![]() There are several books in this series, and they all make nice prequels to reading Peck’s other works ( A Day No Pigs Would Die or Hang for Treason) as well as Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and The Great Brain. The story about “catching the conversation ball” with the school nurse had me convulsing with laughter as a kid, and it did it to me again when I re-read it recently. Funny and charming, these innocent tales are seemingly about boys getting in trouble, but really at the heart of it, it’s a story of friendship. Soup is autobiographical, and about Peck and his best friend in rural Vermont in the 1920’s. The first couple of books in the series are the best. And frankly, I enjoyed some of the situations that Henry finds himself in- from snobby dining to a tacky wedding- where much of his horrid behavior is exactly how many adults would choose to behave if we weren’t too bound by social convention and politeness. However, kids really enjoy Horrid Henry’s antics and adventures. I will freely admit, these are my least favorite books on the list. It’s also nice that she just happens to be a part of another culture, having been born in Korea before moving to the US. And she just happens to have her own series of books as well, which works nicely for reading aloud to mixed gender siblings. One of my favorite things about these books (and there are plenty!) is that Harry has a crush on a sweet and spunky girl in his class, Song Lee. Harry may do horrible things, but being his best friend is lots of fun! And for all the trouble he can cause, he really can be a good friend. So perhaps any gendered biases in either direction are complete hogwash! All I can tell you for certain is that both kid (and in fact, ALL kids I’ve ever met) love these stories of boys who are sneaky, tricky, mischievous, naughty, sometimes outright bad, but always very funny… You may face these with trepidation, but I guarantee any fun-loving boy (or girl) in your life will delight in the devilish antics of these marvelously mischievous little men. Though Jacob loves to call himself sneaky and tricky, and Molly can cuddle with the best of them. ![]() Molly is the mischievous one, and Jacob is the love-bug. It’s funny, because my b-g twins have personalities in direct opposition to the”traditional” gendered suppositions.
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