Clementine

I picked up the chapter book Clementine on a whim. I was standing in the bookstore when my eye fell on this bright orange book. It's not my normal type of book but I opened the cover, read the first page, and bought it on the spot. I was in love with this character from page one. I've read the whole series but I'll be talking about the first book here.

Clementine, written by Sara Pennypacker and illustrated by Marla Frazee, follows a little girl named (appropriately) Clementine as she tries to navigate third grade, her parent's apartment building, and staying out of trouble. One of these is a bit of a challenge for her. Clementine is a high spirited kid. In some circles I'm sure she'd be considered ADD but mostly she's just curious, and not always sure about the rules. In this first book in the series, Clementine gets in trouble for cutting her friend's hair off, cutting her own hair off (to even the score), trying to glue her own hair to her friend's head, and then painting both their heads with permanent marker to try to cover over the bald spot. When she overhears a conversation that makes her think that her parents are going to get rid of her, because she's "the bad kid", Clementine tries to clean up her act...and her room.

The summary I've just listed of this book doesn't do this character justice. Clementine is one of the best written characters I've ever read. She's so high spirited but so lovable. She's a good kid that's just a little confused. She calls her brother all sorts of vegetable names (rutabaga, turnip, lettuce...) because she shouldn't be the only one stuck with a food name. I still haven't found out his real name. She makes frequent visits to the principals office, where the interactions are so funny, I have to wipe away tears. Here's an example:

"All right now, Clementine," Principal Rice said in her I'm-trying-to-be-patient-but-it's-getting-harder voice. "Why did you cut off Margaret's hair?"
"I was helping,"
And then I told Prinicipal Rice about how I'd helped her too. "I answered the phone while you were gone. I ordered some new school pets, and I told the gym teacher we are never going to play dodgeball again, and I made two appointments for you. The phone kept going dead so I guess it's busted. But at least I helped you a little."
That's what I thought.
There is a look they teach a person to make in principal school that is not very nice. 

 And Clementine is only one of the characters I love in this series. Her parents are written with such heart and with such great voices. Both are unique and show their love for Clementine in different ways. I loved these parents as much or more than I loved the father in the Penderwick series, and I thought he was an amazing character. Margaret, Clementine's (now hairless) friend up on the 5th floor of the apartment building, is a classic Type A, rule-setting, germophobic foil to Clementine's high-spiritedness. While I never know what is going to come out of Clementine's mouth, "remember the rules" is more than likely to come out of Margaret's. Add in Margaret's older brother (who is not Clementine's boyfriend, as she insists), Principal Rice, Kumquat/Radish/Pea, and Clementine's kitten Moisturizer and you have a great cast.

Marla Frazee's ink illustrations help to bring the story to live. Clementine is almost always presented in action, or sporting an unusual posture. This is a kid who is always in motion, always questioning and Frazee lets us in on the action. My favorite illustration from the first book might be Clementine standing on the toilet while her father looks at her chocolate frosting beard. Or of course it could be Clementine with her head covered by her parent's blanket to hide the cut off hair. Each illustration is a delight. Each thought or line from Clementine makes me laugh, and then feel. I love this character. I don't remember the last time I was this charmed. A fantastic series.

Hoot

When I think of children's book authors, Carl Hiaasen is not the first name that springs to mind. I've read a number of Hiaasen's books and never once did I think to myself, this man should write children's books. In fact, normally his zany and gritty tales of Florida are the exact opposite of a classic kids book. Hiaasen writes about crime and dirt and corruption. And when it comes to Hoot, a Newbery Award honor book, he does it perfectly for the young adult audience.

Hoot follows Roy (or Cowgirl as his not-quite friends call him), a young boy who's just moved to Florida from Montana. Roy has problems and he has them in spades. He's the new kid in school with all that implies, he's attracted the attention of the school bully who wants to beat him to a pulp, and he's just discovered a mysterious boy named Mullet Fingers who's involved in a personal crusade against a national pancake company. A huge pancake company has decided to open a restaurant in the small town that Roy lives in. That should be cause for excitement and is until Roy finds out that there are endangered burrowing owls who have made a home on the site that the restraunt will be built on. Roy, Mullet Fingers, and Mullet Finger's sister Beatrice decide to stop them, using some rather unusual means. If you have read Hiaasen before, you know what kinds of antics his characters can get into. If you haven't...well what are you doing. Why aren't you at the library picking up one of his books?

As an environmentalist and a believer in animal rights, I was completely in love with this book from the beginning. Hiassen's message of anti-development rings so true with me. Hiassen often talks about corporate greed and its impact on the environment. Here he offers us a couple of heros that are willing to stand up against corporate greed, even if it means no pancakes. The kids get their point across through a wonderful mixture of vandalism and law-abiding routes (Mullet Fingers on the vandalism side and Roy on the law abiding). This is a book about standing up for what you believe in no matter how unpopular it is.

