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Ellie, Engineer #3
In the Spotlight
Ellie the Engineer is back in a third charming, hilarious, illustrated story filled with creative, STEM-powered fun!
"Look out, Junie B. Jones! Ellie the engineer is thinking, making, creating, and showing enthusiasm and brilliance with her creations!" - School Library Connection on Ellie, Engineer
Ellie enters a pageant with her best friend Kit, which means lots of glitter, hairspray, and chances to make new friends. After all, Ellie has lots of engineering ideas to help the other girls with their talents, like building a light-up skateboard ramp for Kit!
But one contestant, Kit's not-so-nice pageant rival Melody, makes fun of Ellie's tool belt and thinks engineering is messy. And when Melody's rabbit--part of her magic act--goes missing, Ellie knows that she can build a contraption to catch him. But Melody's comments have made Ellie start to doubt herself--what if a pageant isn't a place for engineering?
With Ellie's designs and sketches throughout, and her fun guide to electricity and circuits in the back, the continuation of this delightful series will leave young readers laughing and inspired to create.
"Look out, Junie B. Jones! Ellie the engineer is thinking, making, creating, and showing enthusiasm and brilliance with her creations!" - School Library Connection on Ellie, Engineer
Ellie enters a pageant with her best friend Kit, which means lots of glitter, hairspray, and chances to make new friends. After all, Ellie has lots of engineering ideas to help the other girls with their talents, like building a light-up skateboard ramp for Kit!
But one contestant, Kit's not-so-nice pageant rival Melody, makes fun of Ellie's tool belt and thinks engineering is messy. And when Melody's rabbit--part of her magic act--goes missing, Ellie knows that she can build a contraption to catch him. But Melody's comments have made Ellie start to doubt herself--what if a pageant isn't a place for engineering?
With Ellie's designs and sketches throughout, and her fun guide to electricity and circuits in the back, the continuation of this delightful series will leave young readers laughing and inspired to create.
- GenresMiddle GradeChildrens
208 pages, Hardcover
First published November 5, 2019
About the author
Jackson Pearce
35 books2,612 followersI am not very active on Goodreads-- this is largely a placeholder account! Therefore, I do not read Goodreads mail. If you want to get in touch with me, please go here: CONTACT ME!
Jackson Pearce currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with a slightly cross-eyed cat and a lot of secondhand furniture. She recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and a minor in Philosophy and currently works for a software company even though she auditioned for the circus (she juggled and twirled fire batons, but they still didn’t want her). Other jobs she’s had include obituaries writer, biker bar waitress, and receptionist.
Jackson began writing when she got angry that the school librarian couldn’t tell her of a book that contained a smart girl, horses, baby animals, and magic. Her solution was to write the book herself when she was twelve. Her parents thought it was cute at first, but have grown steadily more concerned for her ever since.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 23, 2020
The Ellie Engineer books are wonderful and deserve to be better known. I'm pretty picky when it comes to early middle grade books featuring present-day kids as many of them just feel too snarky or glib ... the protagonists obnoxiously precocious or self-centered... something that bugs me both as a reader and as a mother. Ellie and her friends manage to be at once perfectly modern kids while also maintaining an admirable (but not unrealistic) degree of politeness, respectfulness and, most important of all, downright empathy for other human beings... even when those other human beings aren't the most easy to like.
In this latest installment, we enter the world of pageants. I was a little uncertain about this because I have mixed feelings about pageants but I tried to be open-minded and I was pleasantly surprised. Ellie's friend Kit is a long-time competitor but this is Ellie's first competition... Kit is always so eager to do things Ellie wants to do and Ellie wants to reciprocate. They Melody who, on the surface, is the typical "mean girl" snooty pageant contestant. She makes fun of Ellie's engineering and blames Kit when her pet rabbit goes missing.
There are some great lines in the book. At one point, Melody says to Ellie, “you should stop doing whatever this engineering thing is … and start working on being more ladylike.” Kit replies, “Engineering is perfectly ladylike, Melody, because ladies do it all the time.” Ha, love it!
Ellie and Kit never stoop to Melody's level, and actually try to help her find her rabbit, and it turns out there may be more to Melody than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Ellie struggles with being her true self during the competition... she enjoys her ballet classes and plans to do her ballet routine for her talent but she knows in her heart that engineering is her best talent. Is engineering really performance-worthy? I absolutely loved the resolution of all this and I found the whole thing incredibly good-hearted and truly refreshing!
