‘Mummy’s been running around taking care of some of the other guests. She’s been upset ever since we were in the village this morning and she found out that her Aunt Violet is coming tomorrow. I’ve never met her, She has a beautiful portrait on the stairs and I talk to her quite a bit, except that I call her Grace because I didn’t know her real name. But Mummy says that she’s horrid and she’s like a barnacle. She must be very old too, I think,’ Clementine gabbled.
The woman’s eyes seemed to change colour from blue to black right in front of Clementine.
Clementine Rose is a lovely girl who was mysteriously delivered to her mother in a basket of dinner rolls. Now she lives her with her mother, Lady Clarissa, in a big house with lots of bedrooms, and lots of problems. Her mother can’t afford the upkeep on the house so has turned it into a bed and breakfast which she runs with the help of her butler Digby. Clementine is perfectly happy, and so is her mother, until the day Clarissa hears that her Aunt Violet is coming for a visit. Will Clementine Rose be able to win this dour old lady over? Or is Aunt Violet here for sinister purposes?
Clementine-Rose and the Surprise Visitor is the first in a new series which will appeal to junior primary readers, espeically girls. Clementine is a loveable character with good intentions, even though she doesn’t always get it right. Her pet teacup pig, Lavender, is also appealing.
Very cute.
Clementine-Rose and the Surprise Visitor, by Jacqueline Harvey
Random House, 2012
ISBN 9781742755410
Available from good bookstores and online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.