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

Catching a Story Fish by Janice N Harrington

'You'd talk the whiskers off a catfish,'

Grandpa says, 'and the shine 

off a new penny.'

I like to talk.

I like to spin stories,

this-is-what-I-did stories,

this-is-what-I-saw stories,

stories to make my brother giggle-bouncy

and wiggly as a worm,

stories to make my Daddy lean in

and hold me octopus-tight,

stories to make Mama's eyes

shine birthday-candle bright.

My name is Katharen but my friends and family call me Keet - Keet Keet Parakeet.

"I used to be Keet-Keet Parakeet.
I used to talk to anyone.

I used to talk anywhere.

But now at school,

words are peanut-butter sticky

and tight was lids on pickle jars."

This seems like a perfect book to end my reading year. It is a verse novel and I adore this genre. It is a book that I knew nothing about, so it is a surprise discovery. This is a book that celebrates the power of storytelling and the importance of courage to use your voice. I love the new friendship between Keet and Allegra. And the paperback edition (2023) of this book has just been published so we can afford to buy it here in Australia. There is even a poem you could use from this book when you talk about our CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) 2024 slogan - Reading is Magic. 

Ms Lindle is the school Teacher-Librarian:

"Ms Lindle won't mind.
She says getting lost in a book
is a magic trick
which means that I'm a wizard."

I love Ms Lindle.  When Keet enters a story competition I can hear her warm voice when she says:

"It's a good story, Katharen.'

'Really?' I ask,

'Absolutely-truly-ruly-

no-mistake-for-certain,' Ms Lindle says."

Moving house is hard for Keet and at school the other kids tease her southern accent:

"Grandpa, the kids say I talk funny.

They laugh at my words.

They're mean. Grandpa. And I don't like,

I don't like, I don't like school at all."

Blurb from the author webpage: Keet knows the only good thing about moving away from her Alabama home is that she'll live near her beloved grandfather. When Keet starts school, it's even worse than she expected, as the kids tease her about her southern accent. Now Keet, who can "talk the whiskers off a catfish," doesn't want to open her mouth. Slowly, though, while fishing with her grandfather, she learns the art of listening. Gradually, she makes her first new friend. But just as she's beginning to settle in, her grandfather has a stroke, and even though he's still nearby, he suddenly feels ever-so-far-away. Keet is determined to reel him back to her by telling him stories; in the process she finds her voice and her grandfather again. This lyrical and deeply emotional novel-in-verse celebrates the power of story and of finding one's individual voice.

Keet's is a simple and familiar-feeling story, but one that is understated, fully realized, deftly written, and utterly absorbing ... School Library Journal

Awards

• Winner of the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People
• Arnold Adoff Poetry Honor Award

Janice N Harrington includes ten different poetry forms in her story and these are listed at the back. 

"This lyrical novel in verse effortlessly weaves together multiple poetry forms to introduce readers to Katharen, called Keet, a young girl who loves to talk and spin stories.... The poems effectively convey conflicting emotions; different styles (haiku, concrete, blues, etc.,) express moods and nuances without being distracting."  Booklist

New Girl Blues

I got the New-Girl blues.

I got those back-to-school and don’t-want-to,

do-I-have-to-Mama? do-I-have-to? blues.

Blues in my thinking, blues

in my walk. Blue and lonely lonely

because of my New-Girl talk.

I got the New-Girl,

don’t-want-to-go,

don’t-make-me-go blues.

You could use this book with a class as a way to explore poetry forms plus there is a wonderful public speaking topic idea - The Dream Report.

I would pair this book with:

The One Thing You'd Save

Sunshine on Vinegar Street by Karen Comer

Sport fans, especially fans of basketball and netball are sure to enjoy this new Australian verse novel due for publication in June 2023. This is the second book I have read by Karen Comer and I was happy to discover this one relied a little less on familiarity with Melbourne.

There are a few reasons I enjoy verse novels. They are quick to read of course but more than that they usually contain quite emotional stories. Sunshine on Vinegar Street didn't quite touch my heart but I did relate to Freya's fear of riding in lifts. At her age of twelve, I had a fear of riding on escalators. 

Back to the setting of this book. Freya has moved with her mother to the eleventh floor of a city apartment building. She has to navigate a lot of stairs each day and worse, she now has to navigate relationships in a new school. Especially relationships with awful girls who plan to be selected for the A Grade basketball team. Freya loves basketball and she is a skilled player but Val is determined to see her fail. Freya also has to cope with desperately missing her dad who is working in Broome. 

Across the road from their new apartment there is a Melbourne landmark - The Skipping Girl Sign or Skipping Girl Vinegar Sign, colloquially known as Little Audrey - an historic animated neon sign in the inner suburb of Abbotsford, Melbourne. You can read more about Little Audrey here. Turn off the sound and watch this video of the neon sign in action. 

Publisher blurb: Freya's world is turned upside down when she and her mum move to inner-city Melbourne. Now she's ... Stuck in a new apartment on the eleventh floor and Freya is afraid of lifts. Stuck in a new basketball team where not everyone likes a killer new player.  Stuck in a classroom of kids who don't know Freya is a donor-conceived baby. Stuck, just like little Audrey in the Skipping Girl sign suspended in mid-air over the suburb of Abbotsford. Being the new girl makes Freya feel like a dark cloud on a summer's day. Can she figure out how to belong on Vinegar Street?

Here is Karen Comer's previous book which was also a verse novel but aimed at an older reader:

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

QUESTION

BELIEVE
CHOOSE TO LIVE, CHOOSE TO LOVE

KNOW WHAT YOU COME FROM
SEEK TO LEARN
UNDERSTAND THOSE YOU LOVE
TREASURE YOUR LIFE

Elise is eleven and has moved up to middle school. Middle school is a whole different world. Elise does have a very special friend - Franklin - but now some of the things they do together somehow seem childish. On the first day of the new school Elise is given her locker buddy. She is a wretched, mean, bully girl named Amanda. 

Who can Elise turn to? The homework from school is out of control. The teachers seem disinterested and even unkind. Franklin seems slightly embarrassing yet he was once her very best friend. 

When she was just born Elise's mum died and only a few years later, her father died too - from cancer. Elise lives with her beautiful Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh. Bessie is a wonderful cook and Hugh has so much patience and wisdom but really Elise needs time and trust in her friends and family to work out all her life problems. The delicious food in this book reminded me of the food from the previous book Love, Aubrey. 

Adding to all of this Elise finds a key with her name on the tag. In their barn, on the top floor, there are eight doors. Over time Elise finds eight keys and discovers so much about herself, her father, her mother and life in general. The rooms are rather like a puzzle and have been set up long ago by her father for when the time was just right. The different things revealed in each room is a useful story device and one which I think readers aged 10+ will really enjoy. And yes there are only seven words in the list at the start of this post - you need to read this book to discover the eighth key.

This book was published in 2011 but it is still available however here in Australia the paperback is quite expensive so perhaps you will find this book in a library. Here are three other cover designs. I am not sure I especially like any of them but, as I said with Suzanne's first book (Love, Aubrey) I would be very happy to put this book (Eight Keys) into the hands of a sensitive reader especially one of the cusp of moving to high school.

Just over two years ago I read Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur. I ordered it because I absolutely adored two other books by Susanne LaFleur - Beautiful Blue World and Threads of Blue. At a recent charity book sale I spied this book - Eight Keys - another book by Suzanne LaFleur and this morning I picked it up to read. After an outing later in the morning I came home and finished the whole book of 214 pages. This was just what I needed - to read a whole book in a day. Lately I have laboured over several 'heavier' books which I am struggling to complete. It is so satisfying when a book just sweeps you along and you want to read and read and read until you reach the end. Oh and I also love books that make me cry (just a little).

Here is an interview with Suzanne LaFleur.

In this one, small, sweet book, everything in the world that's important is revealed. It's a book about relationships: losing them, finding them, and fixing them. Dickens library

I would pair Eight Keys with these:

Things seen from Above

Are you there, Buddha?

