Otherwise Known as Shelia the Great

Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great written by Judy Blume is story about a girl named Sheila Tubman. From the beginning of the book, the reader can tell some important facts about Shelia, even though it's never explicitly stated. First, Sheila hates dogs. She does everything she can to avoid them and refuses to be around any dog. Another thing the reader discovers she can't stand is getting her face wet, so she has never learned how to swim.

During their summer break, the Tubman family stays in a professor's home that has gone away for the summer in Tarrytown. The family had a dog named Jennifer and, of course, Shelia stays as far away from the dog as possible. Yet, Sheila never admits that she's scared of dogs, or is incapable of doing anything. She is too proud to admit that type of thing. The friend Sheila makes in Tarrytown, Mouse, isn't afraid to admit that she can't do something or is afraid of something. She is opposite of Sheila, and she often encourages Sheila to admit her problems by admitting one of her own problems first. In the end, Sheila learns how to overcome her fears and problems, and learns to admit that she can't do it all and that she is afraid of things.

This novel is a good discussion book for students to understand that it is better to admit that they can't do something than to act like you can handle it. Once you can admit these fears or problems, you can then take the steps to overcome your fears and fix your problems. That can't happen until you do though.