A review by cakt1991
Ellie Engle Saves Herself by Leah Johnson

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 I’ve loved Leah Johnson’s prior YA works, so I was curious to see what she would bring to the table with her Middle Grade debut. Ellie Engle Saves Herself is a nice surprise, dealing with typical tween coming-of-age issues with a  superhero twist. 

Ellie is an immediately sympathetic heroine, being nerdy and a bit of an outsider. She’s reckoning with the changes to her friendship with her best friend (and crush) Abby, as they make the transition to a new school and start growing apart. I really liked how the inciting incident of the story is set up by her love of comic books and superheroes, making it interesting as she applies this knowledge as she navigates learning about her powers. 

And I really liked learning about her powers along with  her. While the story is whimsical overall, I liked how there was an edge there, with the cost of what is essentially necromancy being laid out on-page without getting too gritty. 

While the story is more or less solid, there are some aspects that made this feel a little less polished, such as some subplots not really going anywhere. And the pacing was a bit odd, with time being a bit weird in the book, and slowing down an otherwise short book. 

This was a fun read, and I’m excited for what’s to come next. If you’re looking for a fun, original superhero story with a Black queer female lead, I recommend checking it out!