Ellie, Engineer by Jackson Pearce (review)

Ellie's a seasoned engineer (well, as seasoned as a third-grader can get), so when the first present she makes for her friend Kit's birthday goes awry (blenders are not the best choice to braid hair), she quickly comes up with a new plan: a dog house for the puppy that Kit is supposedly getting at her party. Ellie enlists the help of some neighborhood kids to make the house, but it turns out that managing cooperation between the various cliques of her friends, delegating tasks, and keeping it all a secret from Kit is a lot harder than anything requiring a hammer or nail. The direct storytelling is accessible and the cheerful tone keeps things light without condescending to Ellie or the reader. Ellie's easily relatable as an everyday kid—she's neither a caricature of a bumbling amateur or know-it-all hero, but rather a girl who has successes and failures and learns from both. While gender roles are sometimes addressed in awkwardly obvious ways, Pearce effectively reminds readers that "Boy Stuff " and "Girl Stuff " can be the same stuff. Aspiring inventors will appreciate the descriptions and black and white sketches of Ellie's various creations, so be sure to make some room in the makerspace for Ellie's new fans. A quick introduction to key tools is appended.