Kirkus Reviews

This second series entry (EllRay Jakes Is Not a Chicken, 2011) features an unofficial popularity contest and EllRay's struggles to extricate himself from the fix he gets into after he tries to take a shortcut to earn the respect of his classmates. This time, the kids in Ms. Sanchez's third-grade class are engaging in one-upmanship; Jared's dad has a new ATV, Cynthia's dad has a really cool car, Kevin's dad has a lot of money and so on. EllRay can't think of anything his geologist dad has that would impress, except crystals, which his father personally collected from all over the world. EllRay brings the valuable rocks to school and somehow finds himself giving them out to his classmates, which is a problem, since he didn't have permission to borrow them in the first place. EllRay's attempts to right the situation ring true; he resists adults' attempts to fix the problem and manages to solve it himself, though not without paying a bit of a price in allowance money and embarrassment. As in the previous book, the dialogue, setting and plot are accessible and realistic. Young readers can identify with EllRay, who is neither a bad seed nor a goody-two-shoes; he and his sense of humor are just right. A welcome addition to the tales from Oak Glen Primary School. (Fiction. 7-11)

ALA Booklist

Amiable EllRay Jakes is back in this second installment of Sally Warner's series. In Ms. Sanchez's third-grade class some kids are tall, some are popular, and some have dads with cool cars and fast ATVs. EllRay, whose own father is a bookish geology professor, wants something to brag about and decides to takes his father's rare and valuable crystals to school to impress his friends. When his plan for popularity goes haywire, he finds himself involved in a glittery blackmail scheme. Kids of all stripes will identify with little EllRay and his unwittingly hilarious antics.

School Library Journal (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Gr 2-4 All of the kids in EllRay's third-grade class have something to brag aboutKevin is really tall, Corey's on the swim team, and Jared's dad has an ATV. EllRay doesn't have anything to boast about, except that his dad, a geologist, collects rocks. And that isn't very excitingor is it? EllRay decides to "borrow" six of the crystals in his dad's office to show his classmates in his attempt to become a "rock star." Unfortunately show-and-tell turns into giving the prized crystals away, and EllRay finds himself in a tough spot when his dad realizes that they are missing. Will the child get the crystals back by his dad's deadline? The protagonist's voice is humorous, and the charming cartoon illustrations make this beginning chapter book approachable for reluctant readers.— Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH

Horn Book (Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

The star of EllRay Jakes Is Not a Chicken! tries to become more popular at school by giving away his geologist father's crystals. When his plan backfires, EllRay must dig his own way out of a hole. The third-grader's narrative voice isn't believable (he sounds much older), but fans of the first book will appreciate his inventiveness. Black-and-white spot art appears throughout.