Illinois Authors

The Illinois Center for the Book banner

Andrew Clements

Born: May 29, 1949 in Camden, New Jersey
Died: November 28, 2019 in West Baldwin, Maine

Pen Name: Andrew Elborn

Connection to Illinois: Clements family moved to Springfield when he was in sixth grade. He graduated from Springfield High School then went on to graduate from Northwestern University in Evanston with an English Literature major and National Louis University in Chicago with a Master of Arts in Elementary Education. After graduating in 1972, he taught English in suburban Chicago schools for seven years.

Biography: Andrew Clements started his literary career by writing poems and songs. After moving to New York City in 1979, he worked for several publishing companies where he published, acquired, edited, marketed, and developed quality children's books. In 1985, Clements added his own work to the market with a picture book entitled Bird Adalbert written under the pen name - Andrew Elborn. His first novel was the wildly popular Frindle, a 6.5 million-copy award-winning bestseller. The book has received over 48 awards. There are reading guides available for many of his books.


Awards:
  • '''''Brave Norman '''''
  • -- Henry Bergh Award Honor Book, ASPCA '''''Dogku '''''
  • -- Bank Street Best Books of the Year

Primary Literary Genre(s): Fiction; Non-Fiction

Primary Audience(s): Children

Website: http://www.andrewclements.com
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Clements
Andrew Clements on WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=andrew+clements


Selected Titles

A million dots
ISBN: 9781416919988 OCLC: 233598204

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. New York : Promotional poster for the book of the same name by Andrew Clements. Child sitting on a stack of books, reading with a magnifiying glass.

A week in the woods /
ISBN: 0689858027 OCLC: 49525681

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2002.

The fifth grade's annual camping trip in the woods tests Mark's survival skills and his ability to relate to a teacher who seems out to get him.

About average
ISBN: 9781416997269 OCLC: 759912599

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2012.

As the end of sixth grade nears, Jordan Johnson, unhappy that she is only average in appearance, intelligence, and athletic ability, reveals her special skills when disaster strikes her central Illinois elementary school.

Because your daddy loves you
ISBN: 9780547237640 OCLC: 52687975

Clarion Books, New York : ©2005.

When things go wrong during a day at the beach, like a ball that drifts away or a gooey ice cream mess, a father could do a lot of things but always picks the loving one.

Because your grandparents love you /
ISBN: 9780544148543 OCLC: 881824153

"Grandparents are the reassuring heroes in this story about a boy and girl who go on an overnight visit at their grandmother and grandfather's farm"--

Because your mommy loves you /
ISBN: 0544456130 OCLC: 744293647

Clarion Books, New York : 2012.

When challenges arise during a hiking and camping trip a mother could do a lot of things herself, such as carrying her son's heavy pack or putting up the tent by herself, but always finds a way to lovingly teach self-reliance.

Big Al /
ISBN: 0689817223 OCLC: 17954405

Picture Book Studio, Saxonville, MA : ©1988

A big, ugly fish has trouble making the friends he longs for because of his appearance--until the day his scary appearance saves them all from a fisherman's net.

Big Al and Shrimpy /
ISBN: 0689842473 OCLC: 46792737

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : 2002.

Shrimpy learns that even though he may be small, he can still make a big difference to his friend, Big Al.

Bill Pickett an American Original Texas Style
ISBN: 0395811775 OCLC: 731286664

Billy and the bad teacher /
ISBN: 0887082440 OCLC: 25409045

Picture Book Studio ; Saxonville, Mass. : ©1992.

Billy makes lists of the things he dislikes about his teacher, but when he starts to think about what his new teacher should be like he makes an interesting discovery.

Bird Adalbert /
ISBN: 0907234453 OCLC: 9488994

Picture Book Studio USA ; Boston, MA : ©1983.

When Adalbert's wish for great beauty suddenly comes true, he becomes so proud and overbearing with the other birds that he is left alone and unhappy.

Brave Norman :
ISBN: 0689834381 OCLC: 42080121

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2001.

