The Grand, Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler by Lisa Shanahan

The Grand, Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler Reviews

• 
  Pauline

  I loved this book - it is everything that a book for this age group should be - warm, funny, inspirational and uplifting.
• 
  Byron Bibliotherapy

  Thanks to Jenny Stubbs for recommending this book to me. It won the 2017 Qld Literary Award but sort of flew under the radar. It is a wonderful, gentle book with a gorgeous protagonist and an extra-special friendship at the centre of it.
  This was a read-aloud with my 8yo daughter and she found it special as well. She related to Henry having fears. We read it in summer, when it felt just right. I loved the portrayal of the extremely functional families and their long camping holiday.
• 
  Susan Barnes

  The Grand Genius Summer of Henry Hoobler is the story of Henry’s summer holiday at the beach with his family when he is 8 years old. Henry begins the holiday with much trepidation. He had received a new bike for Christmas without training wheels and is nervous about riding it. He is also worried about bugs, spiders, snakes, stingers, blue-ringed octopi and sharks. Through the story we see Henry facing his fears and overcoming his worries. He also makes a new friend, Cassie, who encourages him to be brave.
  
  Henry’s family comprises his Mum, Dad, older brother, Patch and younger sister, Lulu. Two other families are also holidaying with them, the Barone’s and the Carson’s. So as well as the usual sibling rivalry, there’s the added dynamics of interacting with the other families. There’s a lot of fun activities that the different family members engage in and mostly the families get on well together.
  
  Overall, Lisa Shanahan has written a positive story of an enjoyable summer holiday where children and adults have fun together, learn new skills and develop their relationships with each other. Specifically, we see Henry grow in maturity and confidence.
  
  A well-written and entertaining read.
• 
  Bruce Gargoyle

  I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
  
  DNF at 52 pages
  
  Ten Second Synopsis:
  Henry goes on holiday with his family and has a pathological fear of learning to ride his two-wheel bike.
  
  Considering My Big Birkett was a thoroughly engaging read all those years ago, I'm surprised at how tedious this story was...at least in the first 52 pages. I decided to give Henry and co a rest there, because there just wasn't anything about the story that was drawing me in or encouraging me to continue.
• 
  Kylie Purdie

  This is book has been shortlisted for
  The Children's Book Council of Australia Shortlisttext in the Younger Readers category.
  
  Slow to start, Henry Hoobler may struggle to hold it's intended young audience. However, if they persevere, they will be rewarded with a lovely story about facing your fears and the wonder of a loving, supportive family.
  Henry is a worrier - about everything! I'm sorry to say that Henry would not last long in my family as we tend to do all the things he worries about. Luckily Henry's parents are understanding of his fears and while they don't pander to him, they don't push him too hard (a gentle nudge every now and then) to step too far outside his comfort zone. At times Henry finds the courage to do something that terrifies him (like a trip to the park in the dark for his sister), all because he has a good heart - and that is why I love Henry.
  There was one thing about the book that I have an issue with though. The Hoobler family go camping. It's something my family does a lot, although we are more remote locations and less holiday parks than the Hooblers. They camp with other families - again, something we do a lot. On our camping trips, every one does everything - fish, snorkel, swim, cook, clean - the lot. In Henry Hoobler, the boy children fish, surf and ride bikes. The girl child (there was only one as far as I could tell), swam in the pool and played with her ponies. The dads took the boys fishing and surfing and on bike rides. The mum took the girl to the pool and struggled back carrying all the towels, sunscreen etc. It is a small thing in many ways, but in a day and age where we are trying so hard to break down gender barriers, I think it's an important aspect for authors to think about, especially when writing books aimed at young children.
• 
  Hung

  3.5 Stars.
  
  I remembered absolutely loving My Big Birkett years ago. Unfortunately, Henry Hoobler did not measure up.
  
  My Kobo said this book is 128 pages long but I did not felt a connection with it until half way in. When the connection happened, I felt like I fully understood and embraced each character. I loved that they are not selfish or useless parents and older siblings. They are loving and supportive of each others. Henry's dad often referred to him as "Son of my heart." How sweet is that.
  
