The Talented Clementine

The Talented Clementine
by Sara Pennypacker
Realistic Fiction

Clementine is a third grader who is not all together. The teacher announces that the third and fourth graders will be putting on a talent show. Clementine panices because she doesn't have a talent. She can't sing or dance or play an instrument, so she opts not to participate in the show. But on the day of the show, the teacher running it suddenly has to leave to attend to her daughter who is having a baby. So what will they do? Clementine steps in to be the assistant of the show, which becomes her talent for the night.

I would use this to teach that everybody has a talent, some just have to try a little harder to find it. It also teaches diversity and celebrating the different talents of all students. It can also be used in a Literature Circle setting for some of the higher readers in a class of third graders or a lower level of readers in fifth grade. It is a good book to generate discussion and practice comprehension.