Horrid Henry (Horrid Henry series)
"Henry was horrid. Everyone said so, even his mother. Henry threw food, Henry grabbed, Henry pushed and shoved and pinched. Even his teddy bear, Mr. Kill, avoided him when possible." This kid is bad to the bone, and readers love him for it. Mind you, Henry's little brother is called Perfect Peter. He has impeccable manners, loves vegetables, and never, ever picks his nose. "Why can't you be perfect like Peter," Henry's mom says every day. This starts Henry wondering what would happen if he tried to be perfect. The next morning, he does not wake Peter by pouring water on his head. He reads a book that isn't a comic book. At dinnertime, he sets the table, and does not throw peas at his brother. Mom is so delighted with his behavior, she gives him a big kiss. Peter is so jealous and incensed, he throws his plate of spaghetti at Henry, but it lands on their mother's head. Peter is sent to his room in disgrace, and Henry can't help laughing. "Who would have thought being perfect would be such fun?"
Themes : BEHAVIOR. FAMILY LIFE. HUMOR.
CRITICS HAVE SAID
- A loveable bad boy.
–People - The angle here is spot-on, and reluctant readers will especially find lots to love about this early chapter book series. Treat young readers to a book talk or read-aloud and watch Henry go flying off the shelf.
–The Bulletin of the Center for Children
IF YOU LOVE THIS BOOK, THEN TRY:
Barrows, Annie. Ivy + Bean. Chronicle, 2006. (And others in the Ivy + Bean series.)
Benton, Jim. The Fran That Time Forgot. Simon & Schuster, 2005. (And others in the Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist series.)
Blume, Judy. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Dutton, 1972.
Bruel, Nick. Bad Kitty Gets a Bath. Roaring Brook, 2008. (And others in the Bad Kitty series.)
Cleary, Beverly. Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Morrow, 1981. (And others in the Ramona series.)
Gutman, Dan. Miss Daisy Is Crazy. HarperCollins, 2004. (And others in the My Weird School series.)
Hurwitz, Johanna. Class Clown. Morrow, 1987.
Kline, Suzy. Horrible Harry in Room 2B. Viking, 1988. (And others in the Horrible Harry series.)
McDonald, Megan. Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid. Candlewick, 2005. (And others in the Stink series.)
Park, Barbara. Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus. Random House, 1993. (And others in the Junie B. Jones series.)
Pennypacker, Sara. Clementine. Hyperion, 2006. (And others in the Clementine series.)
Pilkey, Dav. The Adventures of Captain Underpants: An Epic Novel. Scholastic/Blue Sky, 1997. (And others in the Captain Underpants series.)
Scieszka, Jon, and Francesco Sedita. Spaceheadz. (SPHDZ, Book #1!) Simon & Schuster, 2010.
Simon, Francesca. Horrid Henry Tricks the Tooth Fairy. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2009. (And others in the Horrid Henry series.)
