Ellie in First Position: A Graphic Novel
by Brian Freschi (Author) Elena Triolo (Illustrator)
Can a sport klutz reach her dream and dance? A charming and hilarious, slice of life, middle grade graphic novel about ten year old Electra who refuses to give up her dream to take ballet.
After moving, Ellie feels lonely in her new class. Mom has a solution, the girl needs to join the school's sports team to make friends. There is only one problem, no matter what sport she tries Electra makes an utter fool of herself. In the middle of her misery, enchanted by her cousin's ballet performance, Ellie suddenly knows what she wants more than anything, dancing. If only mom could agree.
A page turner, full of relatable conflicts, Ellie in First Position is a humorous, positive and heartwarming story about resilience, self-love, new experiences, and friendship. By the end of the book, Ellie doesn't only learn to accept herself and her family, makes new friends and even has her first crush, but manages to deal with her bullies too.
Fans of The Babysitters Club, Fancy Nancy, or the Stepping Stones series will love Ellie in First Position.
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Publishers Weekly
Ellie is miserable following her parents' divorce and her move to a new town with her mother and inattentive older brother. Luckily, working on her Super Stella comics makes life at home bearable for introspective Ellie, and she's attending the same school as her cheerful yet sometimes pushy best friend Chloe. When Ellie laments that her new classmates only seem interested in sports, her mother--who is often dismissive about Ellie's focus on art--urges her to join one of the school teams. What follows is a comedic string of disasters as Ellie attempts to participate in various activities, including volleyball, swimming, and archery. A family trip to the ballet helps Ellie find her passion, despite her mother's brusque opinion of dancing. With a peer's encouragement, Ellie sneakily pursues the art by joining a ballet class, unbeknownst to her mom. While the plot is familiar, the illustrations' exuberant energy and vivid hues, combined with the laugh-out-loud physical comedy from Ellie's numerous athletic missteps and her dogged determination to be true to herself, results in an impassioned graphic novel from Freschi (The Vertical Sea, for adults) and Triolo. Characters are portrayed with pale skin. Ages 8-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Kirkus
"A relatable tale that will ring true with both creative and athletic readers."
Review quotes
"Ellie is such a relatable character, and her struggles will certainly resonate with young readers. I appreciate that this story is presented as a graphic novel, as it is sure to reach a potentially wider audience of fledgling bookworms."
—Andrea Pole
"Readers will relate to the middle school struggles with friendship, parents, and belonging that are addressed in this graphic novel. The graphic novel's sweet illustrations add to the charm of Ellie's story. Even when she doesn't make the best choices, readers will find themselves cheering for Ellie as she works to find her place and what matters to her." — Lori
"An adorable little upper-elementary/middle grade novel about the difficultly in following the plan your parents have for you versus finding your own way." —Kristen
Brian Freschi has worked in the theatre and the performing arts for many years. He studied scriptwriting at the Accademia Internationale di Comics in Florence and has collaborated with the Manticora Collective since 2015. Brian's books have been released by numerous publishers of children's literature and comics. His work has been translated in many countries, including France and the U.S. He teaches scriptwriting at The Sign Academy in Florence and was nominated as Best Writer in the 2020 Boscarato Awards at the Treviso Comic Book Festival.
Elena Triolo is an illustrator and cartoonist from Tuscany. She has worked with the major Italian publishing houses and many different brands, and she teaches comics and illustration to adults and children. Elena has two major passions--drawing and ballet--and has a huge following on social media under her profile, @carotecannella. Ellie in First Position is the dynamic duo's first graphic novel together.
Award-winning opera singer Nanette McGuinness is the translator of over 90 books and graphic novels for children and adults from French, Italian, German, and Spanish into English, including the much-loved Geronimo Stilton graphic novels. Her translation of Luisa: Now and Then was a 2019 Stonewall Honor Book and a 2020 GLLI YA Translated Honor Book.
Graphic novels
Ballet dancers
Cartoons and comics
Comics (Graphic works)
Ballet
Humorous comics
Middle school girls
