Quirky and funny, second-grader Ellie May enjoys learning about US presidents. But she absolutely loves the idea of being class flag leader during the week before Presidents’ Day. Tired of not being chosen to hold the flag, she makes it her mission to finally get picked. Along the way, Ellie May ends up karate chopping the class plant when she tries to determine whether George Washington actually chopped down that cherry tree. Next she takes apart the class pencil sharpener when she learns that Abraham Lincoln liked learning how gadgets work. Ellie May may not be perfect like Miss-Know-it-All Ava or calm like her best friend Lizzy, but she’s good-hearted and eventually realizes that honesty and patience go a long way.
“Like a Clementine of color, Ellie May is a protagonist readers can feel for” –Kirkus Reviews
“Funny and filled with pranks — students will love this series!” –Cindy Scwind, District Reading Interventionist, Fairport NY
“Superb!” –Jane Ellis #BOOKSQUAD
“Readers…will root for Ellie May” –Booklist
“Ellie May is a delightful character…This series of realistic fiction school stories will be welcome in any classroom…get it quickly in the hands of young readers…5 stars” –Youth Services Review (MA)
“Ellie May is a sympathetic heroine in her yearning for recognition…the episodic chapters make for approachable and humorous early reading…this offers the possibility for solid curricular use as well as an amiable new series friend.” –The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books