Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel
Grade 3–6—Eleven-year-old budding artist Eleanor McDougal shares the sketch diary she keeps throughout her camping trip to northern Michigan. She's making the trip with relatives she does not know very well. Her descriptions of Aunt Ug, Uncle Ewing, and her three cousins are scathing, while she portrays herself as an accomplished artist, naturalist, and born leader. Readers see other facets of Ellie's character as she teases and berates her cousins and ignores her three-year-old brother. When her behavior gets out of control, the adults step in with discipline that forces Ellie to get to know her cousins. Initially the kids forge friendships by playing pranks on the others, but ultimately they enjoy many adventures. Ellie shares instructions and diagrams for games such as "Spoons," "Fing Fang Fooey," and "Sardines" that are easy to follow and will inspire readers to gather friends and play. The engaging text reflects a contemporary preadolescent sensibility and is chock-full of clean, distinguished line drawings on each spread. As Ellie shares her frustrations, conflicts, fun and wildlife facts, readers observe the valuable lessons that she learns about getting along with others—even if they seem to be obnoxious relatives. Ellie hints at further summer surprises, and readers will look forward to her next adventure.—Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.