Here’s Hank – Everybody Is Somebody

Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver's Here's Hank - Everybody Is Somebody is a school story for 6 year olds about a boy who has to talk about a book he can't read.

What happens

Hank's little sister Emily has just been made Reader of the Month. Again. She finished thirteen books in thirty days. Hank hasn't finished one. He really wants to, but when he looks at a page the letters swim around like fish.

So when Mr Rock, the music teacher, invites a real author to school, it's a big deal. Three children will show her round and get their photo on the famous bulletin board. All Hank has to do is read her book first.

He gets as far as the middle of page one.

Luckily he has Frankie and Ashley. They're the kind of friends who give up dumplings and baseball to help him (and try his cookie-and-pickle combo, which does not go down well). They tell him the story instead. Then at the tryouts Hank does what Hank does best. He makes the judges laugh.

It's a real treat being inside Hank's head. His list of reasons he can't read includes eyes that are allergic to books. His dog falls asleep the moment he opens the cover, and so does he. You'll probably laugh and wince at the same time.

The big moment comes in front of the whole school. The class bully, Nick McKelty, asks Hank a question about chapter six, knowing full well he hasn't read it. Hank has two choices. Own up, or make something up on the spot? Let's just say there are space bugs involved, and they aren't in the author's book.

Nick is properly mean, by the way. He takes Hank's lunch and calls him stupid in front of everyone. Hank does get his moment to stand up to him, which is very satisfying.

If your child finds reading hard work, Hank will feel like a friend. And if they read everything in sight, like Emily, they'll still cheer for him. It's a warm, funny story about being good at something nobody gives out prizes for.

What to read next

If this one goes down well, Bookmarks Are People Too is another Here's Hank story in the library. Ms Flowers's class is putting on a play and Hank wants to be Aqua Fly, a superhero fly who lives in an underwater cave, which is tricky when you can't read the script.