Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, Marla Frazee (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Winner or washout?

When it comes to tackling third grade, Clementine is at the top of her game-okay, so maybe not all the time.  After her teacher announces that the third and fourth graders will be putting on a talent show, Clementine panics.  She doesn't sing or dance or play an instrument.  She can't even hop with finesse.  And as if she didn't feel bad enough, her perfect best friend, Margaret, has so many talents, she has to alphabetize them to keep them straight.

As the night of the big "Talent-palooza" draws closer, Clementine is desperate for an act, any act.  But the unexpected talent she demonstrates at the show surprises everyone—most of all herself.

This Clementine sequel is sure to bring the house down!

Publishers Weekly

The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, illus. by Marla Frazee, brings back the third-grader that made such a splash in last season's Clementine (in our Best Books citation, PW called her "an eight-year-old whose spirit rivals Ramona and Judy Moody"). Here her teacher's announcement of a school talent show sends the heroine into a tizzy. (Hyperion, $14.99 144p ages 7-10 ISBN 978-0-7868-3870-7; Apr.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Similar to Cleary's "Ramona" books but with an individual flare, Pennypacker's Clementine is a unique third grader whose humorous antics keep her parents, teachers, and classmates off-balance. Panicked, Clementine believes she has no talent to display at the third- and fourth-grade talent show because she cannot cartwheel, sing, or play a musical instrument. Although her discerning parents try to help her think of her talents, Clementine is dissatisfied by their suggestions. Instead, she tries to learn tap dancing from her sometimes-annoyingly-perfect best friend Margaret. Unfortunately for Clementine, gluing bottle caps to her shoes turns into a disaster. Fortunately, the principal Mrs. Rice recruits Clementine at the last-minute to help stage manage the show—a job for which she learns she is absolutely perfect. Frazee's black-and-white pencil illustrations add to the comic tone of the novel. Clementine's everyday dilemmas make this a novel that most kids will easily identify with, and as it is written from a first-person perspective, Clementine's dry humor and unusual outlook make this an especially entertaining school story.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5 -Her third-grade class is scheduled to put on a talent show to raise money for the school trip, and Clementine is convinced that she doesn't have any talents in Sara Pennypacker's sequel (Hyperion, 2007) to Clementine (Hyperion, 2006). After failing to convince her teacher that she won't be able to perform because she and her family are moving to Egypt, she desperately tries to find a talent, even if she has to borrow one from her upstairs neighbor and schoolmate, "that Margaret!" Narrator Jessica Almasy provides the ideal voice for Clementine, skillfully portraying her spunky and delightfully humorous characteristics. Early chapter-book readers who are fans of Junie B. Jones and Ramona will enjoy this entertaining visit with Clementine.-Amy Joslyn, Fairport Public Library, NY

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