Customer Reviews

Ellie McDoodle: New Kid in School

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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

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 is a very adult point-of-view to take). With Ellie it's a little different. There's something about the quality of the drawings and the stories that feels authentic to me. I mean, this was the case with the first Ellie book, sure, but I feel that the whole idea of going camping with your relatives isn't a particularly universal theme. Being the new kid in class, though? Very familiar. One review I saw of this book mentioned that they thought that this would have been a better beginning to the series. Book #1 was too specific in its situation (i.e. camping with relatives). But since there aren't any numbers on the spines of these titles, and since the situations inside are fairly distinct from one another, I see no reason why you couldn't hand kids the second book to read first, followed by the first. I think I may.

As with "Have Pen, Will Travel", this book is full of cool diagrams and fun instructions for games you can play. As a kid I would have loved to have known how to make a cootie catcher. That was always one of those mysterious kid creations that no one would actually ever teach you. You were just supposed to pick it up (probably from older siblings, which I did not have). So to actually find out how to play Capture the Flag or Ghost in the Graveyard is a bit of a boon to those kids reading the book that wouldn't have another way of learning these secrets of childhood. Now if we could only learn all the words to Miss Susie Had a Baby . . .

I've been trying to think of other trials and tribulations of childhood Ellie can slowly detest and embrace through the course of her stories. So far I've thought of piano lessons (not much of a story unless you involve a Russian spy or a dad who buys you an organ instead, though), summer camp (too similar to book one?), puberty, and underwear modeling. Really, the field is wide open. That's part of what's so nice about the series. Sure the pictures are fun and Ellie's sympathetic but really the flexibility of the situations she can find herself is one of the real draws. Fans of the first book will love the second. Fans of the second will look forward to the third. Fun stuff.

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!

This is a really cute book about Ellie, who has to leave her friends and everyone when her family moves. The text is very kid friendly and even though my seven-year-old son says this is a "girl's book" he enjoyed some of the knock knock jokes. I also caught him reading some of the book and laughing.

If you love THE WIMPY KID, you're sure to enjoy this book!

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.

My 3rd grade daughter can't get enough of these Ellie McDoodle books, and I like them, too! We take turns reading to each other at bedtime, often loosing track of time and spending an hour immersed in Ellie's stories. As a dad (and an elementary teacher), I like the content of the stories: there's always a real life challenge Ellie must grow to overcome or at least learn to cope with, and it's not always easy for her. Like many kids, she finds herself feeling trapped, isolated, and alone in some situations. In almost every scenario, Ellie is culpable, and she realizes how little oversights often snowball into monsters of their own. The doodles are fun to look at and add to the whole language reading experience. It's good stuff, and we're anxious for the next release!!

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.