Go Ask Ozzie: A Rotten Richie Story

In this companion story to My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, beloved storyteller Patricia Polacco tells a lively and warmhearted tale of comic sibling tension and brotherly love based on her own childhood.

There’s nothing worse than a rotten redheaded older brother who is the most embarrassing brother in the Elwood school district in Oakland, California. Even three years older, Richie makes Patricia’s life miserable, and there is nowhere to hide in their small town. Richie is gross—tangled hair, sloppy room, and messy clothes. And he doesn’t even care—not one bit! And now that they’re both in middle school, Richie does everything he can to mortify Patricia in front of her friends. Ozzie at the lunch counter says there will come a time when the two siblings will be friends, but that can’t be right…can it?