A few minor quibbles... I felt poor Toby needed a bigger role here. I'm glad that he came along to support Ellie and Kit, but it just seemed a bit out of place that he was trying to win the Miss Congeniality award since he wasn't even competing. I appreciate all his helpfulness and good manners but a few times it almost felt over-the-top. Still, I appreciate that we have boy and girl friendships that don't resort to typical gender role stereotypes and are mutually respectful and supportive. I also am not so sure how I feel about a scene in which Ellie makes a device to open the hotel room door from the outside -- no nefarious purposes, just that one of the kids forgot her key. I was also a little uncomfortable with the almost-sneaking out of the hotel room on their own (a mumbled reply from a half-asleep mom shouldn't really count as an answer to the question of if it was okay to go). I also hope/assume no offense was meant by the part where the kids are (very cleverly) talking about the concept of displacement with jumping into the water and someone mentions that how much water is displaced might depend on what part of you goes in first... and would butt first be the best way... someone else replies that it might depend on the size of the butt. I'm sure it was supposed to be humorous but I imagine it might be a sensitive subject for some.
The above quibble aside, I think it's a great book. The story stands strong on its own but the inclusion of the STEM elements makes it truly outstanding. Here the focus is mostly on electricity and we learn about static electricity vs. electrical currents. I also got a big smile out of Ellie's high-heel shoe stabilizers ;-) I appreciate the message that engineering is meant to help others. You can love to dance ballet and wear sequin dresses while also loving to get your hands dirty and use your brain to help solve problems or make life easier for others. For the record, my seven-year-old engineering son loves these books. I heartily recommend them.
In this latest installment, we enter the world of pageants. I was a little uncertain about this because I have mixed feelings about pageants but I tried to be open-minded and I was pleasantly surprised. Ellie's friend Kit is a long-time competitor but this is Ellie's first competition... Kit is always so eager to do things Ellie wants to do and Ellie wants to reciprocate. They Melody who, on the surface, is the typical "mean girl" snooty pageant contestant. She makes fun of Ellie's engineering and blames Kit when her pet rabbit goes missing.
There are some great lines in the book. At one point, Melody says to Ellie, “you should stop doing whatever this engineering thing is … and start working on being more ladylike.” Kit replies, “Engineering is perfectly ladylike, Melody, because ladies do it all the time.” Ha, love it!
Ellie and Kit never stoop to Melody's level, and actually try to help her find her rabbit, and it turns out there may be more to Melody than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Ellie struggles with being her true self during the competition... she enjoys her ballet classes and plans to do her ballet routine for her talent but she knows in her heart that engineering is her best talent. Is engineering really performance-worthy? I absolutely loved the resolution of all this and I found the whole thing incredibly good-hearted and truly refreshing!
A few minor quibbles... I felt poor Toby needed a bigger role here. I'm glad that he came along to support Ellie and Kit, but it just seemed a bit out of place that he was trying to win the Miss Congeniality award since he wasn't even competing. I appreciate all his helpfulness and good manners but a few times it almost felt over-the-top. Still, I appreciate that we have boy and girl friendships that don't resort to typical gender role stereotypes and are mutually respectful and supportive. I also am not so sure how I feel about a scene in which Ellie makes a device to open the hotel room door from the outside -- no nefarious purposes, just that one of the kids forgot her key. I was also a little uncomfortable with the almost-sneaking out of the hotel room on their own (a mumbled reply from a half-asleep mom shouldn't really count as an answer to the question of if it was okay to go). I also hope/assume no offense was meant by the part where the kids are (very cleverly) talking about the concept of displacement with jumping into the water and someone mentions that how much water is displaced might depend on what part of you goes in first... and would butt first be the best way... someone else replies that it might depend on the size of the butt. I'm sure it was supposed to be humorous but I imagine it might be a sensitive subject for some.
The above quibble aside, I think it's a great book. The story stands strong on its own but the inclusion of the STEM elements makes it truly outstanding. Here the focus is mostly on electricity and we learn about static electricity vs. electrical currents. I also got a big smile out of Ellie's high-heel shoe stabilizers ;-) I appreciate the message that engineering is meant to help others. You can love to dance ballet and wear sequin dresses while also loving to get your hands dirty and use your brain to help solve problems or make life easier for others. For the record, my seven-year-old engineering son loves these books. I heartily recommend them.
