Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream - Hardcover

Han, Jenny

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316070386 ISBN 13: 9780316070386

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011

Synopsis

Meet Clara Lee.



Likes: her best friends, her grandpa, her little sister (when she's not being annoying, which is almost always), candy necklaces, and the Apple Blossom Festival.

Dislikes: her little sister (when she's being annoying, which is almost always), her mom's yucky fish soup, and bad dreams (even though Grandpa says they mean good luck).

After a bad dream, Clara Lee has a whole day of good luck. But when her luck changes, she upsets her friends and family. Will Clara Lee have good luck again in time to try out for the Little Miss Apple Pie pageant?




Clara Lee is a delightful character from acclaimed author Jenny Han. This charming, humorous chapter book is perfect for fans of Clementine and Judy Moody!

About this title

About the Author

Jenny Han grew up in Richmond, Virginia and went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She moved to NYC for graduate school and received her MFA in Writing for Children at the New School. She is the author of books such as Shug and the New York Times bestselling Summer Series. She currently lives in Brooklyn. Her website is www.dearjennyhan.com.

Julia Kuo grew up in Chatsworth, California. After studying illustration and marketing at Washington University in St. Louis, she started working as a greeting card designer at American Greetings. She currently splits her time between Chicago and Taiwan. Her website is www.juliakuo.com.

Reviews

Gr 2-4-Clara Lee has a terrible nightmare in which her grandfather dies. It terrifies her until her grandfather explains that in Korea, when someone dreams about death, it means a new beginning and good luck. Great things begin to happen to her. She can climb the rope in P.E., her friend gives her gingersnaps, and someone has hidden a candy necklace in her desk. All of the good fortune makes her feel confident enough to give a speech to win Little Miss Apple Pie and the Apple Blossom Festival. Because of her Korean heritage, however, some children make her feel as though she is not American enough to win the title. In the end, though, Clara Lee proves that she is "American as apple pie." She deals with some bullying, her friend Max who wants to be her boyfriend, and her annoying little sister. Young readers will enjoy Clara Lee's hopeful demeanor and funny experiences. They will also learn about Korean culture. Clara Lee thinks, speaks, and acts just like the third grader she is in this charming early chapter book. Black-and-white drawings, some full page and some spot art, feature the child, her dilemmas, and her successes. Fans of Clementine will enjoy this endearing character and will eagerly await a follow-up story.-Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In the tradition of Judy Moody and Clementine comes Clara Lee. Clara is a typical third-grader who neatly combines her Korean and American sides. Her warm, supportive family includes a grandfather who is always there for her, especially when she decides to pursue her dream of being Little Miss Apple Pie, riding in the float in her town’s apple festival. In a plot that will resonate with kids, Clara is scared when she dreams her grandfather dies, but Grandfather tells her that in Korean tradition that means good luck is coming. And sure enough, Clara’s luck does take a turn for the better, with a newfound ability in gym class, a surprise present in her desk, and the courage (almost) to write the speech that could be her ticket to the apple festival. But luck has a habit of changing too, and when things aren’t going quite as well, Clara wonders if she should give up her dream. A realistic group of characters, both adults and children, and true-to-life situations will make this illustrated chapter book a favorite. Grades 2-4. --Ilene Cooper

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream

By Han, Jenny

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Copyright © 2011 Han, Jenny
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780316070386

CHAPTER 1

When I woke up that morning and saw the red and gold leaves swirling around my backyard, I just knew it was gonna be my kind of day. We started collecting leaves early in the morning, and by afternoon, we had three very nice, fat piles. My best friend, Shayna; my little sister, Emmeline; and me, Clara Lee. Clara Lee is my name, first and last. All the kids at school call me Clara Lee and not just Clara. It just sounds better that way. Like peanut butter and jelly, like trick-or-treat, or fairy and princess, those words just go together. Just like me, Clara Lee.

Later on, we would jump in our leaf piles, but first, we were playing a game I made up called Fall Royalty. Shayna is Queen, Emmeline is Prince, and I am the King of Fall.

“Why do you always get to be king?” Emmeline complained. She loves to complain; it’s her favorite hobby. She is six. She’s small for her age. A runt, like Wilbur from Charlotte’s Web. I call her that when no one’s listening. It really makes her mad. She has chubby cheeks and round button eyes and everybody thinks she is just the cutest thing ever. But not me. I can see through her like plastic wrap.

“It’s not fair,” she whined.

“I’m the one who made up the game,” I reminded her. “If you don’t want to play, you can go and help Grandpa—”

Emmeline pushed her bottom lip out a smidge but didn’t argue. She scooped another leaf off the ground and added it to her pile.

I picked a brownish leaf out of the pile. “Not bright enough,” I declared, in my best King of Fall voice.

Emmeline put her hands on her hips. “Just because you’re the king—,” she started to say. Then she looked over at Shayna. “Shayna, do you think it’s fair that Clara Lee gets to be king?”

“I would rather be queen any day,” Shayna said, fixing her crown of leaves so it set just right on her head. “Why don’t you be princess instead of prince this time?”

“Princesses are boring,” Emmeline said. And then she threw her handful of leaves in the air and danced around our pile. She bounced around like a kangaroo, shook her hips from side to side, and moved her arms like she was doing the backstroke.

Shayna and I looked at each other and shrugged. And then we threw our leaves in the air too, and we danced like Emmeline danced.

After all the dancing, it was time for me to make my toast to fall. I had already practiced it that morning when I brushed my teeth. “Ahem. Now the king will make a toast.” I paused dramatically. I lifted the jug of apple cider that my mom had brought out for us.

“A toast? But we already had breakfast,” Emmeline whispered to Shayna.

“A toast is a speech,” Shayna explained.

“Then why didn’t she just say speech?”

“Quiet, the both of you!” I boomed. Shayna glared at me, and I mouthed, Sorry. Then I cleared my throat. “Fall is a time of change. The seasons are changing. Soon it will be cold. But we will always, always remember the fall, because it is the best time of year. Amen.”

Emmeline crossed her eyes at me. She learned that talent very recently, and now she does it every opportunity she gets, because she knows I can’t. Emmeline said, “I like summer the best.”

“Do not disrespect fall,” I told her, taking a swig from the jug. Then I passed it to Shayna, who sipped it in her ladylike way. Then she passed it to Emmeline, who drank almost half of it.

Our leaf piles were looking good, so I said, “Ready?”

Shayna and Emmeline yelled, “Ready!”

We all jumped into our piles at the same time. It was like jumping into a cloud of fall. Leaves floated in the air like snowflakes. We three couldn’t stop screaming, it was so fun.

After a lot of jumping, we laid down on our leaf piles. It was getting dark. We would have to go inside soon. That was the only bad thing about fall. It got dark so darned quick.

“Clara Lee?” Shayna’s leaf pile was in the middle, right in between Emmeline and me.

“Yeah?”

“Apple Blossom Festival is coming up really soon. Are you going to try out for Little Miss Apple Pie?”

“I don’t know. Haven’t even thought about it,” I lied.

“That’s a lie, Clara Lee!” said Emmeline. “I saw you practicing your wave yesterday.”

I told her, “You shouldn’t spy on people.”

She was right though. I’d thought about it plenty.

Continues...

Excerpted from Clara Lee and the Apple Pie Dream by Han, Jenny Copyright © 2011 by Han, Jenny. Excerpted by permission.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0316070386
• ISBN 13: 9780316070386
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160