By Jennifer Choldenko
Ever finish a book and characters are so alive for you that you can’t let them go…or you keep thinking about them long after you’ve read the last page?
I’ve long been a fan of Gennifer Choldenko! Some of her other titles: Al Capone Does My Shirts (series), Chasing Secrets, No Passengers Beyond this Point, and Dogtown ( with Katherine Applegate) are great reads! However, I think her latest book The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman is my new Gennifer Choldenko fav, which was published this past June. And I strongly recommend picking this awesome book up SOON!
Hank Hooperman is an eleven-year-old with a three-year-old sister, Boo. Their mom, an alcoholic, has disappeared and Hank is left to figure out how to take care of his sister and provide for them. After a week, Hank knows he’ll have to do something different as they have no food or money and are facing eviction. So he shows up on the doorstep of Lou Ann Adler, a friend of his deceased grandmother, who was listed on an emergency contact form. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll leave it at that.
Their story is so genuine, honest, and raw. It’s not filled with tight solutions and a didactic ‘everybody lived happily ever after’ plot structure.
You will cheer and cry for Hank and Boo as their lives are on a rollercoaster of change. So many factors influence where they will be able to call “HOME”.
Decisions. Society’s rules. Government agencies. Addiction. Changing relationships. Friendships. Survival. Family. Protection. Mistakes. Hurt. Fear. And yes, more decisions……..Hank’s world is a complicated web of difficult and evolving realities. Decisions are a freaky thing. They’re often made in a split second, with implications that last a lifetime. Often they’re made because we love someone, or hope for a better outcome. Yet, is that the best decision? What happens if we mess up and disappoint others? Will there be a positive way to move forward?
From Hank : “The decisions I made had seemed right at the time. They had made sense. But now…”. (page 248)
Gennifer Choldenko has created a profoundly powerful story, with characters so well-developed they will grab your heart and not let go. Hank and Boo will live with me for a long time. I wanted the book to end because I needed to know what happened to Hank and Boo…but I didn’t want it to end as I was savoring every encounter with these characters. I am grateful to have had a front-row seat to their story. You’ll have to read this gem of a novel to find out if forgiveness, healing, and hope prevail.
Check out her website: https://gennifercholdenko.com