EllRay Jakes the Recess King!

EllRay Jakes #8

by Sally Warner, Brian Biggs (Illustrations)

Eight-year-old EllRay is down to one-and-a-half best friends, which leads his little sister to point out the he needs new friends. A spare, at least. For emergencies. So EllRay decides to audition other boys for the role of Spare Best Friend.

EllRay’s class is brimming with possibilities, but no one seems to share his exact interests. What’s so great about car parts? And why would anyone think boring instruction manuals are fun to read? But EllRay isn’t worried—he can fix any problems once he gets to know each kid. And the only way to get to know them is to come up with fun things to do at recess. When he’s the Recess King, everyone will want to be his friend!

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Humor

176 pages, Hardcover

First published May 5, 2015

About the author

Sally Warner is a writer of fiction for children and young adults and of books on creativity. She made the Lily series and Emma series for children's books. Sally Warner was born in New York City and grew up in Connecticut and California, where her family moved when she was eight years old.

Reviews

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good book to have some of my new 4th graders read. The characters are believable and likable.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

In his quest to make a new best friend, EllRay decides to become the recess king, by introducing new games to play. His very first attempt ends in disaster, and as the week progresses the disasters just keep piling up. What EllRay fails to realize is that you can't make people be your friend, you just have to be yourself, and the opportunities for friendship will present it self naturally, and those friendships are the most fulfilling.

[Melinda Brasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that the characters in this book were not totally selfish jerks who didn't care about the consequences of their actions, as seems popular in some current contemporary juvi fiction. However, it almost swung too far the other way. Everyone was so nice and good (even while getting in scrapes), that it felt unrealistic and maybe even a little preachy.

The plot was cute but felt a little slow in places.

I enjoyed it. I really liked Ellray and Alfie and their sweet relationship. It was a smooth read. I wonder how the target audience will react. (I'm an adult who enjoys some juvi fiction and who's looking for alternatives to Diary of a Wimpy Kid).

More accurate rating: 3.5

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

EllRay needs a spare friend, and fast! His little sister's play is coming up, and both of his other best friends are busy, so he has a week to find a spare friend. He comes upon the solution; if he's the Recess King, the third grader with all the fun ideas, no one will be able to resist him! Will it work or will he manage to become the first third grader expelled from his primary school ever?
This light book has some funny moments, a slower pace, and genuine warmth between family members. I was slightly irritated that it was EllRay's mom who solved everything, but I'm probably the only person who will be irritated by that. Read in preparation for OBOB 2018.

[Jennifer Snavely · Rating 3 out of 5]

My five-year-old and seven-year-old and I listened to this on CD in the car. To me, it's a bit slow moving, but my seven-year-old enjoyed it enough that he wanted to find another one of the stories to listen to on CD. The plot is not fast-paced but definitely goes into the character's thoughts and emotions. I figure if my seven-year-old enjoyed it and wants to read another one at that slower pace, it's worth noting.

[Nikita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellray Jakes recess king is a amazing book, it is a good because it has good theme’s such as “ you don’t need to go looking for a friend because there is one always by your side” you see this theme because he was wanting a certain person to be his friend but turns out he got a different person. I love this book because the author has so many themes shown in just on book and in different ways. I would recommend this book to 4-5 graders.

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read in 2017 - catching up in Q2020

Battle of the books ages ago - an easy read and diversity read. While I usually look forward to books that challenge or open the minds of our students this one left me and many students flat...the series never flew off the shelf.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

OBOB 2018, book 11. I didn't love this one. Although it was cute and simple, somehow I also found it kind of boring and gimmicky. It is geared toward very young readers, probably boys.

[Candy Shepard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t too impressed by the cultural indifference shown in this book. We adults have to deal with this drama daily, but it doesn’t need to be influencing children in their literature.

[Sarah Castle · Rating 4 out of 5]

EllRay was very very funny and it was really really awesome for when you're bored.

[amypete · Rating 3 out of 5]

OBOB 2018

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellray can sometimes get into trouble which makes this book funny and entertaining.

[Trenton Dianovich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellray Jakes the Recess King! by Sally Warner was a good book. It was hard for me to stop reading it. I really liked how the author explained Ellray's problems and would definitely read another book from this series.

This book explains how Ellray Jakes finds a new friend. Ellray is running out of friends at his new school and his little sister points that out for him. This leads him to try and find new friends or at least a spare friend to play with when his main friends are busy. He makes plans to find a friend that would be best for him but they do not turn out as he imagined.

I would recommend this book to boys in fourth grade to eighth grade. I would also recommend this book to you if you have read other books by this author. You will not be disappointed by this book.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the EllRay Jakes series, in this installment third grader EllRay decides he needs some more friends in his class. He comes up with a couple ideas for the playground involving toilet paper and a book wrapped in aluminum foil. What happens next is not what he hoped for. After all this, will he still be able to make a new friend or two?
Along with fans of Marvin Bridge, fans of Horrible Harry and the Kids of Polk Street will enjoy this more current series.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories of ElRay offer students humor and insight. This episode does not disappoint as he tries to find some backup-friends for the times when his best friends aren't available. After selecting a few possibilities, he conjures up ideas to persuade them during recess. Of course, the best-laid plans go awry, and EllRay wonders if he'll ever have any friends left at all.

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Reving · Rating 5 out of 5]

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