Kirkus Reviews

<p>Clementine's only just "getting the hang of third grade"a"she hasn't been sent to Principal Rice's office for a whole weeka"when her world turns upside-down: Her beloved Teacher is a finalist for an Adventures for Teachers award, and if he wins, he'll be gone for the rest of the year. As it is, he's absent for a week to prepare, and life with his substitute does not go well. Mrs. Nagel doesn't know any of the tricks Teacher did that helped to keep Clementine "in sync" with the classroom, so when Principal Rice asks the children to write letters of nomination to the award committee, Clementine sees her opportunity to sabotage his success. Pennypacker and Frazee have this latter-day Ramona down to a T, her distinctive voice and unruly curls happily unblunted by familiarity. The great success of this outing, however, lies in the warmth of the relationship between Clementine and Teacher, whose humane and sympathetic understanding of his admittedly difficult scholar will strike a welcome chord with readers, especially those out-of-sync students and their teachers. (Fiction. 7-11)</p>

School Library Journal Starred Review (Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Gr 2-4 Irrepressible and delightful Clementine is back. She is enjoying third gradeshe is in sync with her teacher, Mr. D'Matz, and is rarely sent to speak with Principal Rice, a major accomplishment in her school life. Then Mr. D'Matz is selected as one of three finalists for an Adventures for Teachers archaeological dig in Egypt and leaves for a week to meet with the committee. Clementine is distraught to learn that if chosen as the winner, he will be gone for the rest of the school year. When the substitute arrives, Clementine learns that she has to follow completely different rules. The next week is not an easy one for the child as she adjusts to Mrs. Nagel, worries about losing Mr. D'Matz, copes with her everyday life as an impulsive eight-year-old, and frets about the letter she is supposed to write to the prize committee about her teacher. Through it all, she shines with a vibrant spirit that can never be completely extinguished, even when she is feeling down. Frazee's pen-and-ink drawings perfectly capture Clementine's personality and her world. Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA

ALA Booklist (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

Popular Clementine returns, with a problem on her hands. Her teacher, Mr. D'Matz,  has been nominated to take part in a program that may win him a trip to Egypt, meaning he'll be gone for the rest of the year. Trouble starts immediately. Mr. D'Matz leaves for a week of training, and the substitute just doesn't understand the arrangements Clementine's worked out with her teacher to make life easier for them both. So unhappy is she about Mr. D'Matz's possible departure that when the class is asked to write supportive letters to the selection committee, she goes a different way much different way. Although occasionally Clementine sounds more like Pennypacker than herself, books in this series tie together all the elements that make the best middle-grade fiction: realistic families, the ups and downs of school life, and an awareness of a how a kid's mind works. Clementine is a kissing cousin to Beverly Cleary's Ellen Tebbits and Ramona Quimby, and Frazee's perfect line drawings make this link even stronger.