Completely Clementine

Sara Pennypacker's Completely Clementine is a funny, tender story for 6 year olds about the last week of third grade and a LOT of changes coming all at once.

What happens

Clementine has turned vegetarian, and her mum and little brother have stopped eating animals too. But her dad ate the meat loaf a neighbour baked them. So Clementine isn't speaking to him (she's counting the days, hours AND minutes on Margaret's watch).

Instead she leaves him sad-animal drawings. A weeping cow. Piglets running from a farmer with a hot dog roll. A turkey staring at a November calendar. Who knew a clam could look terrified?

There's plenty else going on too. Her mum's about to have a baby and keeps scrubbing things that are already clean. Margaret's mum is getting married on Saturday, and Margaret (an expert on royal weddings) is furious it's going to be simple. And Clementine is dreading saying goodbye to her teacher, Mr D'Matz.

Being inside Clementine's head is a joy. She invents words like "astoundishing" and is outraged when the dictionary hasn't got them. She tries to get Mr D'Matz moved up to fourth grade so she can keep him. Then Rasheed decides he's in love with her because she's allowed to watch Danger Rangers (she does not allow it).

The jokes sit right beside the worries, though. She misses her dad so much that thinking about the star names he gave her freckles makes her eyes sting. Her mum's advice is gentle and very wise. You can't make someone believe what you believe, but you can't stop talking to them either.

If you've got a child with a big change coming up, like a new baby or a new class, they'll probably feel very understood here. And if they've ever gone in a huff with a grown-up and found it harder than they expected, they'll know exactly how Clementine feels.

It's the seventh Clementine book and the school words are American (third grade is about Year 4 here).

What to read next

If this is their first time meeting her, it's well worth going back to the very first Clementine book. That's the one where she helps Margaret with a haircut in the school toilets and ends up in Principal Rice's office.