When Ellie's family moves to a new town, she's sure she won't fit in. Nobody else likes to read as much as she does, and even the teachers can't get her name right. But when the students need someone to help them rally against unfair lunch lines, it's Ellie to the rescue—and if shorter lines and better food prevail, can friendship be far behind?

When Ellie's family moves to a new town, she's sure she won't fit in. Nobody else likes to read as much as she does, the other kids tease her, and even the teachers can't seem to get her name right. But when the students need someone to help them rally against unfair lunch lines, it's Ellie to the rescue! Ellie McDoodle takes pen in hand again as she chronicles the woes-and happy surprises-of being a new kid. Chock-full of cartoons, diagrams, lists, games, and plenty of witty asides, this charming follow up to Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen,Will Travel will ease the new kid blues-and perhaps inspire some creative doodling, too. "Done in a style reminiscent of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this sequel to Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will Travel is a humorous and realistic look at moving." --SLJ

Ellie pet sits for her neighbor's African grey parrot Alix, while her family argues over whether to get a cat or a dog, and her little brother accidentally lets Alix out of his cage, all of which is chronicled in Ellie's sketchbook.

Eleven-year-old Ellie McDoodle illustrates her sketchbook with chronicles of her adventures and mishaps while camping with her cousins, aunt, and uncle, of which she is determined to hate every single minute. Reprint.

Ellie McSnelly and Carrie O'Toole were running and laughing-their first day of school was today! And they wondered just what was in store. Would this be a good year? Would school be a bore? Everyone remembers feeling excited and nervous each fall on the first day of school. It's no different for Ellie McSnelly and Carrie O'Toole. But this year, there's not only a new teacher to meet, but a brand new kid as well. Lazlo S. Gasky doesn't look or speak quite like the other kids, and no one is sure what to make of him. In fact, they respond to his arrival at Brookhaven School by taunting and teasing him. But when Ellie realizes how tough it is for Lazlo, she reaches out, and after school one day they share an afternoon of soccer, strudel, and chess. Besides making a new friend, she and Lazlo teach their classmates an important lesson-one that isn't in their schoolbooks-about accepting people who are different...and in getting to know Lazlo, the kids learn that people aren't that different from each other after all. From one of America's most respected journalists, The Brand New Kid is a heartwarming story about tolerance and the need to give others a chance that will entertain and inspire children and adults alike.

Ten-year-old Aldo lives with his family in Colorado. He's not athletic like his older brother; he's not a rock hound like his best friend; and he is none too fond of the outdoors—but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a passion. Aldo is passionate about bacon. Back at school adjusting to life in the 5th grade, Aldo is embarrassed about his artistic abilities. He has always underplayed his creative talent at school; but when he is around his cute new art teacher he suddenly finds himself behaving strangely. He loses the ability to speak when she’s around, volunteers to skip recess so he can clean paintbrushes, and finds himself working harder than ever before in a daring attempt to win the school art contest. The humorous plot and lively drawings in this book will captivate both enthusiastic and reluctant young readers who will identify with Aldo's all-too-familiar predicaments. This fourth installment in an A-to-Z alphabet series features a vocabulary-building glossary of fun and challenging words starting with the letter D, such as debacle, doofus, and defenestrate.

When the principal asks a fifth-grader to write a letter regarding the purchase of a new drinking fountain for their school, he finds that all sorts of chaos results

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 canteen just might be the perfect way to make new friends!

It's October, and Aldo thinks he's Einstein. Gloating over his epic first-quarter grades and test scores, he even decides to dress as the iconic scientist for Halloween. But his bubble bursts when he realizes he's not living up to expectations in one class, Español, and that the consequences may be more hurtful than a bad grade on a report card. Is Aldo's friendship with his bilingual best friend, Jack, at stake? Egghead is, in part, an homage to Madeleine L'Engle's classic children's novelA Wrinkle in Time, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012. It was a dark and stormy night... Look for enigmatic, éclairs, eureka and lots more fun, challenging "E" words used throughoutEgghead!

Sixth-grader Sofia Becker continues her blog about what is happening at Middlebrooke Middle School, this time including some gossip about boys.