Cleo Edison Oliver

Budding entrepreneurs will love the unforgettable Cleopatra Edison Oliver in this multiracial, capitalist tale that's equal parts The Lemonade War and Encyclopedia Brown. Cleopatra Edison Oliver has always been an entrepreneur, just like her inspiration, successful businesswoman Fortune A. Davies. So when Cleo's fifth-grade teacher assigns her class a "Passion Project," Cleo comes up with her best business idea yet: the finest "tooth-pulling" company in town. With the help of her best friend Caylee, a Nerf gun, her dad's tablet, and her patented Persuasion Power, Cleo's Quick and Painless Tooth Removal Service starts to take off.But even the best made plans, by the best CEOs, go awry sometimes. A minor barfing incident during a tooth-pulling operation causes Cleo to lose customers. Caylee, initially enthusiastic about the business, grows distant as Cleo neglects their friendship in lieu of getting more customers. And when a mean classmate makes fun of Cleo for being adopted, everything comes crashing down. Will she be able to rescue her business, salvage her friendship with Caylee, and discover that her true home has been here all along? Praise for The Other Half of My Heart*"Funny and deeply affecting... the richest portrait of multiracial identity and family since Virginia Hamilton's 1976 novel Arilla Sun Down. An outstanding achievement." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review*"[Frazier's] ability to round out each character, looking past easy explanations for attitude, is impressive... A novel with a great deal of heart indeed..." -- Booklist, starred reviewPraise for Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It"Frazier delivers her messages without using an overly heavy hand. Brendan is a real kid with a passion for science and also a willingness to push his parents' rules; he's not just a placard for the author's central message." -- Booklist"Brendan is an appealing character with a sense of honor... curiosity and intelligence. A good, accessible selection to inspire discussion of racism and prejudice." -- Kirkus Reviews"This is an absorbing look at a 10-year-old boy who has never had to deal with race and prejudice, who collides into years of anger and hurt in his family and must create a new identity for himself... Frazier writes affectingly about what being biracial means in 21st-century America." -- School Library Journal Sundee Frazier is the author of Cleo Edison Oliver, Playground Millionaire, which received a starred review from Booklist. She won the 2008 ALA Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe New Talent Award for her first novel, Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It. Frazier graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in broadcast journalism in 1991 and earned her MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College in 2004. She currently lives near Seattle with her husband and two daughters. Find her online at sundeefrazier.com. Dear Ms. Fortune A. Davies:My name is Cleopatra Edison Oliver, I am in the 5th grade, and I am most likely your biggest fan in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!! I have been watching Fortune with my mom since I was three years old. Seeing you on TV is actually my VERY FIRST memory! Can any other fan say that?!Ms. Davies, you talk about purpose a lot. You say yours is "Delivering Destinies and Financing Futures." I have a future in business. I know I do. First of all, there is my name, which I got from my birth mom. (Is it true that you find the pharaohs of Egypt fascinating?) Personally, I LOVE my name because Cleopatra was a very powerful woman (just like you!). Not only am I named after a queen and ruler, but my initials are CEO, and I'm a Capricorn (just like you!), the zodiac's top business achievers. So, Ms. Davies, as you can clearly see, ruling companies is my destiny!I have tons of ideas for what I will do with the money I make, starting with a special theme park for adopted kids and their families. If I had a dollar for every time m

The unstoppable Cleo Edison Oliver returns in an adventure that's rich in all senses of the word. Cleopatra Edison Oliver has a brand new business: Passion Clips. She and her best friend Caylee are going to take the world by storm with their personalized barrettes. All they need now is their big break. So when successful businesswoman Fortune A. Davies announces a new website where "kidpreneurs" can upload ads for their businesses, Cleo invites all of her customers to film an ad for FortuneTube.But making a commercial is different from running a business, and when Cleo's customers get fed up with her direction, she might lose her friends and her chance to shine. Meanwhile, Cleo is more and more certain that she wants to meet her birth parents -- but she's starting to wonder if they will ever want to meet her. Can she win back her friends, take her business to the next level, and find the family she's been looking for? Praise for Cleo Edison Oliver in Persuasion Power"Cleo's an engaging, effervescent original whose story unfolds with humor and insight, probing weighty issues with a light touch." -- Kirkus ReviewsPraise for Cleo Edison Oliver, Playground Millionaire* "Cleo brings a welcome burst of diversity to elementary fiction, and readers will be charmed by this utterly unforgettable character." -- Booklist, starred review"Frazier offers a rare, cleareyed view of adoption... A funny, compassionate tale." -- Kirkus Reviews"An inspiration to young entrepreneurs... Entertaining and relatable." -- School Library Journal Sundee Frazier is the author of Cleo Edison Oliver, Playground Millionaire, which received a starred review from Booklist. She won the 2008 ALA Coretta Scott King / John Steptoe New Talent Award for her first novel, Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It. Frazier graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in broadcast journalism in 1991 and earned her MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College in 2004. She currently lives near Seattle with her husband and two daughters. Find her online at sundeefrazier.com. Dear Ms. Fortune A. Davies:It has been almost a month since I last wrote, so I thought you might like an update. A lot has happened with Cleopatra Enterprises, Inc. -- things that might sound not so good at first, but that I am CONFIDENT will all work out for the best.My last business, Cleo's Quick and Painless Tooth Removal Service, had several satisfied customers (see www.YouTube.com/watch?v=8iQjy0ZuMs for an example of one, my brother Josh). Some unfortunate decisions on my part forced us to have to close down (for now). Howeve, I learned some very valuable lessons from this experience, which I passed on to my fifth-grade class as a part of my recent and most highly successful Passion Project presentation. One thing I learned is that I need to be more careful about how I use my POWERS of PERSUASION. I've got a lot of these powers, but according to my mom, there's a fine line between persuasion and being pushy. Sometimes I don't know my own strength.The really good thing to come out of all this is that I have formed a board of directors: my parents, Charlie and Nicki Oliver, and my business partner's mom, Mrs. Ortega. I am the CHAIRGIRL of the board, of course :). All future ideas will be run past the board before we start telling the whole world (something I failed to do last time).My partner, Caylee, and I already have another business planned -- CAYLEE'S CUTIES™. These aren't just any barrettes. They're personalized, and they're going to sell like sno-cones on an Altadena Heights summer day (another one of my businesses).Speaking of business, I need to get back to work. I've got a corporation to run. I just want you to know -- YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION!!! And if you ever do a show on business kids, I hope you will think of me!!!Your best admirer who wants to be just like you,Cleopatra Edison Oliver, CEOP.S. I already h