The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman - Gennifer Choldenko - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Gennifer Choldenko

NARRATOR: Javier Prusky

GENRE: Middle-grade Fiction

PUBLICATION DATE: June 11, 2024

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade contemporary fiction about a young boy doing his best and yet making mistakes. Excellent eponymous character, nice mix of secondary characters, interesting plot, bittersweet emotions, fab ending. Too many themes. Loads of discussion-worthy points. Definitely recommended to older middle-graders.

Plot Preview:

It's been more than a week since eleven-year-old Hank's mother has not come home. Hank tries his best to take care of his three-years-old sister Boo, but when the money and food runs out, he has no choice but to approach the stranger whom his mom listed as an emergency contact on his school picnic form. But such actions come with consequences, and Hank now has to deal with a new temporary home, a new school, and maybe even social workers who might separate him from Boo. He knows that if he wants to reunite with his mom, he has to keep her disappearance a secret. But would that be the right thing to do or a mistake?

The story comes to us in Hank's first-person perspective.

Bookish Yays:

⚽ Hank. Though I'm not usually fond of middle-grade leads who commit mistakes such as lying or taking decisions without an adult or breaking promises or approaching strangers, this book shows Hank's thought process behind his decisions. More importantly, he doesn't always get away with his mistakes and shows remorse when needed.

⚽ Boo. She is just adorable! Unlike many books that forget toddler characters, this novel offers little Boo a strong role and a consistent presence throughout. Her portrayal is age-appropriate, which isn't so common when it comes to toddlers in middle-grade fiction.

⚽ The way Hank takes care of his little sister and always puts her needs first – won my heart!

⚽ The way Hank numerically ranks his mistakes in terms of severity – an interesting character trait. And yes, Hank's tenth mistake is really serious.

⚽ Lou Ann and Ray: the two strangers who offer Hank and Boo a safe place in their homes. Lou Ann is not depicted as the typical angelic do-gooder. She has her rules and justifiably expects Hank to follow them. I appreciate the realism of her character. Ray is just a gem of a person, quite contrary to Lou Ann. Both bring diverse adult experiences to the plot.

⚽ Hank's Mom. Not a Yay for being an exemplary character but because she shows how some adults are beyond redemption. The sad fact is that some child readers need to recognise red flags in their parents and seek external help. I loved it when Hank realised that he needn't do everything alone and also that his mom might not be the best person to rely on.

⚽ The fast pacing and quick chapters that make the 320 pages zoom by.

⚽ The balanced portrayal of emotions. Despite the strong themes and the predicaments Hank finds himself in, the book feels neither overly sentimental not mushy. Hank's mom's issues are mentioned only in passing and never stressed upon too much.

⚽ The final few chapters. Very distressing and yet much needed. I felt very sad that Hank continued to believe in his mother though she didn't do anything to deserve it. These chapters offered him a realistic wake-up call and I felt very proud of his ultimate decision.

⚽ The ending. Not perfect and yet perfect for the plot. The book needed a finale that was a mix of happy and hopeful, and the plot does exactly that. I love that there is no forced/unrealistic redemption arc.

Bookish Okays:

🍺 Hank's experience at his new school is too picture-perfect to be believable.

🍺 Though just a minor part of the story, the crush subplot isn't needed. I'm never fond of middle-grade books dealing with crushes.

🍺 Too many themes included, almost all of which are serious and a few might be triggering for younger middle-graders. The book doesn't go into most in detail, but I wish the number of topics had been curtailed to the necessary few.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:

The audiobook, clocking at nearly seven hours, is narrated by Javier Prusky. He does a fabulous job voicing all characters, including little Boo. His emotions are pitch-perfect. As the timeline is linear, I’d definitely recommend the audio version as a great way of experiencing this book.

Overall, though this book could have done better for me on a couple of points, I still enjoyed most of it and was quite invested in young Hank’s journey towards securing a happy home for his baby sister. As the title suggests, he does make many mistakes along the way, but the important part is that he learns from his mistakes.

Definitely recommended to older middle-graders. This would be a great book for a parent-child or classroom discussions as well.