The Ellie McDoodle series for children eight to 12 years of age is a Wimpy Kid wannabe, with a girl in the main role. It’s full of doodles, but things are not as funny and super wacky as they are in the Wimpy Kid series.

The Ellie McDoodle Diaries: Ellie for President, by Ruth McNally Barshaw, is the sixth book in the series where Ellie decides to take part in the student council elections to run for school president. The sixth grader has been encouraged by her family and friends to give it a shot.

Written in the format of a journal, with lots of illustrations, the book would appeal to kids who enjoy a book that presents the story in unconventional ways and without long running text. And although I found it a bit irritating, I guess readers who are of the age this book is meant for will enjoy the structure of the story more. There are even step-by-step instructions teaching the reader how to make things through origami and other drawing instructions. This probably works for new readers who find lots of texts overwhelming.

This being my first McDoodle book, I find myself comparing it to the Wimpy Kid’s book constantly, and while the Kid books get more points for humour and storytelling, this one is definitely better in terms of the more positive messages it gives. Ellie and her friends are always involved in positive activities, both at school and at home. While she is all charged up to run and win the school election, Ellie is hit by low confidence and self-doubt once the election day draws near. How she deals with it and other personal and school issues is what many kids will be able to relate to very well and even learn from.

If this kind of diary format is a comfortable style for you, and you are in middle school or younger, you will enjoy The Ellie McDoodle Diaries: Ellie for President.

Published in Dawn, Young World, January 13th, 2018