Clementine Rose Collection Five

Jacqueline Harvey

Puffin, 2020

464 pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99

9781760897437

 Living in the magnificent mansion in Penberthy Floss with her mother, her Aunt Violet, Digby Pertwhistle the butler and pet teacup pig, Lavender, Clementine Rose, the sassy young girl who was delivered not in the usual way at a hospital but in the back of a mini-van in a basket of dinner rolls, has had many adventures that her readers can really relate to, making her a favourite with newly independent readers.

In fact there have been 15 stories altogether in this series, and now in this final compendium, Clementine Rose and the Wedding Wobbles, Clementine Rose and the Bake-Off Dilemma and Clementine Rose and the Best News Yet   have been brought together.

Back in 2012 when we first met Clementine Rose I introduced her to Miss Then 6 and the series was an instant hit.  Now she is Miss 14 she has moved on with her reading choices – she loves Harvey’s new series Kensy and Max- , but Miss 9 has enjoyed them equally as much. Written for the young newly emerging reader looking for characters and circumstances that resonate, it is a series that has broad appeal and the joy of having three books in one without having to wait for the next episode is very appealing. 

Young readers, and older, love series which are well-written so they get invested in the character’s lives, perhaps even seeing themselves as being in the story as they get to know and like them, and this series is certainly one of those.  My grandies were lucky that Clementine Rose was in their lives for that critical time of their reading development, but with these collections, other younger girls can meet her too.