2012
WISE Score
Amazon
Third grade is a battlefield, and EllRay is just trying to survive the week without punching anyone so he can finally see Mickey Mouse.
4.7
4.7View →Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)
EllRay Jakes is the kid your kid actually knows. He’s not a superhero; he’s just a third-grader trying not to get squashed by the class bully while his dad dangles a trip to Anaheim over his head.
It’s funny, it’s fast, and it handles the 'don't fight back' vs 'stand up for yourself' dilemma with more honesty than most books at this level. If your kid is bored by overly sweet stories but isn't ready for the snark of 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid,' this is the sweet spot.
Perfect for the 7-to-10-year-old crowd. It’s the ideal bridge for kids moving out of early readers into more complex stories.
The story centers on a realistic family dynamic where a dad tries to help his son navigate school trouble. It models a kid trying—and often failing—to exercise self-control, which is far more relatable than a perfect protagonist.
It's grounded, realistic fiction. While it doesn't build new worlds, it captures the internal world of an 8-year-old boy with a specific, funny voice that feels fresh.
Extremely safe. The conflict is standard elementary school bullying. There's no dark content or mature themes that would catch a parent off guard. It's a standard Scholastic-level reader.
High emotional intelligence value. It forces kids to think about why bullies act the way they do and the actual difficulty of keeping your cool when someone is pushing your buttons.
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