Customer Reviews

Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel

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Ellie McDoodle captures the spirit, triumph and frustration of every child in Ruth Barshaw's debut success! While the book is geared for 8-12 year olds, children of all ages(and even adults) can find comfort and enjoyment as they follow Ellie on her family camping experience. The illustrations are wonderful and the story line is one children will not want to put down. The book leaves only one thing missing...What will Ellie's next adventure be?

Truely Great!

As far as I can tell, there's no known solution to the problem of being an adult reviewer who reviews children's books from an adult perspective. I don't care how immature you are or how stuck you might be in your second childhood, since you will never be able to replicate the feeling of being a kid picking up a book and reading it for the very first time. It just ain't gonna happen. No, see, when YOU pick up a book you're carrying years worth of baggage on your shoulders. You're viewing the story through the filter of your own perspective and what you see will inevitably be tainted by your past. I'm telling you all of this up front because in order to convey just how much I adored "Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel," I need to make it clear that a significant percentage of that love is rooted in my own experiences as a kid. Author Ruth McNally Barshaw has successfully nailed what it feels like to be a child going on a summer vacation in Michigan. I was a Michigan child. I "camped" in cabins and experienced many of the same things as the heroine of this book. But even if I'd grown up in Bemidji, Minnesota or Walla Walla, Washington, I'm almost certain that I would still have adored this book as a kid. It's another example of the "illustrated novel" brought to brilliant, vibrant life.

How would you go about defining the word "torture"? If you were Ellie McDougal (McDoodle, to those in the know) you might define it as, "a family vacation with your monkey-boy little brother, annoying cousins, and boring aunt and uncle in the woods of Higgins Lake." Which, of course, is exactly what Ellie has been subjected to. Stuck with intolerable relatives, she decides to make the most of her ordeal by recording everything in her sketchbook (the one you, the reader, are reading) and getting some time away from the craziness. Of course, a series of incidents shows Ellie that maybe her extended family isn't the crew of monsters she thought they were. Maybe, in fact, they can all be a lot of fun and the summer isn't totally ruined after all. Maybe.

So what is this book exactly? I mean, on the outset it looks like a sketchbook with sentences in between the pictures. Obviously there are a lot more written sections than drawn sections, but the pictures are pretty steady throughout. So how do you categorize this book? It's not a graphic novel, since the pictures are sporadic and pop up only at random intervals. It's not a comic book either, nor is it a straight written novel. At this point in time, the only option left is the phrase, "illustrated novel". It's not perfect, but it's the only thing I've found to describe Barshaw's style. Plus it's a style, moreover, that I think is going to inspire a whole generation of kids. I can picture young 'uns bugging their parents to buy them sketchbooks and blank pages, just so that they can create highly illustrated personal diaries like Ellie/Ruth. Heck, while reading this I myself wished I knew how to draw, just so that I could jazz up my own life with pictures galore. And I know I can't be alone.

And man, did I like it. First of all, there were the obvious Michigan connections that drew me in. Using your hand to describe where you live in the state (complete with an image of a bunny jumping a mitten, in terms of the Upper and Lower Peninsulas). A kid from Kalamazoo (woo-hoo, hometown!). Visiting with other kids and finding that you don't like their cereals. Man, did that ring some bells! Ms. Barshaw has an almost eerie ability to either remember or channel instances from a kid's daily life that are all but forgotten by adults. Plus she just hits characters dead on. The "villains" at the beginning successfully become real three-dimensional people by the story's end. The sketches are great fun, and then there are some great ideas for games. Ms. Barshaw knows that you have to break up your narrative sometimes with an interesting little sidenote here and there. In this case, the sidenotes are games complete with instructions for Human Pretzel, Spoons (something I'd like to try out), Sardines, and others.

The temptation here is to call this book something trite like, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid but for girls!" or some such nonsense. Don't get me wrong. I loved "Diary of a Wimpy Kid too, but I am of the firm belief that, like this book, it is a title that goes beyond gender. Everyone can relate to Ellie. I mean, seriously, who likes to be peed on in the middle of the night? Nobody. But any book with a girl on the cover can be a hard sell to boys. Here's what I'm suggesting, then. When a kid comes to you asking for a copy of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and you're all out of copies, cough surreptitiously into your hand and say, "Sorry, kid. All out. We got something just as good in the back, y'know. As funny as `Wimpy Kid' and there's a lot more pranks and games and wars between kids but ...," shake your head, "I dunno. You might not get it. I mean, it's hilarious, and gross, and it has all these great drawings and sketches, but maybe you're just too young..." After that, reel `em in, give them the book, and watch it fly off your shelves in no time.

Part Harriet the Spy, and part Amelia's Notebook, "Ellie McDoodle" is just one of those books you can't help but enjoy. It flies low on the radar, so I suggest discovering it for yourself. There's never been a better time to indulge in a book that can offer you cool pictures, great characters, a fun story, and a little redemption on the side. A small pure gem.

