EllRay Jakes the Recess King!

May 1, 2015

Gr 2-4-What's eating EllRay Jakes? No, it's not the fact that he's the smallest kid in his third-grade class; though he's likable, EllRay's bummed that he doesn't have more friends. He sets his sights on becoming a social butterfly, but it's not long before his best-laid plans go awry. Sprinkled here and there with cheery spot images and EllRay's trademark lists, this is a simple but charming tale, full of realistic dialogue and marked by the author's genuine understanding of the elementary school set.

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2015
Grades 1-3 Irrepressible Ellray Jakes is back in his eighth outing, this time with a plan to cultivate a few spare friends. Challenged by little sister Alfie to bring someone with him to her school play, Ellray approaches the situation with his typical third-grader logic. After concocting a list of potential candidates, Ellray devises ways of making each his friend, with the intent of subtly reshaping their interests to match his own. Disaster ensues and Ellray reevaluates what friendship actually means. Warner's deft handling of potentially heavy topics and gently humorous little-boy high jinks make for another winner in this fun series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2015
EllRay decides he needs a "spare" friend; in search of one, he creates a new recess game. It backfires, though, and another attempt at making friends ends up causing a third-grade brawl on the playground. As usual for this series, EllRay's story gently demonstrates that life isn't always simple, and readers will appreciate the likable kid's honest narration. Biggs's black-and-white illustrations capture the action and emotions.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)