  Things that would have made the book better for me.
  
  - Henry, Lulu, Cassie and Patch's age are established more clearly at the beginning of the book. It helps provide some context of the conversations.
  - Cassie mom's makes an appearance near the end of the book. Her character casts a large shadow in the background of the story. It seems a missed opportunity to bump the "happy ending" up another notch.
  - A glossary of slangs used in the back of the book. Could someone please explain to me what are "Coconut Girls"?
• 
  Jennie

  Henry, about to head into Grade 3 is spending the holidays camping by the sea with two other families. Henry is a bit of a worrier and part of his bucket load of concerns is getting onto and riding his new bike that has no training wheels. During the camping trip all the kids seem to grow more rounded and a little more caring and with the help of his new friend Cassie and sound advice from his mum, Henry learns to manage his fear and discovers that being brave also involves a bit of being afraid.
  A great read, and sure to make a good class read aloud - target group middle primary. A worthy inclusion of the 2018 CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers.
• 
  Oznasia

  If you are about to read this book, please note, the author doesn't use any tricks to hook you right from the start. The story starts slowly, but don't give up! Keep going! It's worth it.
  
  Up to about half way through I was thinking 'Yeah, it's OK. Maybe a three'. As I got further into it, it started to grab me and I was thinking 'perhaps a four'. By time I was finished I was totally hooked. What a wonderful book and so many lessons that readers can learn from the characters in this story. Hence my final score.
• 
  Jacob

  I really enjoyed this book. This book was full of inspiration and courage throughout. I loved the entire aspect of it and it is a really quick read. I literally read this in three days!!! I definitely do recommend this book to anyone who is feeling down. I also really like the references to pop culture. Please read this book, it is amazing.
• 
  Kerryn Lawson

  A fantastic feel good story encompassing all the fabulous memories and feelings that come with family camping holidays. It made me smile, it made me laugh and it made me reflect on the fantastic memories I had of camping as a child and the memories now as an adult camping with my own children.
• 
  Penny Jaye

  Oh my heart, I loved this book.
  Such a beautiful story of family, friendship, courage and honesty.
• 
  Debbie Williams

  A sweet story of family, friendship, fun and overcoming fears. A great classroom read.
• 
  Anna Davidson

  3.5* A lovely, feel-good story about overcoming fears and developing new friendships.
• 
  Kate

  It’s so nice to have stories like this with boys at the Centre - gentle, sometimes timid, unsure boys who are trying to find their way. We need more of these coming-of-age stories for this age group.
• 
  Dianne Wolfer

  This book captures the quintessential Aussie summer camping trip. I loved it 💕
• 
  Wren (Fariywren) Semi-hiatus❥

  I liked it, I listened to it with my little sister it was quite a cute story😀
• 
  Judy

  A warm and funny story with engaging characters. many of the scenes made me laugh out loud with glee. The little sister is absolutely priceless. I loved it.
• 
  Patricia Baker

  Henry's a worrier. This summer holiday seems like it's going to be awful, camping with the family and the thought of having to ride his new bike without training wheels. But the summer turns out to be a grand genius summer. With the help of Cassie and his brother, Henry faces his fears.
• 
  Alison

  This was a lovely MG read about an ordinary boy and his summer vacation. My favourite thing about this book was how ordinary Henry was - there is a real dearth of normal boys in children's fiction (most of them being superheroes or detectives), but this was a lovely story about family, friendship, and anxieties. Definitely a book I will be recommending!
• 
  Coco

  Absolutely amazing! It’s humorous and fun, it brings you to another world when your mom doesn’t let you play outside. I really liked it when Henry beat the bigger boys it kind of proves that younger kids don’t want to spend their own time cleaning up the mess of some bossy bigger brother while they are supposed to spend their own childhood having parties and sleepovers with their BFFs. So don’t be shy and stick you head into this book and laugh out loud with Cassie and Henry! Wait, and also Lulu’s ponies of course!