It’s not easy moving to a new place away from family and friends and trying to settle into a new home and school.

The middle grade graphic novel Ellie in First Position tackles all this, and more. The story opens with 10-year-old Electra, or Ellie for short, relocating to a new city with her mother and brother. She has had a ‘weird year’ and is not excited about starting afresh.

Things don’t improve when she starts at her new school. On day one, a classmate asks why Ellie’s father hasn’t moved with her. And other children taunt her for reading books with pictures during recess. Ellie’s mum urges her to participate in sport to fit in and find friends. Ellie tries her hand at a range of activities—volleyball, archery, tennis and swimming—and a hilarious series of slips and misses ensues.

What Ellie really enjoys, she discovers, is ballet. She loves moving to music and starts to grow in confidence with the support of her new group of friends. They recognize her talent and encourage her to pursue it. Ellie wins a dance-off at school in the face of taunts from a classmate. Then, she joins one of her friends at his ballet classes and is noticed by the teacher. The only problem is that Ellie’s mom is totally against ballet and so her daughter keeps her passion under wraps. Needless to say, it doesn’t stay secret for long. Will her mom allow Ellie to pursue her interest in ballet or put a stop to it?

Ellie in First Position is a tale of transition, adaptation and growth. Ellie’s move away from her previous family set-up, school and friends to a new life poses challenges that many readers will identify with. But we see her gradually adapt to her new situation, find new friends (and a crush!) and her true self.

This graphic novel is a sweet, funny, sad, and ultimately heartwarming read. Its length, engaging characters, easy dialogue and colorful illustrations make it accessible to a wide range of readers. And its core message reinforces the importance of supporting children to follow their talents and interests, whatever these might be.

Note: the main characters in this graphic novel are light-skinned; Ellie’s classmates have varied skin tones.

Ellie in First Position
Written by Brian Freschi
Illustrated by Elena Triolo
Translated from Italian by Nanette McGuinness
Marble Press, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-958325-01-8 (Ebook); 978-1-958325-00-1 (Paperback)

Reviews: Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Youth Services Book Review

You can buy a copy of Ellie in First Position here or find it in a library, here.*

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Laura Taylor previously posted at Planet Picture Book, a world children’s literature blog she founded in 2017. She is a small business copywriter, NAATI-certified translator of French into English and member of AUSIT. When she is not writing, she is reading and spending time with her two young children. She occasionally tweets @plapibo