Norman, a blind Labrador retriever, saves a girl from drowning in the ocean.

Bright Christmas :
ISBN: 0618051538 OCLC: 32625634

Clarion Books, New York : ©1996.

An angel who was present at the birth of Jesus remembers that very special night, graced by heavenly light and an angelic song like the smile of God.

Circus family dog
ISBN: 9780547016399 OCLC: 42708025

Clarion Books, New York : ©2000.

Grumps is content to do his one trick in the center ring at the circus, until a new dog shows up and steals the show--temporarily.

Dogku
ISBN: 9780689858239 OCLC: 63679975

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2007.

A haiku poem about a loveable dog.

Dolores and the big fire :
ISBN: 0689834403 OCLC: 42080157

Simon & Schuster, New York : ©2002.

A usually aloof cat risks her own life to save her owner from a deadly fire.

Double trouble in Walla Walla
ISBN: 9780761384380 OCLC: 757338682

Millbrook Press, Brookfield, Conn. : ©1997.

It's an ordinary morning in Walla Walla until Lulu, her teacher, the school nurse, and the principal are all infected by a word warp which makes them reduplicate everything they say.

Extra credit /
ISBN: 1416949313 OCLC: 262737488

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2009.

As letters flow back and forth--between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan, across cultural and religious divides--sixth-grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to speak and listen to each other.

Fear itself /
ISBN: 1416939083 OCLC: 466361913

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2011.

As the new Keepers of the School, sixth-graders Ben and Jill must decipher a handful of clues written as maritime riddles to save their school from demolition by a greedy company.

Frindle /
ISBN: 0689818769 OCLC: 33900128

When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.

Go for the mold! /
ISBN: 068981609X OCLC: 41236827

Ickis hopes to win the mold medal in the Creep-O-Lympics, and he gets some help from his friend Oblina in the final event.

Gromble's haunted Halloween /
ISBN: 0689820526 OCLC: 40463824

Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm set out to find where the Gromble goes on Halloween night dressed as a human.

Ham and eggs for Jack /
ISBN: 0395921783 OCLC: 41642869

Jack and his mother both climb up the beanstalk, and find there's more to eat than just beans.

Hurricane Andrew /
ISBN: 0395921910 OCLC: 41643387

Details the course of Hurricane Andrew, which hit the southeastern United States in 1992, and describes the recovery efforts that followed the storm.

In harm's way /
ISBN: 1416939105 OCLC: 827010478

As Benjamin Pratt and his friends Jill and Robert continue their efforts to save their school, they find themselves dodging two evil janitors, Lyman and Wally, but their team has also grown and now has a secret fund of millions of dollars.

Jake Drake, bully buster /
ISBN: 1416939334 OCLC: 46729758

Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, New York : ©2001.

Fourth-grader Jake Drake relates how he comes to terms with SuperBully Link Baxter, especially after they are assigned to be partners on a class project.

Jake Drake, class clown /
ISBN: 1416949127 OCLC: 48986493

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2002.

"Miss Bruce is the new student teacher in Jake's second-grade class, and she never smiles. Never. But when Jake cracks up during class during a spelling bee, he sees the tiniest hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. Suddenly, Jake has a new mission in life; to be so funny that even Miss Bruce will laugh!"

Jake Drake, Know-It-All
ISBN: 9781442462366 OCLC: 1086070807

Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Riverside : 2012.

Jake Drake is excited about Despres Elementary School's first science fair. He wants to win the grand prize: a brand-new Hyper-Cross-Functional Bluntium Twelve computer system. And he really wants to beat the third-grade know-it-alls, Marsha McCall and Kevin Young. The trouble is, to beat the know-it-alls, Jake has to become a know-it-all himself. And he may just lose more than he wins.

Jake Drake, teacher's pet /
ISBN: 1416939326 OCLC: 156912845

Aladdin Paperbacks, New York ; [2007]

Jake remembers the terrible days in third grade when everybody thought he was the teachers' pet.

