Ellen Tebbits
Ellen Tebbits is a children's novel written by Beverly Cleary and published in 1951. The book was followed up by Otis Spofford, which describes the events as seen though the eyes of the "antagonist."
Personal
Wanting to encourage my daughters to read, I began seeking out books written for young girls. Since I was aware of Beverly Cleary from the Ramona books I read in elementary school, I sought out more from her. I didn't find this one very interesting.
Review
Good
- The book covers a variety of issues that are important to third grade kids like conforming with peers, how to make and keep friends, how to deal with people who annoy you, how to be noticed by adults, and the like.
Bad
- Despite all her complaining, nothing bad really ever happens to Ellen. All her problems really are the banal issues of an eight year old girl, so I didn't find the book very interesting.
- Although the core message is relevant, the book is now over 70 years old, so it's a bit out of touch.
Ugly
- Nothing.
Media
Representation
| Strong female character? | Pass | Ellen and Austine are both strong. |
|---|---|---|
| Bechdel test? | Pass | Most the of the characters in the book are women who talk about all sorts of things. |
| Strong person of color character? | Unknown | |
| Queer character? | Unknown |
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