New Kid in School (Ellie McDoodle Diaries Series)

by Ruth McNally Barshaw

Overview

Moving to a new house? Bad. Being the new kid? Worse.

Ellie's family is moving to a new town, and Ellie is sure she won't fit in at school. The other kids play "new kid bingo" behind her back, and even the teachers can't seem to remember her name. But when her new classmates start complaining about long lunch lines (and bad food), Ellie jumps at the chance to lead a protest. And tackling the school cafeteria just might be the perfect way to make new friends!

Full of engaging illustrations and quirky humor, the Ellie McDoodle series is perfect for fans who love the Dork Diaries and the Treehouse Books.

"Reminiscent of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid. . . . Humorous and realistic." —SLJ

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781619631748
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	05/28/2013
Series:	The Ellie McDoodle Diaries , #4
Edition description:	Reissue
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	621,748
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Ruth McNally Barshaw, lifelong writer and artist, has worked in the advertising field, illustrated for newspapers, and won numerous essay-writing contests. She lives in Lansing, Michigan, with her family. Visit her at www.ruthexpress.com

Editorial Reviews

Reminiscent of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” —School Library Journal

“Part diary, part novel, all fun.” —Discovery Girls

“Readers [will] gobble down this fast read, enjoying the jokes and riddles.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Gr 2-5

Done in a style reminiscent of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams, 2007), this sequel to Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel (Bloomsbury, 2007) is a humorous and realistic look at moving. At school and in the neighborhood, Ellie faces many experiences typical to relocation. She gets excited about her first invite, only to end up watching her new friend play a handheld game; at school her classmates secretly play "new kid bingo," waiting for her to mess up or cry. Her story is told through a notebook, which is a combination of handwritten text and line drawings. The pictures, comic frames, and dialogue balloons serve to further the story. Reluctant and struggling readers and young fans of graphic novels are sure to find this title appealing. The book also includes an illustrated interview with the author, tips and directions for keeping a "sketch journal," and a teacher's guide to Have Pen, Will Travel .-Sharon R. Pearce, Longfellow Elementary School, Oak Park, IL

School Library Journal

Although Ellie McDoodle knows that moving means the end of everything good, her sketch journal (which, glumly, begins, "The End") shows her gradually making a place of her own in her new house, finding friends and conducting a successful nonviolent campaign to improve the school-lunch situation. Ellie is lucky in her move; her house is roomy and her neighborhood full of young people who gather for evening group activities. This sequel to Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen Will Travel (2007) carries healthy messages: Ellie finds a new friend in the librarian; reading is more interesting than TV and video games; her new friend's Down syndrome brother is just another piece of a complicated life; peaceful protest works. But readers won't notice as they gobble down this fast read, enjoying the jokes and riddles, familiar situations and interesting instructions for group games and paper-folding woven into the story. An appendix includes an interview with the author and suggestions for making and keeping a sketch journal. (Graphic fiction. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews