Ella Moves House

Ella and her mum have a flat that suits them perfectly, but when mum’s special friend Joe moves in, they are squashed. This is not good from Ella’s point of view, and she shows her dislike of Joe in no uncertain terms. Joe tries very hard – perhaps too hard – but his juggling doughnuts, his games with her, even his cooking bring forth nothing but negative responses. When mum announces they are to move to a house to give them more room. Ella is adamant that she doesn’t want to go, and her stubbornness continues throughout the packing process. It is only at the new house, when Ella’s beloved doll gets taken away by a large dog and Joe rescues it that Ella begins to accept Joe in her life. If the outcome is a tad easy, Ella’s response to the new stepfather is all too realistic and one that many stepfamilies will recognise. Jolly, cartoon style illustrations with lots of humour add to a story which will have particular appeal to children in a stepfamily. Published on the Tamarind list of ‘books for a multi-cultural world’.