Seabolt, Tricia. Ellie and the Marriage List. Lucy Rogers, Illus. Lantana, 5/2024. 219 +5pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-915244-72-7. GRADES 3–5. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
Ten-year-old Ellie was looking forward to spending time drawing under the family’s massive willow tree and hiking with her older brother Ben, but his interest in their neighbor Sarah upsets the balance of things. Due to a “marriage list” from her Best Friend Forever, Ling, Ellie has interesting ideas about the stages of relationships that lead to marriage and moving away, which causes humorous attempts to disrupt what she believes to be Ben and Sarah’s impending marriage. Ellie’s Down syndrome is a central part of who she is, which Seabolt deftly weaves into the story without it being the primary focus. Rogers’s scattered b&w sketched illustrations add a touch more vividness to the action, and show Ellie to be light complexioned (with brown hair on the cover) and Ling with long straight black hair. Young readers who are unsure about relationships and marriage may believe, at first, that the list is real. However, once everything comes to light and is explained to Ellie, the truth makes for a satisfying ending. This introduction to Down syndrome shows Ellie as someone who is similar to everyone else, just with different ways of seeing the world.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library