Clementine and the Family Meeting
(Clementine #5)

Gr 2-4--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.--Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MN