The Children’s Book Review | April 15, 2014
If your young independent reader is looking for a great read with a wonderful girl protagonist, or maybe she’s looking for a new series to latch onto, you can’t go wrong with either of these two books or their prequels.
Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake
Story by Julie Sternberg; Illustrations by Matthew Cordell
Publisher’s Synopsis:
I did a mean thing.
A very mean thing.
I HATE that I did it.
But I did.
This is worse than
carrot juice on a cupcake
or a wasp on my pillow
or a dress that’s too tight at the neck.
In the third installment from the team who created Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie and Like Bug Juice on a Burger, Eleanor’s relationship with her best friend, Pearl, experiences its first growing pains. When a glamorous new student transfers to school, at first Eleanor’s excited about the possibility of a new friend. But when Pearl is assigned to be the new girl’s buddy, Eleanor fears she can’t compete. To make matters worse, Eleanor’s been chosen for the lead role in the springtime musical, which means she has to sing a solo in front of the entire school!
From overcoming stage fright to having a secret crush, young readers will relate to Eleanor as she navigates the bittersweet waters of growing up.
Ages 7-10 | Publisher: Harry N. Abrams | Mar. 18, 2014 | ISBN-13: 978-1419710339
Clementine and the Spring Trip
By Sara Pennypacker; Illustrated by Marla Frazee
Publisher’s Synopsis: For Clementine, spring is a really big deal. It’s the time for seeing her apple tree start to grow, for watching her friend Margaret go crazy with spring cleaning, and for going on the school trip to Plimoth Plantation. Clementine is ready for Ye Olden Times, but she isn’t so sure about surviving lunch there-the fourth graders have strict rules about no eating sounds. (What is snicking, anyway? ) If that wasn’t enough, Clementine also faces the challenges of learning Olive-language and surviving The Cloud on Bus 7.
Hearing the pilgrim lady talk about why she made the long journey from England makes Clementine think about rules. Who makes them, and what do they mean to the people who have to live with them? Today Clementine has to decide which rules are made to be broken.
Ages 6-8 | Publisher: Disney-Hyperion | Mar. 5, 2013 | ISBN-13: 978-1423124375
We highly recommend the Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker (pictures by Marla Frazee) and The Eleanor series by Julie Sternberg (pictures by Matthew Cordell).