The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko

There are two tiny hints on the first page of this book that tell you something is not quite right - that Hank and his three-year-old sister Boo (short for Bridget) are all alone. 

"Grandma Mae taught me how. She said a big brother has to know how to change diapers in case his mom forgets."

"I don’t want to run into anyone who might ask about Mom."

Grandma May - past tense - so she is gone and clearly mum is not there either but why? How long has mum been gone? Hank is only eleven - do these kids have money? Is there any other family they can call on for help? AND then there is a dreadful knock on the door:

“Open the door. Mrs. Hooperman. Geri! Geri Hooperman.” He bang-bang-bangs. “I know you’re in there, Mrs. Hooperman. And I have every right to enter the premises.” He rattles the doorknob. Boo puts her hands over her ears and burrows into my leg. We get in the shower stall, but we can still hear. “You owe six months’ rent, Mrs. Hooperman. I’ve given you multiple warnings. We have started eviction proceedings. I need payment in full by tomorrow morning or you and your kids will be forcibly removed. Did you hear that, Mrs. Hooperman?” He slaps the door."

Hank knows that he has to leave. Mum has disappeared before but never for a whole week. On his field trip permission form (yes he had to miss the field trip) his mother wrote a name and an address. Hank knows Lou Ann was a friend to his late grandmother. Early the next morning they set off. The journey takes all day and several bus changes until eventually they arrive and while this place feels safe it also feels very temporary.

"Why is my life a Would You Rather game? Not a funny one, like Would you rather have a cute girl tell you your fly is down or announce to everyone that you have dragon breath? Mine is, Would you rather be evicted or take a bus for four hours to a person’s house you don’t know?"

Finally let's go back to the title. The tenth mistake. Here a quote to explain this (without tell you Hank's worst mistake):

"I hate making mistakes. Little ones are not so bad. You forget to write your name on your homework. On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst, that’s a level two. You can survive a level two mistake. You don’t get credit for doing the assignment that day. Big deal. But mistakes on the eight, nine, or ten level…they’ll take you out. You forget to hold your little sister’s hand and she runs in front of a car. TEN! TEN! TEN! I never did that, but I came close. Even an almost TEN! is terrifying. I don’t want to choose wrong. But doing nothing can be a mistake too."

One of the many parts of this book that I truly loved was the way the other kids at Hank's new school were so fantastic - thank goodness he didn't have to encounter an awful bully as happens so often in realistic fiction books like this one. I just wanted to hug Ana, Carmen, Legend, Tadeo and Quincy.  And of course Ray, the man next door is a true hero in this story. He felt so real I actually thought about writing him a thank you letter.

The best part of this, which Choldenko mentions in the end notes, is that the kids at school are accepting of Hank, even when he can't tell them everything about his life. They are kind, understanding, and help out when they can. Even Tadeo, Ray's nephew who is jealous of Hank for several reasons, is nice to him. Ms Yingling

There are also small but deeply moving acts of kindness in this story - a lady on the bus gives Hank exact instructions about how to find Lou Ann's house; his mum's hairdresser has no idea where mum has gone but she carefully recuts Hank's hair after the disastrous one from Lou Ann; Coach P recognises Hank has a talent for basketball (you can see that on the cover); Carmen invites him to sit with her group on his first day at lunch time (this is huge); and there is always the nutty up nutty down song:

“Nutty up, nutty down, nutty turn yourself around. Nutty pillow, nutty bed, nutty covers over your head,” and she climbs in bed. Then I hold her hand until she falls asleep."

This book will break your heart. I was so invested in this story but I had to keep telling myself Gennifer Choldenko is sure to rescue Hank by the end of the book and yes, she does but not in a saccharine or contrived way - thank goodness. 

Publisher's Weekly said: "A gut-punch tale that is by turns heartbreaking and hopeful.” 

One of the most complex characters in this book is Lou Ann. She loves little Boo right from the start when the two kids turn up at her door late at night, but she is on her guard about Hank. He is tall for his age. He looks like a teenager. We only get glimpses of this, but it seems Lou Ann had a very bad time with her own teenage son - whatever happened all those years ago she has never recovered. 

I kept hoping Hank was misinterpreting Lou Ann's reactions and discipline and seeming lack of kindness or compassion. I expected a big scene at the end where Lou Ann would reach out a hug Hank and that he would understand her better but, my reading friend, that does not happen - and I am glad. How wonderful to not be able to predict the ending.

Several times each week I catch a bus to the city. It is about a 50-minute trip so it is good to have a book to read. I have loaded quite a few recommended US titles because, yes they have been recommended, but also it is often impossible or impossibly expensive to obtain the print copies of these here in Australia. (Note the paperback of The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman will be available here next month).

Yesterday I started reading The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman. I read it going to the city, I read it coming home, I read it before bed, I read it at 2am and I finished it over breakfast! YES, you know what I am going to say because I have said it before, this book is THAT GOOD! And the final chapter will make you sob.

Publisher blurb: When eleven-year-old Hank’s mom doesn’t come home, he takes care of his toddler sister, Boo, like he always does. But it’s been a week now. They are out of food and mom has never stayed away this long… Hank knows he needs help, so he and Boo seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact. But asking for help has consequences. It means social workers, and a new school, and having to answer questions about his mom that he’s been trying to keep secret. And if they can’t find his mom soon, Hank and Boo may end up in different foster homes–he could lose everything. Gennifer Choldenko has written a heart-wrenching, healing, and ultimately hopeful story about how complicated family can be. About how you can love someone, even when you can’t rely on them. And about the transformative power of second chances.

