Clementine and the Family Meeting (Clementine Series #5)

by Sara Pennypacker, Marla Frazee (Illustrator)

Overview

This New York Times bestselling chapter book series has been keeping readers engaged and laughing for more than a decade with over one million copies sold!

Clementine's having a nervous breakdown. The FAMILY MEETING! sign is up in her house, and she just knows she's in trouble for something. Has she been too mean to her little brother? Too sloppy? Eating too much junk food? Try as she might to find out what's on the agenda, her parents won't reveal anything before the meeting.

As far as Clementine is concerned, the agenda should be something like: "We're getting a gorilla." But no, it's something entirely different. "We're talking about a new baby," says her father. "A sibling for you two. What do you think about that?" NO THANKS! is what Clementine thinks. After all, four is the perfect number for a family. There are four sides to a table, not five. Will Clementine learn to make room for one more?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423124368
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	06/19/2012
Series:	Clementine Series , #5
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	69,782
Product dimensions:	5.58(w) x 7.58(h) x 0.48(d)
Lexile:	630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Sara Pennypacker splits her time between Florida and Massachusetts, were she feels lucky to be able to write every day. She is the author of many children's books, including Waylon! One Awesome Thing and Waylon! Even More Awesome, the New York Times #1 bestseller Pax; seven in the New York Times bestselling Clementine series; two in the Stuart series; Meet the Dullards; Summer of the Gypsy Moths; and Sparrow Girl. Her books have won numerous accolades, including a Golden Kite Award, a Christopher Award, and several children's choice state awards, and they have appeared on many Best Books of the Year lists. For more information, visit www.sarapennypacker.com.

Marla Frazee illustrated Waylon! One Awesome Thing and Waylon! Even More Awesome and all of the books in the Clementine series. She was awarded a Caldecott Honor on two occasions: for All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, and her own A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever. She is also the author-illustrator of Roller Coaster, Walk On!, Santa Claus the World's Number One Toy Expert, and The Boss Baby, which inspired a major motion picture. Marla has three grown sons, and works in a small backyard cabin under an avocado tree. Visit her at www.marlafrazee.com.

Editorial Reviews

Clementine has had many not-so-good days. But this one just might be the worst. She loses her favorite hat, her science project is ruined and the "family meeting!" sign is up on the refrigerator-that's never a good thing. Even though family meetings are supposed to be about family issues, Clementine usually ends up getting in trouble. But this one is different. Clementine's dad announces that their family is going to grow. Are they are getting a gorilla, like Clementine has always wanted?! No. It's a new baby. Clementine is N-O-T, not happy. They are a family of four. Four is a perfect number. In infallible Clementine reasoning: "Four can be two and two sometimes, and nobody is lonely. Two kids and two grown-ups. Two boys and two girls. There are four sides to the kitchen table, so we each get one." Five just doesn't work. Pennypacker tackles the oft-written new-baby theme from a refreshing, older perspective; jealousy is not the foremost emotion, it's vulnerability. Everything is changing too fast. Clementine and her dad have always had a unique bond, but in this venture, he especially shines. He picks up on unspoken feelings and knows just how to give the right amount of comfort. Filled with familiar Clementine charm but, more importantly, a whole lot of heart, too.—Kirkus

Something is always up with third-grader Clementine. Here, it's her worries about a family meeting and the disappearance of the rat she and her friend Waylon are using in a science experiment. The mystery of the family meeting is solved early on-there's a new baby on the way. Unraveling her feelings about this event takes up most of the book. The whereabouts of the rat is also resolved, though in a way some readers might see coming. This entry in the popular, ongoing series is once again illustrated by Frazee's delightful pictures.—Booklist

Clementine's fifth adventure for early chapter-book readers addresses a topic many children can relate to. The third-grader's parents call a family meeting to announce that a new baby is on the way. Clementine's reaction to the news is realistic she says "No thanks!" She argues that four is the perfect number for a family, for reasons as varied as there are four sides to a puzzle to the fact that hot dogs come in packages of eight, so a family of four can have two each. Her parents are a little surprised by her reaction but take the time to try to understand how she is feeling and demonstrate how special she is to them. Through some humorous conversations with her friends, grandparents, and teacher, Clementine changes her perspective on the situation. This is a solid entry in the series, and it will surely keep readers wanting more.—SLJ

Clementine knows that a family meeting means trouble, and when her mother won't give her an advance peek at the agenda, Clementine is really worried. Is she smiling enough? Being nice to her brother? Using her best manners? Nothing can prepare our heroine for the bombshell her parents launch: there will be a new baby in the house. Clementine's reaction is less than enthusiastic. "Our family is four. There are four sides to a puzzle so we can all work on it at once Four is the perfect number for a family!" Clementine's friends are changing, too. Margaret has become a "makeup fiend," and Waylon, her science class buddy, is suddenly obsessed with his self-professed superpowers. Even Eighteen, the rat who was supposed to be the star of their science project, has run away. Clementine's father reassures her by admitting that he understands her ambivalence about the new baby. And when Clementine calls a family meeting of her own, readers will see how much she has matured in just a few years and can imagine what a great big sister she will make. Clementine is becoming a more complex character as she matures, and fans of this fine series will enjoy the nuanced way she has grown more trustworthy and mature while staying true to herself.—Horn Book

From the Publisher