By Sara Pennypacker
One very long week in the life of a third-grader who is always in trouble and never once means to be.
Clementine is having a rough week, and the way she sees it, none of it is her fault. It started when Margaret got gum stuck in her hair. Clementine helped by cutting it out, which left Margaret lopsided, so of course the only kind thing was to even it up, color in the bald spots with markers, and then color her own hair to match so Margaret wouldn't feel alone. Grown-ups do not see the logic. By the end of the week Clementine has decided she is far too much trouble to keep, and she is quietly braced to be sent away, right up until she finds out exactly how her parents feel about that.
If your child is edging from picture books toward a real chapter book, this is a soft place to land. The chapters are short, Marla Frazee's drawings turn up every few pages, and Clementine's voice does most of the work. She's so funny and so sure of herself that reading stops feeling like reading. She argues with her own brain, calls things by the wrong names on purpose, and can't fathom why the grown-ups keep getting upset. Under the comedy runs one tender thread: Clementine is convinced she's the difficult one, the problem child, and a child who has ever felt like 'too much' may see themselves in her right away.