Clementine

Chapter 5 revolves around appearance: Margaret comes home with her new braces, and Clementine shows off her new hairstyle. Since Margaret’s mother is at the movies with her boyfriend, they go to Margaret’s apartment, where they see Margaret’s brother, Mitchell.

In Margaret’s room, Clementine lets Margaret color in her hair: all green curls. Meanwhile, Margaret talks about how the braces feel, describing them like “heaven” even though it might seem like they are all pointy parts. Clementine lies and says she is getting braces too, then runs to her parents “to make this be a non-lie” (60).

Clementine’s parents tell her she isn’t getting braces. Even though Clementine is upset by this, she still plays with her little brother. At the end of the chapter, Clementine wonders about whether Margaret and her would ever look alike.

Thursday starts with the “spectacularful idea” to glue Clementine’s own cut-off hair onto Margaret’s head. She finds herself once again in Principal Rice’s office. Principal Rice tries to ask Clementine what happened, and Clementine has an unexpected outburst about how Margaret “SAT ON [HER] SPARKLE-GLITTER PAINT SET, WHICH WAS [THE] BEST PRESENT” (67). Principal Rice lets Clementine leave the office.