Elvin Link is middle-grade comfort literary humor food

If the middle school mind could be accessed as easily as a filing cabinet then you’d see files on everything that’s represented in Elvin Link, Please Report to the Principal’s Office by Drew Dernavich in there. There’d be a file on doodling, hanging out with your best friend, a conspiracy theory file (that also includes parents), a large folder on school issues like acquaintances/bullies, and many other files that get changed or moved to the front as they get older. Elvin Link captures that middle-school essence in the best and sweetest of all possible ways.

Elvin Link, Please Report to the Principal’s Office is written in the diary-style that’s proved to be very popular with upper-elementary and middle-school readers.   As a book, we’ve found that style not very entertaining and challenging to read. It’s a clever device but tends to slow down the pace of the book and feels gimmicky. Elvin Link got the memo from people like me regarding this and has ditched the extensive notebook look. There are a couple of pages where the lined paper is used, but it really is one or two pages.

In its place, Dernavich has created a fresh middle-grade book that actually reads like a book. Because our titular character doodles when he’s feeling bored or creative, the book is jammed with hundreds of sketches. These drawings help readers get inside Elvin Link’s head, through a different device. It’s that clue or implied device that will help somewhat reluctant readers glom onto the book and eagerly see it through.

Each chapter is about nine pages long and moves very quickly. Some aspects of the book’s theme will be familiar to readers who’ve enjoyed Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries or the Origami Yoda series. Those three books are the ones that nine-year-olds will immediately relate to. There certainly are similarities, but Elvin Link feels more complete. That’s partially due to there being fewer characters, which allows Elvin, his best friend Carlos, as well as secrets, habits, and other relationships to share more of the main light.

Middle school readers who are familiar with The Terrible Two series by John Jory and Mac Barnett could possibly find more in common than those aforementioned contemporaries. Both of those series have more humor and are more relatable to boys especially. Libraries and parents will also like the fact that the book seems older than those other books. The reading level is the same, but the fact that it’s devoid of the notebook gimmick will give some readers the encouragement to read more challenging books.

There are some elements of gross-out humor or a mild potty joke or two. For the most part, the book is a funny story about being true to yourself and being a good friend, with a very strong undercurrent of school-is-weird and quite humorous. All of this adds up to a very easy sell for reluctant readers. Those middle school students who are more avid readers will enjoy the book and be able to read it very quickly. Whichever camp your reader is in, the Elvin Link series sets up a character who has enough charm, foibles, and humor to carry several books.

Elvin Link, Please Report to the Principal’s Office is by Drew Dernavich and published on Henry Holt and Co.

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