It's camping time for Ellie McDougal but she's not happy about it. Ellie's parents have to go out of town, so she and her baby brother, Ben-Ben, will be going with their Aunt Ug, Uncle Ewing and cousins Erick, Deanna, and Tiffie. All of the camping supplies are packed and ready to go, including Ellie's sketchbook. Will the trip be as bad as Ellie is afraid it will be?

Through the pages of Ellie's sketchbook, she tells the story of her camping trip. She meets a 13-year-old boy by the name of Scott. He is one interesting character, as he speaks French, Japanese, and English. He wants to learn to draw, which is something that Ellie can help him with. He has to leave but never tells Ellie that he is leaving Campsite 137. She is saddened by her friend leaving. Her opinions of her relatives change throughout the book. In the beginning, she thinks of Erick as being a dinosaur but that changes as it goes along. Erick also collects frogs and thinks he has found the best frog, but holds him too tight -- Oh, no!

The illustrations are very cute and add meaning to the story. The characters you meet in this book are very unusual. The storyline keeps young readers interested. This is a must read for children ages 9-12 who would love to be entertained with a good story and a very easy read. With fewer words and many pictures on each page than most books for this age group, this is a delight. Pack up your bags and get ready for a camping adventure with Ellie along -- it's bound to be a great time! I hope that there are more exciting adventures of ELLIE MCDOODLE books in the future.

Reviewed by: Bri P.

In the tradition of the delightful illustrated Amelia books by Marissa Moss, 11-year-old Ellie McDoodle details her funny and insightful adventures in this travel journal.

When Ellie's parents must go to a funeral, Ellie and her wild toddler brother, Ben-Ben, are forced to go camping with other family members. Unfortunately, these relatives are not people Ellie likes enough to be confined in a cabin with. Aunt "Ug" spits when she yells, Uncle Ewing has no sense of humor and the cousins are as bad as their parents. Eleven-year-old "Er-ick" lies, steals and licks any available cookies so that no one else will eat them. His twin, Deanna, is holier-than-thou, and little Tiffie sulks.

Happily, at the campground Ellie meets friendly 13-year-old Scott, who is not only nice but knows tons of fascinating nature facts. Along the way, Ellie learns much from him. Readers also become familiar with several games, thanks to Ellie writing down exactly how to play them. Spoons, sardines or hunka bunka, anyone?

Ellie is wise beyond her years, in a sly, wisecracking and enjoyable way. She shares her Rules for Life (including: have courage, learn from the past, respect the earth, play many games, don't drink a lot before bedtime) with Tiffie (who particularly needs the warning about bedtime drinking). Ellie also gives readers "Tips for Surviving Camp with relatives you can't stand," which warns sufferers to "keep your distance" and "don't pick up any of their bad habits." But after the cousins survive a life-threatening adventure by joining forces, Ellie begins to consider her relatives in a whole new light.

There is nothing to dislike in this charming tale, which is heavily illustrated with whimsical cartoonish drawings. It realistically portrays the characters (even the adults!), giving readers much to consider about the pros and cons of relationships, along with hilarious situations and witty asides. There's also a mystery regarding some frogs, nuggets of facts about creatures and plants in the wild, and a bit of spot-on preteen philosophy.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon

Ellie McDoodle takes place at a campground in Michigan...Higgins Lake. I have been there many times with my own family. I really enjoyed the book and its pen and ink sketches. I am a substitute teacher in Michigan and I share parts of the book with the children. You do not have to live in Michigan to enjoy this book, but if you are a camper anywhere you will be able to find your own experiences at the frog pond, games of spoon, wandering in the woods, differences with family members and great science tips. Looking forward to more Ellie books. I travelled to a book signing in Rochester and was delighted to hear the comments from the author as she conducted a cartoon workshop for the children and adults present.

This is a terrific book. The text alone would make a wonderful kid-friendly story, but the cartoon illustrations make it. It's amazing how simple the drawings are, yet they capture so much. I also love how honest Ellie is--a truly authentic kid's voice. And, on top of all that, it's pretty funny!

Highly recommended! Kids will love it!

This is a great little book. Now my daughter wants to record a picture journal of her own!

I bought this book for my 9 year old twin girls since they liked the Diary of the Wimpy Kid series. They both LOVED the book (as well as the other Ellie McDoodle book)! When they were reading it, I'd hear them burst out in laughter... that doesn't happen too often. The girls would discuss the book eagerly with each other and each of the girls started a journal like Ellie McDoodle. I was so impressed since this book really brought out the imagination in my daughters. The girls could not put the book(s) down and I LOVE that. Highly recommend this series and hope more are on the way!

This book was absolutely hilarious and captured the attention of my nine year for an entire weekend. We first read "New Kid in School" and scrambled to find the second in the series. Once it arrived in the mail my daughter couldn't put it down. Well done to Ruth McNally Barshaw for writing two wonderful books that both parent and child can enjoy!

My seven-year old, now eight, has read this book over and over again! I like the descriptions of game rules that are worked into the text.