But it's not as preachy as that sounds. Instead Hiaasen uses humor to get his point across. From the opening scene, where Roy first sees Mullet Fingers while having his face smooshed against the glass by the school bully, you know you're in for a story that's both touching and humorous. Roy is not a violent kid and he goes about helping Mullet Fingers (and dealing with his bully), in funny ways. The pranks that Mullet Fingers pulls on the construction contractor are hilarious with just a slight touch of danger. The contractor and the police officer dealing with the case start off as charactures and become real people during the course of the book. But they are still the bumbling idiots of the tale. And in the end (after all the humor is done) you come away with a great environmental message. I have to take back my earlier words. Hiaasen can write children's books. And he'll do it with humor.

Roald Dahl

I spent yesterday afternoon curled up on the couch reading Going Solo, Roald Dahl's account of his time in Northern Africa and as a RAF pilot during World War II. I've read almost every book that Dahl has ever read but hadn't touched on his autobiographies. It was a wonderful account although not a children's book.

I was also shocked to read today that yesterday was Roald Dahl Day. The coincidence was just too amazing. Here I had picked up the book at a booksale on Saturday, started it that night, and read the majority of it on September 13th, the day Dahl was born. I know that in recent years, Dahl's work has become somewhat controversial. Parents seem to object to his rather dark, and sometimes vicious stories of children who outsmart adults. I have heard many people tell me that they don't let their child read Dahl. Too revolting, they say. His characters are mean. Or too strange.

I had The BFG read to me when I was in second grade. I had the greatest second grade teacher who read us some amazing books. I still remember sitting on the floor listening to the story of Sophie and her Big Friendly Giant. I loved the made-up words, the bizarre situation, and the silliness of the characters. It was the first chapter book I remember loving. I've gone on to read so many of Roald Dahl's books and haven't found one I haven't enjoyed. For all those parents out there, looking for something fun to read in a chapter book, I would recommend Roald Dahl. Yes Dahl is strange, yes he can be revolting, yes he can be vicious. But I have never read anything that have enchanted me as much as these books. Pick up any of his books. For me, they are all must-reads. And Happy Belated Roald Dahl Day!!!

Zorgamazoo

I would bet you have never read anything like Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston.  I had certainly never read anything like it. I picked up the book this week at the library mostly because of the recommendation of Mark and Andrea at Just One More Book. If you love children's books and aren't listening to their amazing podcast, you are missing out. Not only do they discuss some wonderful children's books, but they have some great author/illustrator interviews. And do not (and I mean it) miss their recent Rock Stars of Reading tour. 

I'm not sure what I was expecting with Zorgamazoo but it defies pretty much any ideas I could have had about it. First I was under the assumption that this was a picture book. I kept checking in the new picture books to find it. But that's not the case. The story is a chapter book, full of adventure and excitement. It does have some pictures but they are small black and white illustrations along with some interesting typography. But the most amazing thing about this book is that it is all told in rhyme. Yes, all 280 pages or so of this book are told in rhyme. I'm no poetry expert so I'm not sure what the actual rhyme scheme is. I found I read it mostly as rhyming couplets. 

At first I was sure this would distract from the story. But the rhymes that Weston chooses are very natural sounding. It really doesn't feel like he is stretching too far for any of his rhymes. Instead the rhymes keep the story moving at an almost frantic pace. The story follows Katrina Katrell who is a bright inquisitive child living with a terrible guardian who is convinced she is crazy. When her guardian hires a doctor to give her a quick lobotomy (try explaining that one) she escapes and meets up with Morty the Zorgle, a bumbling creature who's the son of a famous Zorgle explorer. But Morty doesn't like excitement. The two are thrown together on an adventure to save some Zorgles that have disappeared. I don't want to go too far into the plot for fear of spoiling it. Please believe me when I say you must read this book. It is a fantasy adventure that was literally out of this world.

I'm a big fan of rhyming although all of the rhyming books I have ever seen tend to be picture books. That kind of wordplay isn't normally sustained for too long a period of time. But Weston pulls it off flawlessly. Not only does he create a magical book of rhymes but he creates a story that has excitement, danger, and likable characters. I could not put this book down. I had to keep turning the pages to find out what odd situation the two would get into next. The plot is silly and poignant at the same time and children will love this book as a read aloud. The rhymes are just so perfect. I am in awe of the work that this book took to create. The author makes what had to be an incredibly tough book to write seem effortless. An amazing book. You have seriously never read anything like this.