Troublemaker

by Andrew Clements, Mark Elliott (Illustrator)

Overview

Once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker? A reputation proves challenging to change in this “rock-solid school story” (Publishers Weekly) from Andrew Clements.

Clayton Hensley is accustomed to trouble: There’s a folder of incident reports in Principal Kelling’s office that’s as thick as a phonebook and growing daily. Most recently, Clay’s art teacher told the class to spend the period drawing anything they wanted, and Clay decided to be extra “creative” by drawing a spot-on portrait of Principal Kelling…as a donkey.

It’s a pretty funny joke, but Clay is coming to realize that the biggest joke of all may be on him. When his big brother, Mitchell, gets in some serious trouble, Clay decides to change his own mischief-making ways…but he can’t seem to shake his reputation as a troublemaker.

From the master of the school story comes a book about the fine line between good-humored mischief and dangerous behavior—and how everyday choices can close or open doors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416949329
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	02/05/2013
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	140
Product dimensions:	5.32(w) x 7.52(h) x 0.48(d)
Lexile:	730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Andrew Clements (1949–2019) was the author of the enormously popular Frindle. More than 10 million copies of his books have been sold, and he was nominated for a multitude of state awards, including a Christopher Award and an Edgar Award. His popular works include About Average, Troublemaker, Extra Credit, Lost and Found, No Talking, Room One, Lunch Money, and more. He was also the author of the Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School series. Find out more at AndrewClements.com.

Mark Elliott has a BFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts. He has illustrated a number of book covers, and his work has been exhibited at the Society of Illustrators and the Art Directors Guild. Mark lives on a sheep farm in the Hudson Valley region of New York.

Read an Excerpt

Troublemaker

Clay Hensley frowned at the paper on the table. It wasn’t a very good drawing. He’d made tons of better ones . . . like that picture he’d made of the old man sitting on the bridge? Now, that was good—even won a prize. This drawing? It was okay, just a simple portrait. It wasn’t going to win any prizes—but then, it wasn’t supposed to. It was supposed to do something else. Soon.

Out of the corner of his eye Clay saw Mr. Dash get up from his desk. The class period was almost over, so the art teacher was beginning his inspections, same as always.

Clay squinted and kept working on the portrait, shading a little here, erasing a little there, trying to get the expression on the face just right—actually, trying to get the whole head to look right. It wasn’t easy.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Clements is a genius of gentle, high-concept tales set in suburban middle schools."—The New York Times

"Another rock-solid school story that will resonate with middle graders."—Publishers Weekly

Reading Group Guide

A reading & activity guide for



Troublemaker by Andrew Clements



ABOUT THE BOOK



Clayton Hensley has been getting into trouble since he started elementary school. From running in the halls to drawing an unflattering cartoon of the principal, he’s always been pretty proud of his pranks. Then his big brother, Mitch, returns home from a stint in jail with a new attitude and wants Clay to change his ways too. But Clay’s rambunctious friends don’t understand. Resisting the urge to act up when somebody bugs him is not as easy as he thought it would be. And a few weeks of good behavior may not be enough for the people Clay tricked and ridiculed to stop thinking of him as a troublemaker. Clements tells a thought-provoking and important story about rules, reputations, and the possibility to change course for the better.



DISCUSSION TOPICS



1. List at least three things you think you know about Clay after reading only the first page of Troublemaker. What is your opinion of Clay at the end of Chapter 1?



2. Who is Mrs. Ormin? How does she help readers understand Clay’s story? How does Clay feel about Mr. Dash, Mr. Kelling, and Mrs. Ormin? Is he angry at them? Why do you think Clay behaves the way he does in the early chapters of the book?



3. What do you think Clay expected would happen after Mr. Dash and his classmates see the donkey picture? What events resulting from the inappropriate drawing surprise Clay?



4. If you were the school principal, would you have dealt with Clay’s disrespectful cartoon in the same way as Mr. Kelling? What message would you have wanted to get across to Clay? Explain your answer.



5. When we first meet Clay’s brother, Mitch, he has just been released from jail. Why was he there? How have Clay, his mom, his dad, and Mitch himself reacted to this experience?