November 20, 2019
Perfect for the younger middle grade crowd. As reviewed at news-gazette.com:
Have Hammer, Will Travel
I like to think that if I had read Jackson Pearce’s Ellie, Engineer In the Spotlight (Bloomsbury), or any of the books in the Ellie Engineer series (this is the third), I might be an engineer today. Or at least more confident in fixing things and all-around problem solving.
I was one of those kids who thought — like a character in this book does — that an engineer drives a train. So, this story is fantastic in showing that an engineer is simply someone who likes to fix things and solve problems. It introduces phrases like “doing a build” and explains how electricity works at a perfect level for the average middle grade reader.
I love books that introduce the reader to new concepts in the context of a fun story. It gives the reader some passing familiarity with a topic so that when they are introduced to that topic in the future they won’t panic.
In this episode Ellie has entered a pageant with her best friend, Kit. How often does one read about the challenges of wearing a tool belt with a frothy purple gown? Or an engineering solution to make walking in high heels easier? Okay, I’ll answer. Never!
Their other friend, Toby, comes along for moral support and provides a lot of comic relief. Toby is determined to be voted Miss Congeniality, even though he’s not entered in the pageant.
What’s great about Toby’s character is it introduces a boy in a plot line that is girl-centric, and he isn’t spending time making fun of the girls in the pageant. In fact, he gets into it! Plus, it helps readers understand what “congeniality” is, in case they haven’t seen the Sandra Bullock movie or are otherwise unfamiliar with both the term and the award.
In addition, the book has lots of diagrams (illustrations by Tuesday Mourning). Nothing too complicated, but they illustrate basic principles of an electric circuit, for example, in easy to understand examples.
The story focuses much more on the talent portion (juggling, skateboarding, singing) than on the dressing up portion of the pageant, which I appreciated. But for readers who like the dressing up portion, or who like pageants, there is enough of that to engage them as well.
Ellie Engineer in the Spotlight also has conflict. There is a mean girl, a missing rabbit (needed for a magic act) and some tension when the lights on Kit’s skateboard ramp don’t work. Ellie, Kit and Toby do a great job of not stooping to the mean girl’s level and Pearce ultimately redeems the mean girl, helping the reader understand (though not excuse) her behavior.
At one point, the mean girl tells Ellie, “you should stop doing whatever this engineering thing is … and start working on being more ladylike.” Kit defends her friend by saying, “Engineering is perfectly ladylike, Melody, because ladies do it all the time.” My. Favorite. Line. Ever!
Ellie is part of a growing collection of stories that challenge gendered expectations, in this case for both girls and boys. This is a category I’m a big fan off. Still, some books do it better than others, and I think Ellie, Engineer In The Spotlight does a great job, especially for the younger end of middle grade readers.
Have Hammer, Will Travel
I like to think that if I had read Jackson Pearce’s Ellie, Engineer In the Spotlight (Bloomsbury), or any of the books in the Ellie Engineer series (this is the third), I might be an engineer today. Or at least more confident in fixing things and all-around problem solving.
I was one of those kids who thought — like a character in this book does — that an engineer drives a train. So, this story is fantastic in showing that an engineer is simply someone who likes to fix things and solve problems. It introduces phrases like “doing a build” and explains how electricity works at a perfect level for the average middle grade reader.
I love books that introduce the reader to new concepts in the context of a fun story. It gives the reader some passing familiarity with a topic so that when they are introduced to that topic in the future they won’t panic.
In this episode Ellie has entered a pageant with her best friend, Kit. How often does one read about the challenges of wearing a tool belt with a frothy purple gown? Or an engineering solution to make walking in high heels easier? Okay, I’ll answer. Never!
Their other friend, Toby, comes along for moral support and provides a lot of comic relief. Toby is determined to be voted Miss Congeniality, even though he’s not entered in the pageant.
What’s great about Toby’s character is it introduces a boy in a plot line that is girl-centric, and he isn’t spending time making fun of the girls in the pageant. In fact, he gets into it! Plus, it helps readers understand what “congeniality” is, in case they haven’t seen the Sandra Bullock movie or are otherwise unfamiliar with both the term and the award.
In addition, the book has lots of diagrams (illustrations by Tuesday Mourning). Nothing too complicated, but they illustrate basic principles of an electric circuit, for example, in easy to understand examples.
The story focuses much more on the talent portion (juggling, skateboarding, singing) than on the dressing up portion of the pageant, which I appreciated. But for readers who like the dressing up portion, or who like pageants, there is enough of that to engage them as well.
