All in all, Sarah Pennypacker's Clementine has proven to be a generally most enjoyable and sweet reading romp, with an endearing, but indeed also at times annoying and frustrating protagonist. On the other hand, when Anne Shirley was eight, from the presented backstory of Anne of Green Gables, she was an orphan working almost like an indentured servant with no one to really care for her or love her, but in my opinion, Anne Shirley at the age of eight still more than likely would have had a very similar imagination as Clementine's, albeit the latter seems more gifted in math, while Anne was always described as being gifted with regard to her language and reading skills.

Also, considering that Margaret is described as being older and as such also somewhat more mature than Clementine, I also am kind of surprised that she would for example allow Clementine to cut off her hair and then colour it (as stories, anecdotes featuring children cutting a sibling's or a friend's hair more often revolve around an older sibling or friend doing this to a younger sibling or friend, rather than the other way around).Īnd actually, Clementine reminds me a bit of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne Shirley, or rather what Anne Shirley might have been like if we had intimately and descriptively known her at around the age of eight or so. However and that all being said, I definitely still think that Clementine absolutely needs some parental rules, maybe not as many as her friend Margaret seems to have, but still, I firmly believe Clementine’s parents are more than a bit too laid-back at times (and actually, perhaps even often). While I generally do tend to find Sara Pennypacker's Clementine fun and endearing as a literary character, I am also finding her somewhat spoiled and a bit too rambunctious for me (but then again, maybe my frustration might also be a bit of displaced jealousy, as I certainly would never have dared to be that spunky, outspoken and spontaneous as a child).

Clementine books by sara pennypacker