Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever - A Tale of Two Tails, by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver (Grosset & Dunlap, 2008, 155 pages, number 15 of 17, $4.99, ages 7+, grades 2+)
Yes, THAT Henry Winkler!
Why did we not know that our very own favorite Fonzie – Henry Winkler – is an author of three book series* for pre-teens plus a book on fishing and family for adults? And maybe more.
The Mascot Contest
Fifth-grader Hank (named after the author perhaps?) decides to enter his hot-dog dog Cheerio in the PS87 (public school number 87 in New York City) contest for the school mascot for the year. Each team is composed of one pet and a team of students. The pet has to do a trick and the team has to write an essay.
When our hero Hank heard about the essay, “silence fell faster than the speed of sound.” Our Hank is no student (see quote below) but he is a whiz with conversing with adults with adult humor that may be lost on kid readers at times.
I took the clipboard . . . and entered my name. . . . The third column asked for what kind of pet you were entering, and at first, I started to write dachshund, but I stopped short when I realized I had no idea how to spell it. I mean, I was stumped after the d. So I just finished it up with a quick og and with that, Cheerio was an official contestant. (p. 16)
How to Train a Cheerio – Positive Reinforcement?
Cheerio undergoes several ‘training’ sessions with various kids rotating onto and off Team Cheerio, both before and after being arrested! The authors understand dog training with treats, sort of, but use verbal cues before luring so the treats become bribes not rewards and the training doesn’t work very well: Cheerio can almost roll over and almost sit up. However, if Cheerio doesn’t win the Mascot Award, perhaps he will win the Best Consolation Prize ever!
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| One of the authors, Henry Winkler |
Revolving Teams
“Let’s go to Plan B,” Frankie suggested.
“Like, right away,” Ashley agreed.
“Great idea,” I said. “Anyone have a Plan B?” (p. 41)
Hank learns a lot about teamwork and a little about fractions. His team defects to his sister’s team with Katherine the Iguana – from Cheerio the Dog: from Team Cheerio to Team Katherine. Can you imagine that?
This prompts our hero to ask a kindergartener rather than another fifth-grader to be on Cheerio’s team (a discussion idea) and then the teammates switch sides yet again!
Even though a dog appears often in Hank Zipzer, a nice substory relates how Hank befriends a kindergartener and invites the kid to come onto Team Cheerio:
“Can I come?” Mason asked, running his chocolate-covered fingers through his red curly hair. His mom fumbled around in her bag for a Kleenex or something, so she could wipe his fingers clean. I remember when my mom used to do that. You just wanted to eat your candy bar, and there was your mom, cleaning you up before you could even finish it. Boy, it was rough being a kindergartener. (p. 22)
Who Should Read This Hank Zipzer Book?
-Adults – if you have a lot of patience
-Kids – if you like dogs or iquanas or hate school. Isn’t that just about every kid?
-Adults reading to kids – if you have a lot of patience
-Kids reading to adults – just about any kid
Great Titles in the Series!
Niagara Falls, Or Does It? (book 1)
A Short Tale About A Long Dog (book 2)
Day Of The Iguana (3)
The Night I Flunked My Field Trip (5)
Help! Somebody Get Me Out Of Fourth Grade! (7)
Summer School! What Genius Thought That Up? (8)
My Dog’s A Scaredy-Cat (10)
The Curtain Went Up, My Pants Fell Down (11)
Barfing In The Back Seat, Or How I Survived My Family Road Trip (12)
Who Ordered This Baby? Definitely Not Me! (13)
A Tale of Two Tails (15)
*The Hank Zipzer, the Ghost Buddy and the Alien Superstar series
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Caveat: This book was purchased for review.
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