Ellie Engineer in the Spotlight also has conflict. There is a mean girl, a missing rabbit (needed for a magic act) and some tension when the lights on Kit’s skateboard ramp don’t work. Ellie, Kit and Toby do a great job of not stooping to the mean girl’s level and Pearce ultimately redeems the mean girl, helping the reader understand (though not excuse) her behavior.
At one point, the mean girl tells Ellie, “you should stop doing whatever this engineering thing is … and start working on being more ladylike.” Kit defends her friend by saying, “Engineering is perfectly ladylike, Melody, because ladies do it all the time.” My. Favorite. Line. Ever!
Ellie is part of a growing collection of stories that challenge gendered expectations, in this case for both girls and boys. This is a category I’m a big fan off. Still, some books do it better than others, and I think Ellie, Engineer In The Spotlight does a great job, especially for the younger end of middle grade readers.
November 7, 2019
I just love these Ellie Engineer books! In this one, we really see one of my favorite aspects of the books, as it's set at a pageant. Kit often goes along with what Ellie likes to do but this time Ellie joins Kit for one of her favorite things: a kids pageant. Their friend Toby tags along too even though he can't compete (but that doesn't prevent him from trying his best to win Miss Congeniality!) Their moms take advantage of the long weekend with kids' supervised activities to have a Girls' Weekend, which is how this all comes together.
Anyway, as Ellie works on a light-up, foldable skateboarding ramp for Kit's talent, and laments that engineering doesn't lend itself well to a talent contest so she has to go with ballet, her second-best talent, the story gets underway. She meets the nasty Queen Bee of the pageant circuit, Melody, who promptly accuses Kit of theft when her precious rabbit, the highlight of her winning magic show, disappears. With the help of Ellie's engineering skills (although actually more her logic skills), Melody's rabbit is found in the nick of time, Kit's ramp lights up just right, and naturally--I know you knew this was coming--Ellie does end up showcasing her engineering skills (AND her ballet skills) in her talent after all.
For me the very best thing about this series, beyond the great friendships with girls and boys, the way they are so good at compromising and empathizing, and even beyond the engineering, is how ungendered they all are. Aside from the fact that it's a pageant and Toby can't participate (I was a little surprised he didn't fight that!), it's wonderful to see the more "girly" character of Kit doing skateboarding for her talent, and the more "tomboyish" Ellie doing ballet and being fairly excited about the whole pageant. I mean, Ellie didn't care about winning (and was bummed when Melody called her out on wearing her toolbelt on stage), but she still thought the weekend would be fun. It's so refreshing to see these variations on the usual highly-gendered kids activities and interests, just presented without comment, as if of course a girl interested in engineering would also dance ballet. Love.
Anyway, as Ellie works on a light-up, foldable skateboarding ramp for Kit's talent, and laments that engineering doesn't lend itself well to a talent contest so she has to go with ballet, her second-best talent, the story gets underway. She meets the nasty Queen Bee of the pageant circuit, Melody, who promptly accuses Kit of theft when her precious rabbit, the highlight of her winning magic show, disappears. With the help of Ellie's engineering skills (although actually more her logic skills), Melody's rabbit is found in the nick of time, Kit's ramp lights up just right, and naturally--I know you knew this was coming--Ellie does end up showcasing her engineering skills (AND her ballet skills) in her talent after all.
For me the very best thing about this series, beyond the great friendships with girls and boys, the way they are so good at compromising and empathizing, and even beyond the engineering, is how ungendered they all are. Aside from the fact that it's a pageant and Toby can't participate (I was a little surprised he didn't fight that!), it's wonderful to see the more "girly" character of Kit doing skateboarding for her talent, and the more "tomboyish" Ellie doing ballet and being fairly excited about the whole pageant. I mean, Ellie didn't care about winning (and was bummed when Melody called her out on wearing her toolbelt on stage), but she still thought the weekend would be fun. It's so refreshing to see these variations on the usual highly-gendered kids activities and interests, just presented without comment, as if of course a girl interested in engineering would also dance ballet. Love.
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February 11, 2020This was a cute little read aloud for our mother/daughter book club. 😊
August 31, 2020
I like how even though Melody was mean to Ellie. Ellie still helped her. The lesson I learned from this book is that even if someone is mean to you you should still be nice to them and someday they will nice to you. Like the golden rule.
June 26, 2020
Great book!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews