Horrible Harry and the Holidaze (Hardcover)

by Suzy Kline (Author), Frank Remkiewicz (Illustrator) "My name is Doug and I'm in third grade..." (more)
Key Phrases: Miss Mackle, Song Lee, Shady Pines (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-It's December, and the children in Room 3B are excited about a new classmate, a new class pet, and the chance to learn about the five winter holidays that various classmates celebrate-Three Kings' Day, Korean New Year, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas. Harry seems listless, but snaps back to his usual self when the teacher finds out that he's unhappy because his great-grandpa has gone to a nursing home, and she takes the whole class to visit him. The presentation of the various holidays is uneven in coverage and somewhat dull, although things pick up at the end when the kids receive gifts from their Secret Santas. Fun for beginning chapter-book readers, despite the educational elements.-E. M.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 2-3. Narrator Doug begins the story by noting that something is wrong with his best friend, Harry. With his grin, his insults, his love of the creepy, and his obvious crush on his third-grade classmate, Song Lee, missing, Harry "just wasn't his horrible self." This mystery is solved half way through the story when the class visits the nursing home where Harry's beloved grandfather has recently become a resident. Most of the book, however, is devoted to the third-graders learning about the seasonal holidays their classmates celebrate: Three King's Day, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Korean New Year's, and Christmas. The depiction of Harry's sadness and his grandfather's situation is sensitive though brief. The presentation of holiday practices stresses the secular aspects of religious holidays and gives a somewhat purposeful tone to the latest entry in this entertaining chapter-book series. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (September 22, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670036420
• ISBN-13: 978-0670036424
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,646,434 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Help for Teaching the Holidays! , January 16, 2005

By	Lynn Ellingwood "The ESOL Teacher" (Webster, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Horrible Harry and the Holidaze (Paperback)

Kids love this book and it is very useful in my ESOL class for teaching the winder holidays. Kids love to learn about them in my class then read about them in Horrible Harry. The Korean New Year hasn't been one that I have been teaching so I'd love more information and missed Diwali, which was not included. Good addition to the Horrible Harry series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Horrible Harry and the Holidaze, November 16, 2008

By	Darryl Bennett "Fuzzy342" (Columbus, Indiana USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Horrible Harry and the Holidaze (Paperback)

Great book and series of books for the younger reader in the family. Also a great way to get that younger person interested in reading.

3.0 out of 5 stars Horrible Harry and the Holidaze, December 5, 2008

By	Anna M. Ligtenberg "AnnaLovesBooks" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Horrible Harry and the Holidaze (Paperback)

ISBN 0439671515 - I'm reading through as many Christmas books as I can right now and thought this one, with a multi-cultural look at winter holidays, would be a nice addition. It's good, but it could have been better.

As the holidays approach, Miss Mackle decides to teach the class about other winter celebrations. The class is excited, but Doug is worried about Harry, who seems distracted. The kids learn about Three Kings' Day, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and the Korean New Year with the help of some of their parents and a visit to the local nursing home. The planned nursing home visit gives Doug a clue about Harry's odd behavior: Harry's grandfather recently moved there, after suffering a stroke. With the mystery of Harry's odd behavior solved, Doug focuses on Christmas just as Miss Mackle turns her attention to that holiday. A Secret Santa gift exchange proves that Harry's back to his usual, horrible self.

On the plus side, there's a list of resources in the back, so that you and your young reader can learn more about various winter holidays. The details that are here are basic and informative. This, however, really doesn't overcome the main problem here. The book is fairly unfocused. The holidays are interesting to learn about, but the better storyline - Harry's concern about his grandfather - is really glossed over. In just a handful of scattered references, Harry's distraction and worry are pointed out, not discussed or addressed beyond one possible talk with his teacher, and then are magically resolved. Author Suzy Kline could have done a much better job, in my opinion. Illustrations by Frank Remkiewicz are all right but some of the most potentially interesting visuals, like what a kufi really looks like, weren't chosen to be illustrated.

- AnnaLovesBooks