Book Review: Clementine

Synopsis

When sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight-year-old Clementine gains several unique hairstyles while also helping her father in his efforts to banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building.

Comments

Clementine has a good relationship with her family. A strong girl character-smart, creative, a good problem solver (helps her Dad solve a grownup problem). Nice ending that reinforces family, love, and appreciation of each other.

Language

Use of word: ‘hate’. Pigeon poop is called ’splat’.  [?]

Sexual Content

Kid sees grownups kissing and calls it ‘disgusting’.

Drugs/Alcohol

Clementine wants to smoke a cigar when she grows up.

Violence/Disturbing

A dad uses a water host to spray pigeons. No description of any harm to the birds. Reference to a cat that died.

Social/Family

Clementine overhears a grownup referring to her as a ‘hard’ child and has a lot of anxiety about that. She is afraid that her parents will trade her in for an easier kid. Clementine is in the principal’s office a lot. Reference to lying. Principal seems mean to kids. Clementine calls her brother by various vegetable names (her reasoning: she has a fruit name so he shouldn’t have a normal name).

Religion/Spiritual

None