Karen's Island
ISBN: B002BS8LQE OCLC:

Krumm's Halloween treat /
ISBN: 0689820534 OCLC: 40618231

Krumm, Ickis, and Oblina go out late on Halloween night in search of their favorite treat--orange slushies (rotten pumpkins), but find that a fierce dog is in the way.

Look who's in the Thanksgiving play! /
ISBN: 0689828071 OCLC: 42450284

Annie couldn't be happier about being in the Thanksgiving school play until she discovers her two-year-old brother Alex has decided to join the fun. Lift the flaps to see where where Alex will appear next!

Lost and found /
ISBN: 1416909869 OCLC: 180756333

Twelve-year-old identical twins Jay and Ray have long resented that everyone treats them as one person, and so they hatch a plot to take advantage of a clerical error at their new school and pretend they are just one.

Lunch money /
ISBN: 0689866852 OCLC: 57406325

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2005.

Twelve-year-old Greg, who has always been good at moneymaking projects, is surprised to find himself teaming up with his lifelong rival, Maura, to create a series of comic books to sell at school.

Making meaning.
ISBN: 9781610035637 OCLC: 940575506

Developmental Studies Center, Oakland, CA : [2015]

Milo's great invention /
ISBN: 0817272887 OCLC: 37155718

Milo, who does not share his family's fondness for peas, invents a machine to make the unpleasant vegetables disappear.

Mother Earth's counting book /
ISBN: 088708138X OCLC: 21525203

Picture Book Studio ; Saxonville, Mass. : ©1992.

Enumerates some of the features of the planet Earth, including its climate zones, oceans, and deserts, going from one up to ten and then back down to one again.

Music time, any time! /
ISBN: 0689812450 OCLC: 37258606

Allegra and her friends use the items they find at day care to imitate the noises she hears at home in the morning to turn the sounds of everyday life into music.

Naptime for Slippers /
ISBN: 0525472878 OCLC: 54455445

Dutton Children's Books, New York : ©2005.

Slippers the puppy would rather pay attention to interesting smells, sounds, and sights than take a nap.

No talking /
ISBN: 1416909834 OCLC: 76261556

The noisy fifth grade boys of Laketon Elementary School challenge the equally loud fifth grade girls to a "no talking" contest.

Noah & the ark & the animals /
ISBN: 0590444573 OCLC: 26142506

Scholastic Inc., New York, NY : ©1984.

Retells the Bible story of Noah's ark from an animal's point of view.

Raggedy Andy's Christmas Shapes
ISBN: B000LCSFEU OCLC:

Raggedy Ann's Christmas Numbers
ISBN: 0689823649 OCLC:

Ready, Set, Puppy!
ISBN: 0838833233 OCLC:

Ringo saves the day! :
ISBN: 9780689834394 OCLC: 42080116

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2001.

A young woman and her husband are glad that they gave a stray kitten a home when it saves their lives by alerting them to a gas leak.

Robocat /
ISBN: 0618291601 OCLC: 191851025

Room one :
ISBN: 9780689866869 OCLC: 63519275

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2006.

Ted Hammond, the only sixth grader in his small Nebraska town's one-room schoolhouse, searches for clues to the disappearance of a homeless family. Ted Hammond loves a good mystery, and in the spring of his fifth-grade year, he's working on a big one. How can his school in the little town of Plattsford stay open next year if there are going to be only five students? Out here on the Great Plains in western Nebraska, everyone understands that if you lose the school, you lose the town. But the mystery that has Ted's full attention at the moment is about that face, the face he sees in the upper window of the Andersons' house as he rides past on his paper route. The Andersons moved away two years ago, and their old farmhouse is empty, boarded up tight. At least it's supposed to be. A shrinking school in a dying town. A face in the window of an empty house. At first these facts don't seem to be related. But Ted Hammond learns that in a very small town, there's no such thing as an isolated event. And the solution of one mystery is often the beginning of another.

Ruthie's perfect poem
ISBN: 0618293078 OCLC: 70780059

Santa's secret helper /
ISBN: 0887081363 OCLC: 21560192

Picture Book Studio, Saxonville, MA : ©1990.

One Christmas Eve Santa has a secret helper who sets off in a reindeer-drawn sleigh with a huge sack of toys, just like Santa. But who is it? And will the helper do the job as well as Santa?

Slippers at school
ISBN: 9780142411711 OCLC: 232273778

Puffin Books, New York : ©2008, ©2005.

Slippers is sad that Laura and Edward have no time for him on the first day of school, but he finds a comfortable backpack in which to fall asleep before they leave.

Slippers at school /
ISBN: 0525471383 OCLC: 56371603

Dutton Children's Books, New York : ©2005.

Slippers is sad that Laura and Edward have no time for him on the first day of school, but he finds a comfortable backpack in which to fall asleep before they leave.

Snowden: Winter Fun
ISBN: B004SIKOI8 OCLC:

Sparkle's Brightest Holiday
ISBN: B000K72KI8 OCLC:

Stage fright! /
ISBN: 0689816103 OCLC: 123102789

Ickis gets stage fright just before his turn in a talent show, but the Gromble gives him an alternative that makes him think twice about backing out.

Steck-Vaughn Pair-It Books Fluency Stage 4: Student Edition Virtual Kit
ISBN: 0817273980 OCLC: 42851200

Steck-Vaughn, Austin, TX : ©1998.

Tara and Tiree, fearless friends :
ISBN: 0689829175 OCLC: 48588252

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : 2002.

When Jim falls through the ice on a lake in Canada, his two dogs try to rescue him.

Temple cat
ISBN: 0395698421 OCLC: 31658582

A temple cat in ancient Egypt grows tired of being worshiped and cared for in a reverent fashion and travels to the seaside, where she finds genuine affection with a fisherman and his children.

The Big Gust
ISBN: 0618208038 OCLC: 947270886

The Christmas kitten /
ISBN: 0689832435 OCLC: 45153960

Raggedy Ann, Raggedy Andy, and their friends find a lost kitten on Christmas Eve but when the kitten turns out to be a handful, Raggedy Ann thinks of a plan sure to make Christmas Day unforgettable.

The friendship war /
ISBN: 0399557598 OCLC: 1004424685

When Grace takes boxes of old buttons from a building her grandfather bought, she starts a fad at school that draws her closer to one friend, but further from another.

The handiest things in the world /
ISBN: 1416961666 OCLC: 462904534

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2010.

Celebrates in verse, accompanied by photographs, the many things hands can do.

The jacket /
ISBN: 0689860102 OCLC: 48579023

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : 2002.

An incident at school forces sixth grader Phil Morelli, a white boy, to become aware of racial discrimination and segregation, and to seriously consider if he himself is prejudiced.

The janitor's boy /
ISBN: 068983585X OCLC: 42579190

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2000.

Fifth grader Jack finds himself the target of ridicule at school when it becomes known that his father is one of the janitors, and he turns his anger onto his father.

The Landry News /
ISBN: 0689828683 OCLC: 39464918

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©1999.

A fifth-grader starts a newspaper with an editorial that prompts her burnt-out classroom teacher to really begin teaching again, but he is later threatened with disciplinary action as a result.

The last holiday concert /
ISBN: 0689845251 OCLC: 54853203

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2004.

Life is usually easy for popular fifth grader Hart Evans, but when his music teacher puts him in charge of the holiday concert, Hart must use all of his leadership skills to unite the other students.

The Losers Club /
ISBN: 0399557555 OCLC: 965120426

Alec, a sixth-grade bookworm always in trouble for reading instead of listening and participating in class, starts a book club, solely to have a place to read, and discovers that real life, although messy, can be as exciting as the stories in his favorite books.

The map trap
ISBN: 9781416997283 OCLC: 873928800

Sixth-grader Alton Ziegler loves maps, and when his portfolio of secret maps is stolen, he begins getting notes with orders that he must obey to get the maps back but, with the help of a popular classmate, he just might succeed before his teacher, principal, or someone else learns he has been studying and mapping things about them.

