[1] The books are focused on an eight-year-old, artistic, but impulsive girl named Clementine, characterized by her flaming red curls.

In spite of her good but misunderstood intentions, she frequently finds herself being sent to the principal's office for her lack of cooperation and characteristic imperfections.

Other characters include Clementine's loving, understanding parents, her unnamed younger brother (labelled with a vast assortment of nicknames relating to vegetables by his elder sister), her sister Summer, her pet kitten Moisturizer, and Margaret, Clementine's strict, partially stuck-up, but kindhearted best friend.

Unintentionally troublemaking, but childishly innocent, Clementine frequently brings up her love of gorillas and her desire to own one someday as a pet.

Bill, Clementine's father, who works as the manager of the apartment building in which a majority of the series's main characters reside.

Fun-loving and understanding with his daughter, he enlists Clementine's assistance in fighting off the "Great Pigeon War" (finding a method of repelling the pigeons attracted to the stone statues molded into the building), which Clementine successfully resolves, and a celebration is held in her honor at the book's conclusion.