Clementines Letter by Sara
Pennypacker
Sara Pennypacker Handles Clementine's Relationships...In An Entertaining And Realistic
Manner
Clementine cant believe her ears - her beloved teacher, Mr. DMatz, might
be leaving them for the rest of the year to go on a research trip to Egypt!
No other teacher has ever understood her impulsiveness, her itch to draw
constantly, or her need to play Beat the Clock when the day feels too long.
And in his place, hes left a substitute with a whole new set of rules that
Clementine just cant figure out. The only solution, she decides, is to hatch
a plan to get Mr. DMatz back. If it means ruining her teachers once-in-a-
lifetime chance -- well, its worth it. Isnt it?
Personal Review: Clementines Letter by Sara Pennypacker
Clementine absolutely adores her teacher, but she and the rest of her third
grade class gasp when the principal says his name aloud. After all,
"D'Matz" almost sounds like a couple of bad words put together, which is
why all of Mr. D'Matz's students refer to him simply as "Teacher."

But Clementine soon discovers that she has much more to be horrified
about than just hearing his name. Principal Rice informs the class that Mr.
D'Matz has been nominated for a huge prize. If he wins the Adventures for
Teachers award, he'll go to Egypt for an archeological dig --- and that will
mean he'll be gone from Clementine's classroom for the remainder of the
year. Clementine is so horrified by this news that she almost misses the
fact that Mr. D'Matz will not be in his classroom for the rest of the week
because he must spend time with the Adventures for Teachers Committee.
Clementine hopes that Teacher will refuse the honor, but both he and her
classmates seem to agree that this could be a fabulous opportunity. Only
Clementine is aghast at the thought that Mr. D'Matz is letting the class
down after he promised to share so many wonderful activities with them
throughout the year. Although he explains that his replacement will have
his lesson plans and will be capable of leading the class in Fraction
Blasters, Weather-Across-the World and other projects, Clementine is not
convinced.
Unfortunately, Clementine and Mrs. Nagel, the substitute teacher, have
trouble communicating from the start, and the issues snowball as the long
week crawls by. It puzzles Clementine that her friends don't agree with her
pronouncement that Mrs. Nagel is mean, as incident follows incident,
causing her to dread school.
One class assignment Clementine particularly has problems with is the
letter that each student must write to the Adventures for Teachers judges,
explaining why Mr. D'Matz should be chosen to go to Egypt. What a
conundrum, when Clementine does not want him to win the prize. If she
tells the truth --- that he is an amazing teacher --- then her words will help
him win, leaving Clementine to deal with Mrs. Nagel for the entire year.
When her friend, Mitchell, inspires her, she pens quite a letter to the
judges. But her moment of reckoning is not all that far in the future --- and
it's a doozy.
Clementine is a delightful character with true-to-life emotions and
reactions. Sara Pennypacker handles Clementine's relationships with both
Mr. D'Matz and Mrs. Nagel in an entertaining and realistic manner, building
to a satisfying resolution. Furthermore, the expressive line drawings by
Marla Frazee capture Clementine's spirit, adding an enjoyable dimension
to a thoroughly gratifying tale.
--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon
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