Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
 Just plain horrible October 15, 2009
The Ginger Ninja
I just finished reading this book to my five year old daughter for tonight's bedtime story, and I feel bad about it. I've never written a book review for Amazon before, but I hated this book so much I was compelled to go online to share my disgust.
Horrible Harry Goes To The Moon is a dull, poorly written story about a class of third-graders who learn some facts about the moon, and then buy an old telescope to look at the moon. That's about it. If the book had been merely boring I would have just forgotten about it, but the book also has an undercurrent of nastiness. The underlying message of the book seems to be "Let's all laugh at the nerdy girl with the glasses".
The villain of this book is Mary, an studious girl with glasses who seems unimpressed by Horrible Harry. Mary doesn't think Harry is as wonderful as the author does, so she is made to suffer a humiliating defeat in every short chapter of the book.
In chapter one Harry mocks Mary for using the science textbook to do research, saying "I bet I have more moon facts in my noodle than you do in that old book". The message that reading is just for nerds comes up again in chapter three.
In chapter two the class has a jumping contest and of course Mary comes in last, being unable to jump more than four inches high. A third-grader who could only jump four inches high would have to be physically handicapped, but maybe the author thinks it's funny to point out the shortcomings of the disabled.
In chapter three Harry gets the better of Mary again, this time because she got her moon facts from the classroom's outdated science textbook while he pulled the latest information off the internet. Amazingly this is a children's book that makes the case that books are irrelevant and reading is a waste of time.
In chapter four the class has a bake sale to raise money to buy an old telescope. Mary bakes Full Moon Cookies with yellow icing and yellow sprinkles, and Harry shows up with a bowl of ice cubes. No one buys any of Mary's big cookies, but everyone wants to buy ice cubes from Harry, because as Harry says "...ice is the most important thing on the moon."
The book ends with chapter five. I won't give away the ending, but of course it involves another unlikely triumph for Harry and another chance for everyone to laugh at Mary.
I've read quite a lot of children's books since becoming a father, and I honestly can't remember ever hating one as much as Horrible Harry Goes to the Moon. I was shocked when I saw that this book got a handful of five star reviews on Amazon. Then I noticed that one positive review was written by someone who admits to knowing the author personally, another was a review that seemed to be praising children's books in general, and most of the rest were "A Kid's Review", presumably written under duress as part of a class project.
There's a lot of good books for children out there, but this isn't one of them. Leave Horrible Harry on the shelf.
 Horrible Harry Goes to the Moon (Horrible Harry) November 17, 2008
Darryl Bennett (Columbus, Indiana USA)
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.
did not receive June 16, 2007
Eileen Cawley Stein
0 out of 6 found this review helpful
I never received the book for my son. I cannot review this product as it was never received!!!
 loveable set of characters January 4, 2007
N. Bebault (Connecticut)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I first started reading Suzy Kline books when she became my son's second grade teacher. She is a gem and she writes books about things that happen to her characters that kids can relate to. I am such a fan that I bought everything she and her husband Rufus have written. All of her characters are good kids that get into little messy situations, and by the end of the story they have discovered how to work out their problems. Great life lessons for all our kids. We love you Suzy!
I think you shouud read thi book May 23, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Because they go to the moon (really it's their purple couch). It tells you how to earn money to buy a telescope to look at the moon. I liked it when Harry came dressed in a space suit. Horrible Harry books are awesome!!!!!!! By Mitchell 8
Showing reviews 1-5 of 11
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