Horrible+Harry+and+the+Dungeon

= Alyssa Couden = = HORRIBLE HARRY AND THE DUNGEON = AUTHOR: SUZY KLINE ILLUSTRATIONS: FRANK REMKIEWICZ

__ Bibliographic data: __

Publisher: Puffin (June 1, 1998)Paperback: 64 Pages Language: English ISBN-10: 0140386203 ISBN-13: 978-0140386202

__ Analysis of literacy elements: __ Horrible Harry is the main character throughout the Horrible Harry series. He is rebellious and always seems to be getting himself into trouble. The story focuses on the main character, and the others are just there to fill in space. Children can relate to Harry, especially troublemakers and children that like to play tricks. His character is appealing to children because I believe children will like to read about troublemakers. It is more interesting to children to read, rather than read dry material. Harry’s character changes throughout the story. In the beginning he wanted to go to the Dungeon to see what it was like, but in reality was scared of it. Also, he was quick to make judgments before he knew the suspension teacher. At the end of the story he became brave and learned whom Mr. Skooghammer was. He actually ended up liking Mr. Skooghammer in the end and had fun with mathematics. At the end of the story he became more passionate about learning and didn’t want to leave the suspension room.

__ Book Summary __ :

In the book, Horrible Harry and the Dungeon, the principal, Mr. Cardin, announces that some students are forgetting the school rules. Any student who does not obey the rules will be sent to the suspension room for the day. The suspension room is known as the “Dungeon” and the teacher that supervises it is Mr. Skooghammer. During science centers, Song Lee touches the butterfly’s wing. She was not in the classroom when Mrs. Mackle told her students not to touch the butterflies. Mrs. Mackle told Song Lee she had to go to the suspension room, but Harry took the blame for her. He took the blame because he wanted to go to the Dungeon. At recess, Song Lee and Doug were worried about Harry. The class was setting the butterflies free when Song Lee admitted she touched the butterfly. Mrs. Mackle had Doug to go get Harry from the Dungeon. Harry didn’t want to leave because he was having fun learning math. He stayed in the Dungeon for the rest of the day.

__ Book Review __ :

After reading this book, my opinion was that this is a good book for children to read. I liked it because it teaches children about helping others, judging others, and honestly. The one thing I liked about this book was that Harry took the blame for Song Lee, not only because he wanted to go to the Dungeon. I think that this can show children the quality of a good friend. Also, another lesson that this book teaches is that people should not judge people before you meet them. Harry thought Mr. Shooghammer was a bad guy before he even met him. In the end, he ended up learning a lot from him. I also liked how the book shows honesty. I enjoyed reading this book because whether children see it or not, they are learning life lessons. In addition, I liked this book because of its vocabulary, pictures and it kept my attention. I believe that this book uses age appropriate words throughout the book. They were simple, but structured well allowing students to understand the vocabulary and not get overwhelmed. The pictures in the book were helpful for students to be able to make predictions and understand the text more. The book kept my attention the whole time and was an enjoyable book. Students would not be intimated to read this book if they had to read this book for school.

__ Author biography __ : Suzy Klein was born on August 27, 1943 in Berkeley, California. When she was in school, her favorite subject was creative writing. Her career consists of an elementary schoolteacher from 1968-71 in California and later in Torrington, Connecticut, retiring in June 2000. Now, she continues to write full time and visits schools and libraries. The majority of her books are based on experiences she has encountered while teaching. Suzy travels all over the states helping children learn how to love reading and writing.

__ Related Links __ : http://www.suzykline.com/Classroom_Activities.html

Photo of a dungeon. Harry got sent to the dungeon in the story.