6. Is the Mitch who came home from jail the person Clay was expecting? How does Mitch respond when Clay shows him the donkey portrait?



7. Why does Mitch want Clay to start behaving better? Why does he ask Clay to trust him? Why does Clay decide to do so? How do you decide whether or not to trust a person?



8. List at least three things that Mitch makes Clay change about his appearance. Why might this help Clay make the more important change—to his attitude? Do the clothes and hairstyles of your classmates affect the way you think about them?



9. On his first day at school with his new look, what opportunities for trouble does Clay resist? How does Clay’s friend Hank react to the new Clay? How do Clay’s other classmates and teachers react?



10. Why does Clay have so many suspects to consider when he wonders who defaced his self-portrait? What does this say about Clay? Why does Clay stay home on Halloween night?



11. How does his family react when the police come looking for Clay? Why is the trust Clay put in Mitch important now? How else does trust play a role at this moment in the story?



12. What does Clay realize about his father’s attitude toward himself and his big brother? Is Clay surprised by his realization? Why or why not?



13. Do you think Mr. Kelling was right to suspect Clay of painting his door? Would you have suspected Clay? Was Clay right to go to Mr. Kelling’s house the next day? How does Clay look back on past Halloweens now?



14. Compare Clay’s drawing of the donkey-face principal to Hank’s destruction of Clay’s self-portrait. How are these actions similar? What do you think Clay comes to understand about each of them? Do you think Clay and Hank will remain friends? Explain your answer.



15. How is the transcript of first-grader Clay’s visit to the principal’s office different from the transcript of his last sixth-grade visit? What do you think the future holds for Clay?



ACTIVITIES & RESEARCH



1. Imagine you are another student in Mr. Dash’s art class, along with Clay. Write a two to three paragraph journal entry describing the day Clay drew the donkey-principal picture and how you felt about it. Consider noting how you imagine Mr. Kelling will feel when he sees the picture and/or what you think of Clay.



2. In the character of Clay a week before the story begins, write a one-page letter to your brother Mitch in jail. How are you feeling? What do you want to do with Mitch when he returns home? What do you want him to know?



3. Get a copy of your school’s student handbook or rules of conduct. Find out what type of punishment you think Clay would have received if he had been a student at your school when he drew the donkey cartoon. With friends or classmates, discuss what you feel would have been the most appropriate discipline for Clay.



4. Cut pictures of kids and teenagers from old magazines and newspapers. Holding up one picture at a time, ask classmates to describe the kind of students or friends they imagine each person would be, based on their clothing and hairstyles. Discuss your results. Do most people make the same decisions about the pictures they see? What clothes, hairstyles, colors, or accessories tend to cause people to make assumptions about an individual? Is it right to make these assumptions? Write a dress code for your school based on this discussion.



5. When Clay changes his behavior, his goals change too. He begins to take drawing more seriously. On a sheet of paper, write down your goal or goals for the school year. Goals can be related to schoolwork, sports, other activities, your family, or your community. Below your goal(s), write down what attitudes and actions might help you achieve these goals. If desired, discuss your goals with a parent, teacher, or other adult who might have some suggestions to help you reach them.



6. With a friend or classmate, role-play a conversation between Clay and Hank in which the truth about the defaced self-portrait is revealed, or a conversation between Clay’s mother and father in which they discuss whether or not to believe Clay is innocent of the Halloween graffiti incident. Then, discuss with friends or classmates whether you think there is a “right” and a “wrong” person in either one of these scenarios.



7. Clay is a talented artist who, at the end of the story, discovers that drawing can be even more rewarding than pulling pranks. Go to the library or online to find careers that would be good for someone with Clay’s talents, such as animator and graphic designer. Make a list of at least ten jobs to recommend to Clay.



8. In the character of Clay, write a paragraph describing how and why you decided to include the donkey mask in your prize-winning self-portrait.



9. Use colored pencils to make your own self-portrait. Include your face as well as at least one other object or image that shows something special about your goals or your attitude.

