CLEM CLAM THE CLASS CLOWN

A soft-spoken mollusk finds his spine.

Clem the clam is as shy and quiet as, well, a clam. The only time he’s fully comfortable is when he’s playing his clarinet, especially with his cornet-playing companion, Claudine. But when the class clown moves away, Clem sees an opportunity to remake himself into an outgoing, spotlight-seeking jokester, which he believes will be his ticket to “popularity, friends, and all-around clam-tastic greatness.” His plan works so well that he no longer has time for either the clarinet or Claudine; Clem cancels on the pair’s planned duet for the upcoming talent show, so Claudine will have to perform solo. When Clem takes his classroom comedy too far, his delightfully named teacher Ms. Clamalama helps him realize he’d be better served embracing his true personality. This advice comes just in time to salvage Clem and Claudine’s duet, not to mention their friendship. Consistent alliteration makes the text a joy to read aloud, and every page provides a reason to laugh: bivalve gags galore, clever footnotes, and even a poo joke for good measure. Keller is particularly skilled at mining facial expressions for comic effect, and her oversize, vivid illustrations feature clams with cartoonish googly eyes making giggle-worthy facial contortions.

A romp of a book that’s worth digging into.