Aster's right good things

Pieces of Georgia

Hound Dog True

If you want to book talk Eight Keys I suggest using the scene where Elise visits her parents graves. It is sad, yes, but also uplifting and healing from the end of chapter 9 and beginning of chapter 10. 

"Is it my fault you're here?' Cold stone never answered anyone. 'Well, it probably wasn't worth it. I'm bad at everything and nobody but our family likes me. I can't even keep one friend.' I wiped my nose on my sleeve. 'I'm really sorry.' I lay down on the grass, a little closer to them.  ... (That night) I didn't dream at all. That was nice. When I woke up I felt rested ... I was thinking about Franklin. I felt so much better today, and maybe what happened really wasn't his fault. We could try again." 

How to be the New Person by Anna Branford

"I even have music for the beginning and the end of each video that I play in my head. And I always round it off with something like: If you would like to see more videos by Hazel Morrison, don't forget to subscribe to my channel!"

I really enjoyed reading a slim book for a change this week. I seem to have had so many 400+ page complex fantasies it was refreshing to read this book with 117 pages in about half an hour.  I am going to say, however, that being slim does not designate either a lesser story or a younger audience and once again I find myself disagreeing with the suggested age listed on the cover of my advance reader copy (8+).  I would say this book would be suit a mature reader aged 9 and even better, a reader aged 10+.  

Hazel likes to imagine she is making videos - those self help ones you have seen on YouTube.  I used to imagine, as a Primary aged kid, that someone was filming me in the school playground for a television show so this idea really appealed to me.

Here are some early example of Hazel's video ideas:

• Eight important tips for successfully buttering toast!
• Putting your hair in a ponytail: a step by step guide!
• The do's and don't's of cleaning up the sink after you've brushed your teeth - everything you need to know!

Hazel is navigating quite a lot in her life right now. Hazel's older sister Tess has been badly bullied at school. Mum and Dad have decided the best way to end this dreadful situation, which is affecting Tess's mental health, is to move to a new part of the city and of course to a new school. Tess will go to a new High School and Hazel will have to leave her best friend Gina and go to a new Primary School.

On her first day at the new school the scene nearly broke my heart. Hazel is assigned to sit with a group of three girls. It is clear they don't want her to join them. Then the teacher says Hazel will need to pair up with one of these girls on the class assignment which is a project about problems that affect young people. Olivia does not want to pair up with Hazel. 

Meanwhile, Mum and Dad have not really been focusing on Hazel because they are so worried about Tess:

"Hazel! Oh she's fine. We're so lucky with that kid. We never have to worry about her She's made of tough stuff.' It's funny to hear him say that about me. I think about the thick tough brown tape we used to seal up our packing boxes because ordinary clear sticky tape wasn't tough enough. .... I think about the enormous tyres on tractors and bulldozers that carry heavy giant rocks and get rained on and covered in mud and still keep going with no problem because they are so tough. Is that what dad thinks I am? Is that what he's telling Gran?"

Luckily there are two rays of sunshine in this story. One is the beautiful elderly lady next door who offers tea, biscuits and that all important listening ear to Hazel and the other is Laura - one of the three girls at her table. By the end of the book I wanted to hug Laura for her bravery and kindness.

Younger readers who enjoyed the Violet Mackerel books are sure to recognise Hazel because she has a very similar outlook on life and a lovely straightforward manner of sharing her problems. Perhaps you can join the dots and think about the title and the school project and Hazel's interest in making videos. Perhaps you can even think of the real life problem that is the focus of her film.

Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy of How to be the New Person. 

I am sure this book will be a CBCA Notable title for 2023 at least I do hope it is. How to be a New Person will be published in October, 2022. Add it to your library shopping list today!

Hound Dog True by Linda Urban

"I'm Mattie Breen ... I'm bold and friendly"

"There are laws that says she has to be in the classroom to learn fractions and spelling and survival of the fittest. But there are not laws about going outside at recess time. And there are not laws about where to sit at lunchtime."

