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.

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

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.

When Ellie McDoodle signs up to help with her school's production of The Wizard of Oz, she never expected it to be so much work! There are sets to help paint, costumes to plan, and then there's casting. When her best friend Mo gets cast as Wicked Witch--and not the coveted Dorothy--Mo and Ellie have their first big fight. As the student director, Ellie should have helped her get the starring role, right? Mo thinks so. Ruth McNally Barshaw's creative doodles take Ellie through her first big drama production at school. And just like the main characters in Oz, Ellie and her friends will find courage, heart, brains, and that there's no place like home!

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.

The Ship We Built is an expertly told epistolary middle grade novel about a trans boy learning to stand up for himself--especially to those he loves--and the power of finding a friend who treasures him for all that he is. "Incredibly good; by turns raw, sweet, horrifying, tender, and hopeful."--Laurie Halse Anderson, NYT bestselling and award-winning author of Speak and SHOUT Sometimes I have trouble filling out tests when the name part feels like a test too. . . . When I write letters, I love that you have to read all of my thoughts and stories before I say any name at all. You have to make it to the very end to know. Rowan has too many secrets to write down in the pages of a diary. And if he did, he wouldn't want anyone he knows to read them. He understands who he is and what he likes, but it's not safe for others to find out. Now the kids at school say Rowan's too different to spend time with. He's not the "right kind" of girl, and he's not the "right kind" of boy. His mom ignores him. And at night, his dad hurts him in ways he's not ready to talk about yet. Then Rowan discovers another way to share his secrets: letters. Letters he attaches to balloons and releases into the universe, hoping someone new will read them and understand. But when he befriends a classmate who knows what it's like to be lonely and scared, even at home, Rowan realizes there might already be a person he can trust right by his side.

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

Ellie McDoodle is excited about starting a school newspaper and serving as editor, so when her friends and family convince her to run for class president--against her new crush, Jake--she is disappointed to have to give up the job temporarily, but is soon caught up in making posters and speeches and getting to know Jake better.

Ellie captures all the excruciating and funny details of a dreaded camping trip in her secret journal. Complete with games, songs, weird facts, and more, Ellie's sketch diary soon reveals she's actually having fun! Perfect for sleep-away campers, vacationers, and any kid looking for a great summer read. "Reminiscent of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid... Humorous and realistic." --SLJ on Ellie McDoodle New Kid in School