a B.B gun when he was three, is bored. His life consists of staring at the heart shaped stain on his bedroom ceiling and listening to his grandma Velma recite the kings and queens of England to keep her mind sharp. He lives with her because his parents are absent from his life. Occasionally his mother pops in for a visit. Popeye sees his life as boring until the day the Holiday Rambler gets stuck in the mud near his house. That is the day that he meets Elvis and they set out to have a small adventure while they wait for the motor home to get unstuck from the mud. Setting off through the woods toward the creek they find a boat made out of a Yoo-Hoo carton. Their new adventure is to find out where they come from and why. This was a cute book. Growing up in the country I often found things to be boring on rainy days. Like Popeye's grandmother, my mother always wanted us within hollerin' distance. It was funny how something as simple as finding out where the boats came from could be considered an adventure. I look forward to recommending this book.

[laurensx · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Popeye is bored. Life in a small Georgia town, provides no meaningful distractions for this little boy. Besides the new word he learns each week from his aunt Velma, little else happens to keep Popeye occupied. That is, until a mobile home winds up stuck on the road in his town. Inside that mobile home is Elvis, and a bit of excitement. The two boys try to find excitement, when one day, they spy something that will keep them occupied for a little while.