Penelope Crumb Never Forgets: Book 2
Gr 3-5-Penelope again embarks on adventures that are both troublesome and outlandish. Since her father passed away, she has had a fascination with what she calls Graveyard Dead. On the school field trip to the town museum, where the other kids are more interested in the gift shop than in the artifacts, Penelope becomes enraged and vows to never let the important people in her life be forgotten. She also becomes jealous when her best friend, Patsy Cline, shares in the tradition of wearing best-friends-forever necklaces with Vera Bogg. Later, Patsy loses her necklace and Penelope finds it and adds it to the museum she has created in her closet so she will never forget. Penelope then goes about collecting things that are very important to the living people in her life. Now she is in trouble and relies on her older friend Littie to help her out of this predicament. While the writing and character development are very good, Penelope Crumb is just a little too quirky. With an unresolved ending between Penelope and Patsy and the fact that this fourth grader goes all over town alone, the book is less than satisfying. The occasional line drawings add little, and children unfamiliar with Penelope Crumb (Philomel, 2012) will have trouble connecting all the dots in this one. Purchase only if the first book is popular.-Nancy Jo Lambert, Ruth Borchardt Elementary, Plano, TXα(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.