“Fatima and the Clementine Thieves” by Mireille Messier

FATIMA AND THE CLEMENTINE THIEVES

Mireille Messier
Red Deer Press (2017)
ISBN 9780889955295
Reviewed Annika Stone (Age 7) for Reader Views Kids

In “Fatima and the Clementine Thieves” by Mireille Messier, Fatima and her grandfather have to find out who is taking their clementines. The characters also have to figure out how to stop the thieves when they do figure out who they are. The author does a good job writing the story in a way I can understand, and it’s fun to solve the mystery. It’s easy to imagine how the characters felt when the author writes, “He stares out the window, his fists tightly clenched. Fatima follows his angry gaze. And what she sees turns her heart to marmalade.” It made me really sad that they lost their clementines and that the elephants broke their trees, but I was so happy that they were able to solve their problem. It made me happy that the grandfather listened to Fatima’s idea. I really didn’t want the elephants to get hurt.

I think this book is really good for kids my age to read. I also think someone like my younger sister would enjoy it, and maybe even my older sister would enjoy it also. I like how it reminds us that even small creatures can make a big difference, and that we have to keep trying. “Fatima and the Clementine Thieves” taught me that you don’t always have to kill animals to get them to go away. It was a cool idea that Fatima’s friends were the spiders, and that they helped her. That was very creative, and I didn’t mind that it’s probably not possible for spiders to stop elephants in real life. I like seeing that Fatima did what she promised and peeled a clementine for the spiders after they helped her.

“Fatima and the Clementine Thieves” by Mireille Messier is a fun mystery with a surprising ending. It is a great story for kids of all ages and teaches that even small creatures can make a big difference. Details, like Fatima making the clementine peels into flowers shapes, make this book really fun to read.