Also Known as Rowan Pohi is Laugh Out Loud Funny

Oct 18, 2011
Suzanne Pitner

Also Know as Rowan Pohi - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books

This new book for teens by Ralph Fletcher explores the question every teen has asked: "What if I could be someone else?"

Exclusive Whitestone Academy, cute girls in designer jeans, and popularity are things Bobby thinks he’ll never enjoy. Completely by accident, or a twist of fate, one of the Stonys, as the Whitestone Academy kids are called, leaves an application for the elite school on the counter at the IHOP. Bobby and his friends, Poobs and Marcus, fill out the application with a fake name and identity, wipe off the syrup spill, and mail it to the school. That’s the beginning of their troubles.

Creating a False Identity

They choose the name Rowan Pohi, because IHOP spelled backwards is Pohi. They choose a small town in Arizona as Rowan’s hometown, where he was supposedly a star football player, boy scout, and National Honor Society member. They include a fake letter of recommendation from a fake coach from the fake school in Arizona. The three friends think their fake friend will never be accepted to the school.

When Bobby receives the acceptance letter, it’s quite a shock. The boys agree it was a fun joke, but it can’t go any further than that. They have a funeral for Rowan Pohi and bury the acceptance letter. But Bobby can’t let it go at that. He keeps wondering what his life would be like if he took on Rowan’s identity. He could go to an incredible school and really make something of himself. He could have a new start.

The problem of how to attend two schools at the same time is the least of his troubles. As the story progresses, Bobby loses the friendship of Marcus and Poobs, loses the trust of his dad, and hurts the first girl he’s truly cared about.

Themes in Rowan Pohi

Even though this book is funny and lighthearted, it addresses issues that every teenager cares about. Is being popular important enough to leave your best friends behind? Is having the girl of your dreams worth living a lie? How long can one person keep up the charade of being two people at once without getting caught?

Ralph Fletcher is the author of many books for young readers and captures the voice and the thoughts of a teenage boy in a true to life fashion. This book will appeal to readers of all ages, but especially to those from age twelve to seventeen.