The Perfect Clubhouse

by Daniel J. Mahoney

Stanley, Heston, Julius, and Floyd don't have anywhere to hang out this summer. They need a place to perform science experiments, play superheroes, paint pictures, and camp out without being bothered by parents and little sisters. A clubhouse would be perfect. They all pitch in to build one. But the four friends soon realize that each has a different idea of what the perfect clubhouse should be-which threatens both the project and their friendship.

Mahoney's playful illustrations highlight this humorous tale of four individuals who find out that having fun together is what really makes something perfect.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 2004

About the author

Daniel J. Mahoney is a radiologic technologist, as well as a children’s book author and illustrator.

Reviews

[Brittany]

Cute book about compromising with friends while working together to make something fun.

[Anthony]

When four friends, Julius, Floyd, Heston, and Stanley decide to build the perfect clubhouse to hang out together, they discover that each has their own idea of what perfect means. This revelation causes conflict, and their friendship is strained, but each one swallows their pride and work things out.

[Rosa Cline]

4 good friends are needing a place to do things they like to do without getting into their families way. (Without making messes in an overly nice room or noises where a new sibling is, or needing room in a small apartment.) So they decided to build a clubhouse. They build one but then they start moving it around. They can't decide on where to leave it. They start arguing over 'where' and 'what' they built the house for. They each enjoy doing something different. One likes art, another likes Science, another likes camping etc. But as friends they talk it over and work it over and combine their likes together and combine their likes and everything is perfect.

[Cheryl]

Sorry, too easy. Way too easy to build the clubhouse, and way to easy to decide how to compromised. As a child I would have felt even more scorn than I do now.

[The Brothers]

Four friends decide to build a clubhouse, but each has a different idea what the clubhouse will be used for. At first there's some hurt feelings, but in the end the friends learn that the clubhouse can be used for all their ideas.

Okay illustrations.