Told from the point of view of two warring siblings, this could have been an engaging first chapter book. An appendix includes an interview with the author and suggestions for making and keeping a sketch journal. 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. 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. Ellie is lucky in her move her house is roomy and her neighborhood full of young people who gather for evening group activities. 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.
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