Clementine Rose 01 The Surprise Visitor
Publisher,Random House (Australia)
Publication Date,
Format, Paperback
Weight,
No. of Pages,
A gorgeous new series for girls from the bestselling author of the Alice-Miranda series.
Clementine Rose was delivered not in the usual way, at a hospital, but in the back of a mini-van, in a basket of dinner rolls.
So begins the story of a lovely little girl who lives in Penberthy Floss in a large ramshackle house with her mother, Lady Clarissa, Digby Pertwhistle the butler and a very sweet teacup pig called Lavender. When her scary Aunt Violet arrives unexpectedly, the household is thrown into disarray. What is it that Aunt Violet really wants and what is she carrying in her mysterious black bag?
Staff Review:
Financially unlucky Lady Clarissa runs her home as a country hotel which is gradually falling apart. But when the baby Clementine Rose arrives in her life ‘in a basket of dinner rolls', she naturally accepts the child as her own, even though she did not give birth to her. The story begins with the life of precocious five-year-old ‘Clemmie' who loves dressing-up and poems, and who is just a tiny bit careless when she gets excited. Young readers will instantly identify with this trait, which helps to give the story a realistic tone. But the unexpected arrival of Clementine Rose's great Aunt Violet is the real mystery that will keep readers wanting to know more.
The book is charmingly written and filled with light-hearted humour. Not too many pictures ensures that slightly older readers will not feel the book is too childish for them while the quality of the pictures will still manage to hold the attention of younger readers. The story has good values to impart; children will learn they must never jump to conclusions about others. The story evokes nostalgia, with a slightly modern feel, and has the potential to be a story that children will read over and over again even after they have grown up and out of the book's intended audience age range.
All in all, a great story to get young children to read but also good for reading to children; parents or story-tellers will certainly be entertained themselves as they read to their audience.
