This book introduces us to Hank Zipzer, a very special boy who has just started fourth grade.

He hasn't even been in school for an hour on his first day when he's already being summoned to the principal's office.

His crime?

He was tardy by seventeen minutes.

Hank is a likable kid with two best friends, Frankie and Ashley, who have known him since they were all in diapers (or, at least, very, very young). There is also a younger kid named Robert who might be a Hank's best friend wannabee.

Of course, he also has to deal with a bully named Nick and an intolerant teacher named Ms. Adolf--and he has to deal with his own frustrations of really wanting to be a good student but, somehow, always falling short in most areas.

Because he just can't seem to write very well, he and his friends put together an art form to use to share what he did during the summer.

Ms. Adolf wanted five traditional paragraphs of words--and what happened with the art form gave her more leverage when it came to putting Hank in his place.

As it turned out, what was meant to be punishment for Hank turned out to be the beginning of he and his parents having a better understanding of why school was so difficult for him.

This is all I'm going to tell you. You will just have to read the book to find out more about the story...

This book is for ages 9 to 99, give or take, and there are plenty of great reasons to read it:

1. It's entertaining
2. It teaches good lessons without being preachy
3. For those of us who grew up back when a motorcycle-riding guy in a leather jacket was making women from 9 to 99, give or take, swoon, and a popular term of the time was "A-a-a-a-a-y!" we're getting our wish to know more about the guy behind Da Fonz and what his life was like. You see, the character of Hank Zipzer is more-than-loosely based on his childhood.

What did I especially like about this book? What ISN'T there to like about this book? It just has everything that makes it a great book!

When I finished this book, I wanted to review it and then tear into the next book in the series, and so I did. This is the second review I've done of the first book in this delightful series. At the time that I'm writing this, I've read and reviewed two of the books and have started reading the third one.

Want to know what ELSE I wanted to do? I wanted to give Henry Winkler a great, big hug!

This book made me feel all warm and fuzzy. As I read it, it made me feel as if I were right there right down to tasting the food and smelling the bad breath of Nick the bully.

There are two authors of this book along with one illustrator. The author who is listed first is Henry Winkler, but I think that he and Lin Oliver feel like equal partners in the creation of this series about Hank Zipzer. Illustrator, Carol Heyer provides not only a colorful and expressive cover but she also makes delightful black, white, and gray doodle-style sketches throughout the book.

If you're a Henry Winkler fan...If you want to read an entertaining book...If you want to know more about kids with learning disabilities and their struggles...If any one of these apply to you, I highly recommend this book.

I remember wanting to know all about Henry Winkler.

In fact, my dad and I took a road-trip out East so that I could totally experience him. We did such things as going to visit the business that his folks started; traveling to the lake where Henry, his sister, and his folks spent their summers as he was growing up; went to Emerson University where he went to college and looked through old yearbooks; and a number of other things.

Of course, I enjoyed finding pictures of him as a little kid when I cracked open various magazines.

Not only am I in hog-heaven with this and the other books in the series because I'm interested in children with learning differences but, also, because this is a way to go back in time and grow up with Henry.

The story is in a contemporary setting, but it still goes back into Henry's life in order to breathe life into Hank Zipzer.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of Hank Zipzer 1: Niagara Falls, Or Does It? (Hank Zipzer)   from Amazon.Com!

Created Sep 21, 2006 at 2:38am • Submit your own review...