4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great story, lovely language, highly appealing, June 4, 2006
This review is from: Clarice Bean Spells Trouble (Paperback)
Absolutley gorgeous, a continuation of the character of Clarice Bean from the picture books by Lauren child. Clarice Bean is a hugely appealing character, she is quite witty, always child-like, with the same child-like fascinations and complexities.
In this second book in the series Clarice Bean has a series of problems - there is a spelling Bee at school and Clarice Bean does not like spelling Bees, but in actual fact finds out that she enjoys finding out about words and the meanings. There is a lovely scene in the book where she speaks in Q words, and her mother and father do the same. It is great fun. There are serious things in the background which tend to fly over children's heads. Clarice Bean's friend Karl Wenbury has tracked down his missing father, but is clearly disappointed by the response. While we never actually see this happening Clarice Bean witnesses the aftermath of it all.
At the same time there is the school Play and clarice Bean desparately wants to play Leisl from the Sound of Music, only she is given the part of Nun 4, and then relegated to Nun 7.
Lauren does children and their reactions and idioms beautifully. what she also does nicely is natural justice, which is something very difficult to teach, But sometimes bad things happen to good people, and sometimes things which are true cannot be said and so on. Its a lovely reflection of life for which children 5-9 will find appealing.
Just like the picture books, Lauren Child books are appealing to adults, or this adult at least. In Clarice Bean, Child has created a well-rounded and interesting character, and a fun story - all based around the sortsof things which children do experience.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Want to get lost in your books?, October 5, 2006
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Clarice Bean Spells Trouble (Paperback)
Do you want to go on an adventure just right in your school well then read this book. It's called Clarice Bean Spells Trouble by Lauren Child. It's about a girl who hates her teacher and gets a new one. Well she can't have too much fun because she has so much going on like her good friend hates her and she has a spelling bee to win. It will make you feel like your in the book. If you like to get lost in your books then buy this book.By Kathryn
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Clever and Insightful Book, February 4, 2006
My daughter (8) and I appreciated the humor and thoughtfulness in the complexity of the problems Clarice Bean encountered, from not getting the part she wanted in the school play, to unfair treatment from an unreasonable teacher, to a friend struggling with an absentee father. Clarice approaches these difficulties with wit, compassion, and perserverance, attempting to approach each obstacle with the keen problem solving methods of her fictional hero, Ruby Redfort. With chapter titles like," It is Hard to be Happy for your Best Friend when you are Utterly Disappointed Yourself" and "Sometimes when you Need Things to Get Better They Just Get Worse" writer Lauren Child understands that children can face issues as morally complex as adults. Clarice is remarkably clever and the antics of her friends and family offer lots of comic relief. Clarice's commentary on her challenges in preparing for the spelling bee is a delightful bonus. Clarice must make a difficult choice at the end of the book, one that has stiff consequences for her. While some may disagree with her decision, I admired Clarice's attempt to make a choice that included both understanding and compassion.
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