EllRay Jakes Stands Tall (Book 9) by Sally Warner

Rating: Needs Parent Supervision

Reading Level: Early Elementary

A small boy struggles with wanting respect, even though he is short. Important: I do NOT recommend the first book in the series, EllRay Jakes is not a Chicken.

Potential minor concerns:

• EllRay generalizes on gender a lot. Boys have to play basketball to earn respect. Girls don’t play basketball; they do yoga. Stuff like that.
• EllRay struggles with thinking he ought to be good at basketball because of having brown skin. His dad calls him out, but still I think a conversation with your kid is in order because that correction doesn’t ring strong enough in the book; make sure your kid understands what the dad is saying. (See the last page of chapter 13 and all of chapter 14.)
• I do NOT recommend the first book in the series, and for more info see my review of EllRay Jakes is not a Chicken.

Overall I like that in this book EllRay stands up against some bullying, listens to his coach, calls his sister out on being a bully, and is friends with the needy kid.

See also EllRay Jakes Walks the Plank and EllRay Jakes is a Rock Star.

For another story where EllRay deals heavily with his own mistakes, see Book 2 in the series: EllRay Jakes is a Rock Star.