My daughter and I have read all the Ramona books, so now we're moving on to the Henry books. There were some funny parts for sure (like when Henry trains Ribsy to retrieve their newspaper but Ribsy ends up retrieving *every* newspaper on Klickitat Street or when Henry thinks he can sell gum to get rich and it backfires big time) but Henry's attitude toward girls was not cool. Even though this is an everyday life book, I'm tagging it as historical fiction because of the casual sexism.

I had always thought of Henry Huggins as a nice kid but in this book he treats Ramona and Beezus with such disdain. I think part of it might've been the audiobook narrator's performance. He put this harsh edge in Henry's voice that doesn't need to be there.

Why do I keep choosing these Beverly Cleary books when they are so dated? They crack us up and the characters are very endearing. Ramona is like a real person to us. We also read contemporary everyday life stories (we've enjoyed Ivy Bean, Mya Tibbs, Meet Yasmin, Jasmine Toguchi, and especially Anna Hibiscus). But Ramona remains #1 in our hearts. ( )

Independent Reading Level: Grade 4
Awards: Newbery Honor

A cute, simple, elementary level book about a boy struggling to get a new bicycle, with the help of his friend Beezus, and accompanied by the antics of his dog, Ribsy.
Originally published in 1952, it holds up remarkably well. ( )

Poor Henry really wants a bike. His parents can't afford to get him one, so he endeavors to earn the money, but something always goes wrong. He is to help a neighbor deliver papers, but his dog collects them and brings them all back, he tries to buy a bike at an auction, but can't get close enough to be heard. With the help of his neighbor Beezus and her little sister, he gets a bike, but -horrors!- it's a girl's bike! Wonderful story about a boy and his neighbors. ( )

As much as I like Cleary's stuff, this one is a bit dated and made me a little uncomfortable reading it. Henry really wants a bike but can't afford a new one, so he buys one at an auction with the help of Beezus, who accidentally bids on a girl's bike for him. Then follows much lamenting of the fact that he has a girl's bike and such. Plus, he complains a lot about having to hang out with girls and what a nuisance they can be. Not helpful, really, when you're trying to raise a kid to look past this sort of nonsense. ( )