I didn’t read the first Ellie McDoodle book, but C absolutely loved it. Thought it was grand. So I was interested in reading this one, and I can see what C was talking about. It is cute. And fun.

Ellie’s being uprooted by her parents the summer before 6th grade (I can relate!). It’s not fun. It’s not exciting. She hates being the new girl. No one likes her. It’s different, it’s unfamiliar, it’s… well, and upside down heart. But, she slowly makes friends, and figures out how to make things work, and in the end, everything turns out okay (I can relate!).

I think this is a good book for less confident readers — the words are interspersed with some fun cartoonish drawings. And I liked that Barshaw tackles a subject like relocating and starting over. She does it with humor and tenderness, and I rooted for Ellie to make things work out for the best. My only real criticism is that it was probably overly simplistic; Ellie was all settled in and comfortable (mostly) in her new environment in a matter of weeks, where in real life (I can relate, remember?) it takes months. But, since this is a story, not real life, I can forgive that.

Interestingly enough, C didn’t like this one as much as she liked the first. Perhaps it was because we relocated her when she was younger than Ellie (only 1st grade, not 6th), and she’s never really had the problems of fitting in and making friends. But I could have seen my 6th grade self really loving this book. And I can see other kids who have had to move just adoring it.

Which means it was a very good book.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)