An engaging tale for the latest generation of Clements fans.
Clements’ last book, a posthumously published sequel to his beloved Frindle (1996).
Sixth grader Josh Willett loves all things to do with computers—coding, creating, even doing his homework on his school laptop and submitting it online. But his hopelessly outdated English language arts teacher, Mr. N, requires students to bring physical books to class, uses a chalkboard instead of the SMART Board, and continues to insist that all assignments be handwritten, in “blue or black ink.” And neatness counts! When Josh’s search for an actual pen uncovers an old one of his mother’s from when she was in sixth grade, marked “Frindle,” Josh looks up the unfamiliar word online and finds a photo of 11-year-old Nicholas Allen, who looks a lot like a young Mr. N. Josh and his friend Vanessa investigate the mystery—and quickly discover that Mr. N. doesn’t want his past revealed. Written with Clements’ trademark humor and featuring his classic straightforward, persistent protagonists, this work takes on the modern digital world, both good and bad, while paying homage to E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web and Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. This volume lacks Clements’ sure touch and isn’t quite up to par with his best, but it’s nevertheless a fitting final work from a master storyteller. Central characters present white; names cue ethnic diversity in the supporting cast. Final art not seen.
An engaging tale for the latest generation of Clements fans. (illustrator’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780399557637
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short.
In the dystopian, totalitarian world of 2099, 14-year-old Tessa and her family are desperate to solve the mystery of her twin brother Theo’s disappearance.
Tessa is growing up in a time when playgrounds are historical relics, surveillance cameras are everywhere, music is outlawed, and owning books is illegal. Under the absolute rule of Zokiris, the decadeslong leader of her territory, people are heavily controlled. When Theo vanishes under mysterious circumstances and his name is erased from the Territory Statistics list, Tessa’s 135-year-old neighbor, Miriam, gives the family contraband books that become central to figuring out Theo’s whereabouts. Most books have long since been seized and stored away in Building 903; Tessa is intrigued by their presence in her home, while her mother is terrified. Lowry, the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Giver (1993), shines in her creation of uncomfortably believable dystopian societies. Tessa’s painfully limited world is fully imagined, with its own history, laws, and norms. Her relationship with her brother reads as realistic and tender and is crucial to the mystery. Miriam is the most strongly developed character: wise and independent, unafraid and hopeful. While the climb to the book’s climax is captivating, the hurried resolution is disappointing. The powerful messaging around the importance of literature and imagination certainly resonates, however. The main characters present white.
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short. (Dystopian. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780063515109
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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