There is a raw honesty and a tenderness in this book which I just loved. But this is balances with some sweetly funny moments and small touches of kindness. Mattie feels like an outsider. Life confuses her. She has changed towns and schools so often. "Mama never owns more than can fit in a pickup truck." She longs to fit in. She longs to make a friend. Her anxiety makes everyday life very hard. But Mattie is a problem solver. She has worked out a terrific way to survive at her newest school. Mama and Mattie have gone to live with Uncle Potluck. Uncle Potluck is the school Janitor. Right now it is the summer holidays and because mama is at work Mattie is tagging along to the empty school to help her Uncle. Mattie thinks if Uncle Potluck will take her on as his assistant then all her worries about recess and lunch breaks and interacting with the other kids will be solved because she will be busy working as a custodial apprentice.

"She will spend the next four days writing and learning and being professional next to Uncle Potluck, proving herself worthy of being a true custodial apprentice. Proving how once school starts, he should keep her by his side, instead of making her go to lunch or recess or be with whatever wild kids might be at Mitchell P Andersen Elementary. That is Mattie's plan."

Back in her old school another student got her hands on Mattie's precious notebook. "Most nights she had slept easy. Until fourth grade. Until Star." - Please read chapter five to your class if you do a book talk about Hound Dog True. 

But will her plan to be a janitor work? And what about the pesky girl next door called Quincy? And what if Mama wants to move them on again?

Publisher blurb Harper Collins: Do not let a mop sit overnight in water. Fix things before they get too big for fixing. Custodial wisdom: Mattie Breen writes it all down. She has just one week to convince Uncle Potluck to take her on as his custodial apprentice at Mitchell P. Anderson Elementary School. One week until school starts and she has to be the new girl again. But if she can be Uncle Potluck’s apprentice, she’ll have important work to do during lunch and recess. Work that will keep her safely away from the other fifth graders. But when her custodial wisdom goes all wrong, Mattie’s plan comes crashing down. And only then does she begin to see how one small, brave act can lead to a friend who is hound dog true.

Hound Dog True was published in 2011 and while it is perhaps still available, here in Australia is very expensive so I hope you might find a copy in a school or public library or you could read, as I did, the ebook version. Either way I highly recommend this heartfelt story which continues to linger with me. Oh and I am not going to answer your lingering questions - why is he called Uncle Potluck (read chapter 25) and what exactly does hound dog true really mean? You need to read this book to discover this for yourself. And I do need to mention this is not a book about dogs.  Look below - Kirkus use the word OUTSTANDING in their review. 

I ached for Mattie. And now that the book is over, I wish I could spend more time with her. Jen Robinson

And I would add to this quote by Jen Robinson by saying I just wanted to find a sweet little mouse-shaped button to sew back onto Mattie's pyjamas. 

"Once there lived a button named Moe. Moe was a mouse-shaped button. He was stitched onto some pyjamas with strong thread. The pyjamas belonged to a girl. She was not strong. Sometimes at night she worried. When she worried she twisted Moe on his thread until she fell asleep. Moe did not mind. One night the girl could not fall asleep. The girl worried and worried. She twisted Moe for a long time. The next day the pyjamas went to the laundromat. Moe was in the washing machine. water flooded in. The other clothes pulled and tugged at him, and Moe's strong thread snapped. ... Moe was alone. He didn't yell for help. He knew he would never be heard. Moe was lost forever."

Uncle Potluck has such a unique voice:

"I shall have to watch myself now that I know you are recording our custodial endeavours for posterity."

"As I'm sure you are aware, great writing is a solitary pursuit."

"The gourmands of Mitchel P Andersen favour pizza, and it is the rare lunch tray that even has a crust left for disposal."

"Want to give this your janitorial scrutiny?"

"And it seems like maybe I ought to be the only one doing the saluting too. For propriety's sake."

"Accomplished with dexterity and finesse."

Combining Mattie’s poignant writing and interior monologue, exquisite character development and a slow, deliberate pace, Urban spins a story that rings true.  This outstanding, emotionally resonant effort will appeal to middle-grade readers. Kirkus Star review