IF I have not convinced you that this is a book you will love please take a look/listen to Colby Sharp talking about The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman. AND please read the Kirkus Star review too.

This book might remind you of The Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt. Here are some other companion books:

The Boy in the Suit

Small as an Elephant

Almost Home

The Star outside my window

You can see more books by Gennifer Choldenko. I previously LOVED these books:

No passengers beyond this point

Dogtown and Mouse and His dog

Margaret's Unicorn by Briony May Smith

Margaret and her parents move to a new home in the countryside. On the first afternoon Margaret sees some unicorns racing through the sky:

'They were leaping into the air, swept up by the wind. And then in the blink, they were gone."

All except one tiny baby unicorn. Margaret carries the precious baby home. Her grandmother explains unicorns only eat flowers. Since it is autumn there are not too many flowers around so they head to the town florist where they pick up beautiful bunches of flowers. 

Unicorns need to drink water that has been touched by moonlight so later that night Margaret and her dad head out with buckets to collect water where the moonlight has touched the stream. 

Have you noticed something truly wonderful here. All of the adults can see the baby unicorn and all of them believe they are real. This is such a point of difference from other books about unicorns.

Time passes and the unicorn grows bigger. In the Spring, the flying unicorns return and it is time for the baby to be reunited with her mother. So this is a book about new friends, care of others and about letting go.

Yes there’s magic in this lyrical tale but never of the sparkly sort; rather it has an earthiness fed by the landscapes and the seasonal changes all around, so beautifully captured in the illustrations, that and the love. Red Reading Hub

The illustrations in Margaret's Unicorn are very special - here is a example from Briony May Smith's Facebook page:

Take a look at other books by Briony May Smith. I love the way the illustration above shows shadows and light. 

Image from the title page -  source: Briony May Smith

When I was a very young child I read a book about a unicorn and I loved it. Fast forward to 2022 and the shops are filled with unicorn "stuff" and lots of fairly ghastly pink and sparkling picture books about unicorns. Thankfully Margaret's Unicorn is nothing like that. Unicorns are every where now. I do love the ones on the main post office building in our city of Sydney. My friend had a birthday party for her one year old grand daughter the other day and the theme and cake were all about unicorns. I did wonder how a one year old baby would even know about unicorns!  

I have a Pinterest collection of Picture Books that feature unicorns (of course there are many more that I could add). Here are some other unicorn books I have talked about on this blog:

The Unicorn in the Barn

The Unicorn Prince

The Christmas Unicorn

A Plague of Unicorns

Eloise and the Bucket of Stars

Oh, and if you are wondering about the unicorn book I read back in the 1960s it was this one: The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. 

Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder

I hardly know where to begin with this very different, deeply thought provoking book, Orphan Island, which for me seems to be exploring what might happen if we go against our destiny.  Or perhaps it is about the external forces that control our lives.  Or maybe it is about taking steps into the unknown when the time is right. It is also a book about our human strengths and weakness.  Then there is the important lessons about responsibility and the power of kindness.  I will give one warning here.  Please do not be tempted to skip to the end and see 'what happens'.  Be patient and let Laurel Snyder take your hand and lead you carefully to an ending which will probably raise more questions than answers.

Nine children live on an island.  They are each one year apart in age.  The island somehow provides all their needs and over time the children have developed their own rules and so have a fairly good life.  Each year, as adolescence, looms a boat arrives to deliver a new child and take away the eldest. This is called The Changing.  Today Deen will leave and Jinny will take over as the leader.  She is expected to take care of the new child (her Care) who is called Ess and teach Ben his Elder lessons so he will be ready when his turn comes next but already Jinny is begun to question the status quo.  She misses her friend Deen terribly and initially resents the arrival and burden of this new child.

The first part of the book you will be in paradise. The children gather food - eggs from wild hens, honey from hives. They have a library filled with old books. The catch fish and wash in the beautiful waters on the shore line.  Ben is an excellent cook and seems to be able to provide just the right amount of food for each meal using everything the children have foraged.  They have even learnt to dry fruit and eat this as a type of candy.  High on the cliff top the lightest children can float on the updrafts.

"One by one Jinny and Joon set the dark green-skinned fruits out on the dry rocks. If they were lucky, and the birds didn't steal too many of them, the sunshine would shrink and sweeten the firm globes into rich bits of chewy deliciousness.  In about a dozen sleeps, they'd come back and collect them again."

Jinny begins to notice a change in herself.  As adult readers we might recognize the beginning of adolescence.  She seems to need to spend time alone.  For the first time ever she takes up the habit of marking the days.  Finally a year passes and the bell rings again signalling The Changing.  Spoiler alert - Jinny does not step in the boat.  She picks up the new child called Loo and now, with ten children not nine,  the island balance is disturbed.

Small things happen at first but you just know a tragedy or catastrophe is close.

Here is an interview with the author.  I highly recommend Orphan Island for any mature senior primary student.  I am sure it is a story that will linger with me for a long time.


Orphan Island is a metaphor, an allegory, a work of magical realism, a fantasy, a post-apocalyptic work of quiet science fiction. It’s for kids. It’s for adults who think they think like kids. It’s for adults that don’t think they think like kids at all. What’s the true story here? What is this book and who is its audience? Orphan Island is a book that leaves you with more questions than answers.  SLJ Elizabeth Bird

This charming, engrossing tale set in a vividly realized world is expertly paced and will appeal to fans of wilderness adventure stories and character-driven relationship novels alike.  Kirkus