Ellie McDoodle: New Kid in School

The girls in my upper elementary classroom LOVED the first Ellie McDoodle and have been pestering me nonstop for the new one. I ordered it over Christmas, and it hasn't hit my bookshelf yet because, as soon as one finishes it is is passed directly to another eager classmate. While my boys seem to enjoy the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, my girls really relate to the feelings and situations encountered by Ellie McDoodle. I hope another enstallment is on its way to bookstores soon! Ruth McNally Barshaw has a talented handle on our middle grade girls!

I got this because my 8 year old read the first Elli book over and over. This book follows up with more great instructions and diagrams about how to play games with other kids and your family. Sometimes a second book isn't as good as the first, but of the two books, this is my personal favorite.

Moving to a new house is bad enough; but being the new kid in school is worse. Ellie's sure she won't fit in: she loves to read, and nobody seems to acknowledge her - not even teachers, in Ruth McNally Barshaw's Edie McDoodle: New Kid in School. But when the students decide to rally together for a cause, Ellie's right behind them - and her attitude may gain her friends, yet. Kids in grades 3-7 will find this an excellent story.

I know that the whole girl-who-draws story idea isn't necessarily new. I mean, before Ruth McNally Barshaw wrote Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel there were books out there like Amelia's Notebook and the like. But is it just me or has the whole doodling girl idea gotten crazy popular recently? This year alone I've seen Katie Davis and her comic-centered The Curse of Addy McMahon and Margie Palatini's Geek Chic: The Zoey Zone. Girls with pens are in, my friend. So it is that we welcome back our second Barshaw title, "Ellie McDoodle: New Kid in School". Thought surviving in the woods with your relatives sounded bad? Try starting a new grade in a new school. Once again Barshaw puts her finger squarely on kids' fears and anxieties in a format that most everyone can identify with. It is the end of life as we know it. You may as well just pack it all in right now, because for Ellie the worst possible thing that could ever happen to her has finally occurred. She's moving. Moving away from friends. From her house. Everything. Moving into a new place and making new pals is going to be just terrible and Ellie knows it. But to her surprise there are a couple kids who take to her right away. Then again there's that simply awful art teacher to deal with. But what about the nice librarian Ellie just met? Yeah, she's great but have you seen the really mean New Kid bingo game the other students have been passing around? In spite of this Ellie slowly realizes that her new home isn't that bad after all. More importantly, she finds a way to make a difference that allows her to use her best talents in as cool a way as possible. The end of the book includes an interview with the author (conducted with plenty of visual aids), instructions on how to make and keep a sketch journal, help on how to sketch, and tips on drawing comics. My edition also included a Teacher's Guide and potential projects to do in conjunction with the book. Flawed protagonists make for good reading. You can get away with heroes that are light and goodness incarnate (and many writers do) but generally those people are not the ones you the reader are going to identify with. You want nasty innnermost thoughts. You want a little bit of grit and gristle. And Ellie, for all her charm and verve, is flawed. She rushes to hasty judgments about people and situations. She is asked to dance with her friend Mo's brother with Down's syndrome and really doesn't want to. Her relationship with her older practical joker of a brother works nicely into this as well. As Ellie says at one point, "I'm torn between wanting revenge and wanting to stay on his good side." Lots of kids will be able to relate. One of the other things that I like about Ellie is that I find the premise believable. We've all read those pseudo-journals written in what authors think are kids voices. Sometimes it's hard to suspend your belief that a child is writing this stuff (though I admit that this i

Ellie McDougal is the new kid in school. She had to leave her happy life behind when her family moved to a new town, and she is sure that her new home cannot possibly measure up. Little by little she begins to adjust, first by settling in at home with her new room, and then by spending time at the local library, where she finds books comforting and familiar. She is especially nervous about fitting in at school. The other kids tease her, and no one can get her name right. But spunky Ellie does not stay down for long. Her classmates need an advocate to stand up to the principal, and it turns out that Ellie is just the kid for the job. In fact, she meets a number of challenges throughout this story and handles each one head-on, coming up with passionate yet reasoned solutions, and enacting positive change. Author/illustrator Ruth McNally Barshaw has created something special with this character and with this format. Part novel, part journal, part comic book, Barshaw's unique style of sketch-journaling is a treat. The illustrations tell the story as much as the words, creating a lively, interactive narrative. You won't just read about Ellie's first day at school; you'll go to school with her and see everything through her eyes. What's best about Ellie is her sense of humor. Occasionally she will pause in her narrative to share a joke, or to let us in on dinner at the McDougal house and all of the warm-hearted shenanigans her family participates in together. Ellie may struggle with the common problem of starting over, but what sets her apart from other heroines is how she handles her problems. When she isn't happy with her new bedroom situation, she doesn't just complain to her parents or mope about it in her journal; instead she proposes a solution that will make every member of her family happy. Best of all, her parents allow her to take responsibility for herself, in ways that are loving and supportive, but also non-intrusive, so that Ellie can learn from her own experiences. The book includes bonus features, such as an interview with Barshaw that she conducted in her signature sketch-journal style. There are even instructions on how to make a sketch-journal of your own, and there are tips on how to sketch, and how to draw comics. Reviewed by: Marie Robinson