Utterly Me, Clarice Bean by Lauren Child
Mad props to Candlewick for bringing this one across the pond. With it's clever fonts and cleverer narrator, it's a fun, breezy read for young girls. My 11-year old read it last fall and loved it, and I finally decided to pick it up today.
Clarice is a sassy, bright narrator who tells her own story in first-person, while relating passages from her favorite girl mystery series, Ruby Redfort. Clarice is a great character (in both senses of the word), and her descriptions are dead-on. As when she notes that her teacher, "Mrs. Wilberton is allowed to say rude things about me and I am not allowed to say them back. Those are the rules of school."
Or when she describes her brother Kurt: "I have an oldish brother called Kurt. Not many people get to see Kurt because he is usually in his room being alone. His room is full of gloom and a strange unpleasant smell."
This is a great one for kids who are independent readers and a little past the Junie B. Jones phase, but not quite ready for major novels. Or for the kids who've entered the novel phase, but who want a little light reading.
Fun!
Clarice is a sassy, bright narrator who tells her own story in first-person, while relating passages from her favorite girl mystery series, Ruby Redfort. Clarice is a great character (in both senses of the word), and her descriptions are dead-on. As when she notes that her teacher, "Mrs. Wilberton is allowed to say rude things about me and I am not allowed to say them back. Those are the rules of school."
Or when she describes her brother Kurt: "I have an oldish brother called Kurt. Not many people get to see Kurt because he is usually in his room being alone. His room is full of gloom and a strange unpleasant smell."
This is a great one for kids who are independent readers and a little past the Junie B. Jones phase, but not quite ready for major novels. Or for the kids who've entered the novel phase, but who want a little light reading.
Fun!