Always, Clementine by Carlie Sorosiak – A Review
Some books are so charming, you can’t help but fall in love.
Always, Clementine by Carlie Sorosiak is one of those books.
Written for 8-12-year-olds and published in September 2022, it is the story of two lab mice, Clementine and The Other Mouse, who are freed by kindhearted scientist Felix and deposited into a mailbox for safekeeping.
The story is told by Clementine via letters to her best friend at the lab, a chimpanzee named Rosie.
Clementine doesn’t actually write these letters—she just thinks them and stores them in her head to tell Rosie when they’re reunited.
That, and staying alive, is Clementine’s ultimate wish.
Gus, a lovable boy who’s much too hard on himself, finds the mice and brings them to his grandfather’s house.
All is calm until Gus and his grandfather learn that the mice are escapees from the local lab that performs experiments on animals.
Clementine has been given something that makes her incredibly intelligent and, therefore, highly valuable.
The scientists will stop at nothing to find the mice so they can continue their experiments…and ultimately sacrifice them in the name of science.
Gus and his grandfather realize the only way to save Clementine and the other mouse is to show the world that Clementine is too intelligent, but more importantly, too much of a friend, to be killed at the end of the lab experiment.
They teach Clementine a new skill that takes all her brainpower to master—chess—and hold a tournament, pitting Clementine against the most brilliant chess players.
But nothing is as easy as it seems.
And life, like chess, is full of surprise moves that could end your game.
Always, Clementine will have you rooting for the mice and all the other animals held captive in the lab who have never had the chance to see the sunshine or feel the breeze.
Sorosiak’s story explores animal cruelty, the strong bonds of friendship, and devotion.
About the Book
Title: Always, Clementine
Author: Carlie Sorosiak
Publisher: Walker Books US (September 6, 2022)
ISBN-10: 1536228842
ISBN-13: 978-1536228847
Available at amazon.com.
NOTE: Read my interview with author Carlie Sorosiak at www.writebythesea.com.
Enjoy!
~ Gail
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