ELLIE McDOODLE: HAVE PEN, WILL TRAVEL
by Ruth McNally Barshaw
Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Hardcover: 158234745X
Paperback: 9781599902760
Ages 9-12
192 pages

In the tradition of the delightful illustrated Amelia books by Marissa Moss, 11-year-old Ellie McDoodle details her funny and insightful adventures in this travel journal.

When Ellie's parents must go to a funeral, Ellie and her wild toddler brother, Ben-Ben, are forced to go camping with other family members. Unfortunately, these relatives are not people Ellie likes enough to be confined in a cabin with. Aunt "Ug" spits when she yells, Uncle Ewing has no sense of humor and the cousins are as bad as their parents. Eleven-year-old "Er-ick" lies, steals and licks any available cookies so that no one else will eat them. His twin, Deanna, is holier-than-thou, and little Tiffie sulks.

Happily, at the campground Ellie meets friendly 13-year-old Scott, who is not only nice but knows tons of fascinating nature facts. Along the way, Ellie learns much from him. Readers also become familiar with several games, thanks to Ellie writing down exactly how to play them. Spoons, sardines or hunka bunka, anyone?

Ellie is wise beyond her years, in a sly, wisecracking and enjoyable way. She shares her Rules for Life (including: have courage, learn from the past, respect the earth, play many games, don't drink a lot before bedtime) with Tiffie (who particularly needs the warning about bedtime drinking). Ellie also gives readers "Tips for Surviving Camp with relatives you can't stand," which warns sufferers to "keep your distance" and "don't pick up any of their bad habits." But after the cousins survive a life-threatening adventure by joining forces, Ellie begins to consider her relatives in a whole new light.

There is nothing to dislike in this charming tale, which is heavily illustrated with whimsical cartoonish drawings. It realistically portrays the characters (even the adults!), giving readers much to consider about the pros and cons of relationships, along with hilarious situations and witty asides. There's also a mystery regarding some frogs, nuggets of facts about creatures and plants in the wild, and a bit of spot-on preteen philosophy.

   --- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

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