The Ellie McDoodle Diaries 6: The Show Must Go On

The Ellie McDoodle Diaries #5

by Ruth McNally Barshaw

When Ellie McDoodle signs up to help with her school's production of The Wizard of Oz, she never expected it to be so much work! There are sets to help paint, costumes to plan, and then there's casting. When her best friend Mo gets cast as Wicked Witch--and not the coveted Dorothy--Mo and Ellie have their first big fight. As the student director, Ellie should have helped her get the starring role, right? Mo thinks so.

Ruth McNally Barshaw's creative doodles take Ellie through her first big drama production at school. And just like the main characters in Oz, Ellie and her friends will find courage, heart, brains, and that there's no place like home!

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade

176 pages, Hardcover

First published May 28, 2013

Reviews

[Kristin Lenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maya has read and loved all of the Ellie McDoodle books and was delighted to receive this brand new one from a friend yesterday. She went straight to her room and read the entire book in one sitting. She loved the story as much as the others, but is not pleased with the new packaging. The books have been re-printed/re-titled as The Ellie McDoodle Diaries, and this wording reminds Maya of The Dork Diaries or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Those series never caught her interest, and she doesn't think Ellie McDoodle needed this branding.

[Myrna ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this before, but enjoyed it again after meeting Ruth McNally Barshaw, who signed and drew in my new copy at the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival. Myrna, age 7

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ellie McDoodle series seems to have found its stride again with The Show Must Go On. The plot here is a lot more focused and well-paced than it was in the previous Ellie McDoodle book, and there are plenty of funny ("embraces his inner lions and tigers and bears" makes me laugh every time, particularly with the accompanying illustration) and sweet parts.

I wonder if we're meant to read Ben-Ben as having a developmental disability of some kind...?

[Mary T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. I think my least favorite part is that there were no chapter breaks (or even day-to-day breaks), so there was no good stopping place. I definitely like these better than the DORK Diaries series.

[Klara Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how Ellie makes everyone happy - if she knows it is difficult.

[Melina Carlborg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome and sad book amazing illustrations and funny 🐵🐵🐵🐵 awe look at Ben Ben🦄🐺🐀🐾

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book my favorite part was when Ellie was picking on to be the play directer and she picked her friend Mo to do the singing part. And Ellie told the principal but the principal said" let's see Mo do the part. So the next day Mo showed Mrs. Plassid I'm sorry Mo but you do not have the talent to do it.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would be interesting to pair with DRAMA. Ellie is stage manager for the 6th grade production of the Wizard if Oz. And there is plenty of drama!

Summer #bookaday 41

[Payton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book

[Gina]

Finished 5/16/16