Pennypacker, Sara. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. 2006. Clementine. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Clementine is not having a good week. It began when she found her friend Margaret in the restroom crying because she tried to cut glue out of her hair. Clementine tried to help by cutting the other side so that Margaret’s hair would match. Margaret’s mother is not happy with Clementine and her parents are upset with her, too. So upset in fact, that Clementine thinks that her parents are trying to get rid of her forever. Clementine spends much of her time explaining to the adults around her that she is paying attention—maybe not to what they want her to pay attention to, but to the world around her. Her mishaps and adventures are humorous, touching, and just realistic enough to engage readers from the first page when Clementine begins to explain that “I have had not so good of a week.” The pen and ink illustrations by Frazee depict Clementine in all her myriad of emotions from happy to mischievous to sad. The expressions in the pictures show Clementine and her amazing zest for life. Frequently humorous and occasionally touching, this first installment gives readers an insight into the life of a precocious and charming third grader—an insight that leaves readers eagerly awaiting the next saga.