The Mouse Family
ISBN: 0613315014 OCLC:

What's the Mouse family to do? Their dinner table is set, but their pantry is bare. Raggedy Ann, Raggedy Andy, and their doll friends come to the rescue by making a trip to the kitchen iin the middle of the night. But will the dolls succeed in getting past a very hungry Fido?

The report card /
ISBN: 0689845243 OCLC: 52133015

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2004.

Fifth-grader Nora Rowley has always hidden the fact that she is a genius from everyone because all she wants is to be normal, but when she comes up with a plan to prove that grades are not important, things begin to get out of control.

The school story /
ISBN: 0689851863 OCLC: 45394516

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2001.

After twelve-year-old Natalie writes a wonderful novel, her friend Zoe helps her devise a scheme to get it accepted at the publishing house where Natalie's mother works as an editor.

The secret Father's Day present :
ISBN: 0689833598 OCLC: 44063375

Sarah and James are busy making their best Father's Day present ever. But why do Dad's things keep disappearing? Lift the flaps to find out what his one-of-a-kind present is!

The whites of their eyes /
ISBN: 1416939091 OCLC: 646112983

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York : ©2012.

With a key to the Oakes School in his possession Benjamin, his friend Jill, and a new friend continue to seek ways to protect the school and their town but Lyman, the janitor and a spy, has new tricks up his sleeve.

Things hoped for /
ISBN: 014241073X OCLC: 62127717

Philomel Books, New York : ©2006.

Seventeen-year-old Gwen, who has been living with her grandfather in Manhattan while she attends music school, joins up with another music student to solve the mystery of her grandfather's sudden disappearance.

Things not seen /
ISBN: 0142400769 OCLC: 45790952

Philomel Books, New York : 2002.

When fifteen-year-old Bobby wakes up and finds himself invisible, he and his parents and his new blind friend Alicia try to find out what caused his condition and how to reverse it.

Things that are /
ISBN: 0399246916 OCLC: 216938211

Philomel Books, New York : ©2008.

Still adjusting to being blind, Alicia must outwit an invisible man who is putting her family and her boyfriend, who was once invisible himself, in danger.

Things That Go EEK on Halloween
ISBN: B01FKWM83O OCLC:

Three wishes for Buster /
ISBN: 0395740266 OCLC: 43906106

When Buster was a baby his family made a wish for him. They soon find out that Buster was all that and more.

Tom, Maker of Chairs
ISBN: 0731272269 OCLC: 271269956

Troublemaker
ISBN: 9781442462076 OCLC: 891842718

When his older brother gets in serious trouble, sixth-grader Clay decides to change his own mischief-making ways, but he cannot seem to shake his reputation as a troublemaker.

We hold these truths /
ISBN: 1416938907 OCLC: 827263027

"The Keepers of the School--known to their friends as Ben, Jill, and Robert--have one last chance to save their school before it's torn down to make room for a seaside amusement park. But their nemeses, janitors Lyman and Wally, are just as determined to keep the kids out of the way and the demolition on schedule"--

We the children /
ISBN: 1416939075 OCLC: 713838841

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York : 2011.

Sixth-grader Ben Pratt's life is full of changes that he does not like--his parents' separation and the plan to demolish his seaside school to build an amusement park--but when the school janitor gives him a tarnished coin with some old engravings and then dies, Ben is drawn into an effort to keep the school from being destroyed.

Who owns the cow?
ISBN: 0395810884 OCLC: 36443567

Houghton Mifflin, Boston : 1997.

In a sense, the farmer's cow is also owned by the neighbor girl who thinks about her, the milkman who buys her milk, the painter who paints her, and any others who appreciate her.

Workshop /
ISBN: 0395855799 OCLC: 38073324

Clarion Books, New York : c1998.

Describes, in rhyming text and illustrations, the characteristics of tools commonly found in most toolboxes.

 

 

Accessibility