Editorial Reviews

Clements once again proves he can pull off writing about middle schoolers' emotions without being cartoonish or cloying. Frindle is still my favorite, but this is a worthy addition to the Clements canon.
—The New York Times

A. J. Jacobs

Clements (Extra Credit) delivers another rock-solid school story that will resonate with middle graders. Like his older brother, Mitch, sixth-grader Clay is habitually in trouble, and he can't wait to tell Mitch about his latest coup—a realistic portrait of Principal Kelling as a donkey. But his 19-year-old brother, who's just finished a 30-day jail sentence after losing his temper in court, is not amused, and he orders Clay to straighten out ("You're gonna do all the stuff that I never did—and do things right, the smart way"). Clay promises to do so, but learns that his well-established reputation is hard to shake, backsliding is easy, and taking his life in a new direction might mean leaving old friends behind—or being pranked himself. Though the story is largely Clay's, Clements offers the perspectives of other characters, demonstrating how Clay's tussles with his conscience have an impact on the environment around him. Clements's empathy for Clay is clear—he's not a bad kid, just someone whose mischievous tendencies have always been encouraged. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Clements is a genius of gentle, high-concept tales set in suburban middle schools."—The New York Times

"Another rock-solid school story that will resonate with middle graders."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Gr 4–6—Clayton Hensley wants to be exactly like his older brother, who just got out of jail for wielding his own brand of trouble. When he uses his free art period to draw the principal as a donkey, he makes sure he's the talk of the school, showing off on the way to the office. But, when Clay reveals the drawing to Mitch, he's in for a surprise. Not only is his brother not proud, but he's also disappointed. Mitch wants Clay to turn his life around. The problem is, Clay isn't sure he can do it, or if he even wants to. Being good isn't any fun at all. Or is it? Clements forms interesting parallels between choice, habit, and repute, asking the questions: Can people change their reputations? And, is having fun at the expense of someone else really fun? Occasional pencil drawings of Clay's antics highlight the best parts of the story. Clay will encourage kids who want to forge a new path, placing their own brand on doing the right thing. An inspiring and comical read.—Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library, AZ

School Library Journal

With each school-based book, author Andrew Clements delves into both the psyches of students and unvisited arenas of school life. This story travels the halls between the art room and the principal’s office as sixth-grader Clay—who emulates his tough-guy older brother, Mitch—faces vandalism charges and the difficult notion of change. Narrator Keith Nobbs transitions easily among the roles of Clay, brother Mitch, principal Kellin, and secretary Ormin. Nobbs’s nonchalant manner moves the narrative parts of the story along. His voice expresses surprise and anxiety as Clay realizes that Mitch is steering him in a whole new direction, remoteness as Mitch describes his prison experience, and rich-voiced friendliness as Kellin, the principal, gives a kid another chance. A.R. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2011 - AudioFile

Clay learns that it's easy to get into trouble but far more difficult to get out of it in this breezy Scared Straight–type novel for the elementary-school set.

Clay has finesse. He can create mischief with such cheerful aplomb that he can charm even the principal's assistant, who has been documenting Clay's misdeeds since kindergarten. A clever boy and a talented artist, Clay is bursting with enthusiasm for his pranks. Clay loves and emulates his older brother, Mitch, who was the pre-eminent troublemaker before him. However, Mitch, unlike Clay, has taken his misdeeds to a level of aggression that fun-loving Clay does not. The day Mitch is to come home from prison, Clay undertakes a master antic to impress him and is devastated when Mitch slaps him and demands that he shape up or else end up like himself. Thus begins a makeover, as Mitch gets Clay a new wardrobe and stipulates new rules by which to live. Clay is certain that he looks like Mr. Potato Head with his new haircut, but he's dedicated to pleasing his brother. School provides terrific opportunities for mischief that Clay finds hard to resist, especially the launchable lunch food. But the hardest part of this new life is the rift growing between him and his best buddy, co-trickster Hank. Clements here enters into provocative territory and pulls it off like the pro he is. Kids will easily relate to Clay, and the secondary characters come alive as well.

With easygoing prose enhanced by occasional sketches, this slender school story does its job with no trouble at all.(Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews